Patience and longsuffering, which are the fruits of the Spirit, will lead you to perfection and true holiness. Repentance and confession of your sin to God are not enough. You may need to prove the genuineness of your confessions. When you repent and confess your sins, some old things may insist on remaining until you give in to constant renewal of your mind by the word of God. This is why growth in the knowledge of Christ is paramount.
Why you need to conquer and overcome tests or trials
God’s full blessings start flowing after you are tested and you endure. While your faith is being tested, the word of God is superior to every other word. Obedience to God’s Word produces real blessing from God.
What you should do if you want to live an overcoming life
You must seek to grow in the knowledge of Christ. You must seek to grow in the word of God. As you grow in His word, you rise to know your Identity and place of victory in Christ. Sin has no dominion over a believer who knows who he is in Christ and keeps his or her mind stayed on Christ, day and night. Growing in Christ helps you to overcome sin and live a life of dominion. You must constantly align your will to God’s will and not live by your will, let alone the will of others. You must live a life of discipline, diligence and determination to always stay holy. You must be conscious of God’s presence everywhere, even when you are where you are not known.
This is what the life of a converted senior citizen looks like:
The nature, personality and characteristics of godly (converted) senior citizens
They Accept The Truth As It Is In Christ:
I once met a man who was already in his 50s. He is highly intelligent, smart and sound. He also owns an excellent secondary school in his community with all the necessary amenities for the child’s education. I was impressed by the things he had done to contribute to the growth of his community. I couldn’t hide my surprise when I found out that he never went beyond primary school education. When I had the opportunity to converse with him, I discovered he was a strong believer in Christ who never allowed his educational background to limit him. One thing he said to me that I may never forget in a long time is this:
“Everything I am or own today can only be attributed to God and not man because I called the things that are not as though they were with the spoken word of Christ.”
That day I was so full of joy to have met a senior citizen who places God as a priority in his life.
Over the years, education has made many senior citizens put their lives and ego above the word of God. They are wrong because the word of God is the most sovereign authority on earth. This is mainly because the books written by men publish the thoughts of man’s finite mind, while the bible is God’s infinite revelation to humanity.
‘And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.’ ECCLESIASTES 12:12
‘For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled‘. MATTHEW 5:18
Agreeing with the Scriptures
Every word or book written by a man that contradicts God’s word is unprofitable (see Psalms 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21). No matter the level of your education, it is not complete until you study and agree with the scriptures as it is in Christ. Whatever you know is incomplete until you believe the scriptures without argument. Obedience to the scripture is the beginning of wisdom, and without the knowledge of the scripture, your knowledge is vain and useless. The versatility of the scripture in meeting every need of people of every race, language, nationality, custom or background is proof of the superiority of the Word of God. It is the only book originating from heaven, preserved from century to century, fulfilled most of its prophecies and remained perfect until now (see Isaiah 7:14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 Timothy 4:1-4; Psalms 19:7; James 1:25).
The word of God is the ancient landmark that will remain as it is in Christ. No generation can substitute it for sham (Proverbs 22:28; Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17; Job 24:1-2).
Therefore, if you have not accepted the life of Christ yet, it is time to get serious with your life. You may need to deal with stubborn or stony heart issues and even doubt. You may be struggling with a perverse, fretting or sensual nature. It is possible. In such a situation, you will never understand the scriptures as you ought. As a senior citizen, you are always conscious of your personal or social status in society. That alone is enough to hinder you from understanding the Word of God. In addition, a religious or denominational demon is capable of restraining you from submitting to Spirit-filled teachers and preachers who may not be in the same class or status as you are.
For this purpose, the Scriptures warned us to
‘Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ‘. COLOSSIANS 2:8
‘But ye have not so learned Christ; If so, be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus’. EPHESIANS 4:20-21
As you settle for God’s Word, determine never to accept any doctrine or philosophy of men that does not agree with the Word of God. It is wise to walk in the truth as it is in Christ, loving one another.