16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil. 23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it
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This is what a Christian like looks like. It's not a hard concept to grasp, it's the actual practice that can be sometimes difficult.
16. Live with the Joy that Christ has placed inside of you. doesn't mean always be happy, that's not enough. live in security and joy that Christ has drawn you to Him.
17. The most important aspect of our connection to God is talking and listening to Him. Paul says prayer continuously. He doesn't mean like the Pharisees did, showing off for all to see. He just wants us to be in communication with the Lord Almighty throughout every day. He wants to be a part of our lives; so let Him be.
18. God doesn't want us to be bitter. He doesn't want us to get mad at Him - and if you think about it, we don't have the right to be mad at Him. Non-Christians see how we act. They see us when we attack each other and fake it. That's not living the lifestyle he called us to. See Romans 12:1.
19. When the Spirit wants to work in and through us, we must let Him! Eph. 3:20. God wants to use us for incredible things.
20. Trust the words given to us from God, the scriptures. They hold Truth. The bible is a sword to be used offensively against the powers of darkness. Don't let your sword rust. Sharpen it up constantly.
Ya'll study this further and let me know what you think. It's a great text. Hope God uses it to teach you something new in this season. Love ya'll. Thanks for reading.
-matt
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