It’s August already, y’all. Children will return to school soon, and we will exchange summer clothes for fall clothes. Leaves will soon fall to the ground. We will turn our clocks back, stores will begin stocking for Christmas, and we will start looking to the new year. The routines of this life may begin to rule our lives, even as Christ’s followers. During one Sunday sermon a few months ago, our pastor said something that touched my heart. We were in the book of 2 Corinthians studying Paul’s ministry in Corinth. Paul’s epistles challenge us to allow Christ to live through and in us.

He compels us to live a life reflective of Christ’s teachings that we profess to believe. Our Pastor’s words struck me that I needed to evaluate what I say “Amen” to truly. We can become very excited about the faith as we read Paul’s teachings. We shout excitedly with “Amen” for his profound words of truth. Christ’s Words that we were compelled by during the message suddenly fade away as if His Words never moved us.

In Matthew 13:`8-19, Christ explains why this happens. ” “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.” When we do not take time to understand Christ’s Word in the Scriptures and endure it momentarily, the enemy will not wait for us to grab hold of it. We agree with God when we say “Amen” to His teachings and respond to them personally.

Responding “Amen” to that Scripture says that our heritage is no longer in our earthly family line but in our spiritual family line. Our allegiance is to Christ and not to family traditions and ethnicity. This is no longer our home; We look to our eternal lives with Christ. When we bind our lives with Christ, this earth’s temporal things are no longer valuable. We can see the world from a Biblical worldview. We recently took a family trip to Washington State, and I was able to have some sweet times of fellowship with several of my sisters in Christ. I noticed something different in how these amazing sisters related to me.

These sisters received me as their sister. We ate together, stayed at their home, and felt welcomed. It was natural and not superficial. I truly felt at home. It did not matter that we were black and they were white. However, in Texas, I feel that even within the church family, people see my color first, and it tarnishes the depth of our relationships. If we are going to truly live the “Amen” lifestyle, we must see each other as Christ sees us; we all belong to Him. He does not see our color, status, education, stature, or anything else. Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. When the Holy Spirit fills our hearts, God sees who He is in us. He sees love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The Holy Spirit can scan everything we do when we choose to live a life that reflects agreeing with God. When we speak it is from the sweet from of Holy Spirit, when serve, when we think, act or react, it is all through the purifying work of Holy Spirit in us. I have decided to embrace the “Amen” lifestyle. I am conscious of the Holy Spirit’s fruit in everything I do and confess it as a sin when I don’t. Paul, in Romans 12:1, urges us to live our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to God.

This is only possible by submitting to the Holy Spirit living within us to produce holy fruit in our lives. I urge you to think about the things from the Word that you reply “Amen” to. Does it truly reflect that you agree with God? Do you agree with God that He is sovereign and that He has already worked out all things in our lives? Do you agree that He is Holy and expects us to reflect His holiness? The “Amen” lifestyle should be reflective of all of us within the Body of Christ, but not everyone who responds, “Amen” reflects that “Amen” when life calls for it.