‘And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.’   

(Philippians 4:8 NLT) 

As we have discussed having a single mind in Christianity and that blending faiths and practices can lead to confusing places, let us look into what are accurate practices that correlate with Christianity.  

Bible 

‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.’ 

(2 Timothy 3:16 NLT) 

‘For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.’ 

(Hebrews 4:12 NLT) 

I needn’t add much to these two scriptures other than to emphasise that the contents of the Bible – though penned by human hands – is inspired by God Himself through His Holy Spirit. It is alive. It is powerful and it can measure our hearts in ways we will never understand.  

I believe that to get the fullest out of the Bible it should be read daily in whatever quantities you feel are appropriate for where you are at in your walk with Jesus. Like food for the soul, it needs to be digested and absorbed to keep us spiritually healthy and strong.  

Prayer 

‘But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.’   

(Matthew 6:6 NLT) 

Prayer is simply talking to God. It is not a corporate show nor is it an excuse to show off. It is a simple conversation between you and your Father in Heaven. We are encouraged to keep our prayers short and simple in scripture (read Matthew 6:7-13) and to trust that God hears us.  

Though we may pray in a group, we are not talking to the other members of the group, we are talking to God. Prayer should be as authentic as having a 1-1 with a friend or family member. It is a beautiful exchange between God and His Son or Daughter.  

Worship 

‘Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors.’ 

(Jeremiah 20:13 NLT) 

One thing that we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself is to worship Him. We as humans were made to worship. Rather than direct our worship to idols and false gods, we were made to worship the one, true, living God.  

This can look like any of the practices already mentioned. It commonly looks like singing to Him and playing musical instruments to Him. It can be kneeling in silent devotion. As long as your heart is bent towards the Lord, you are in a moment of worship.  

If this feels unfamiliar to you at first, remember that God sees your heart and that He recognises your intentions to praise Him for all that He has done for you.  

Father God, 

Thank you that your practices are true, honourable, right and pure. I pray that you will help me to adopt and develop these Christian practices into my life and use them to worship you, learn about you and deepen our relationship with one another. 

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen.