Christianity is not just about knowing the Bible. It's about living the life the Bible describes. It's about reflecting the truth of God's Word in every area of our lives, in everything we do.

That has always been God's design. He showed it by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to live right here on earth. Jesus walked, travelled, ate, worked and did everything a normal human being does. And in doing so, He showed us how to live. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

That is God telling us He cares, not only about what we believe on Sunday, but about everything we do on Monday.

So how can you tell whether the Word you've received is actually working in your life? I believe there are three things that set a Christian apart from everyone else.

The Three Marks

The first is our thoughts. The second is our actions. The third is our reactions, the way we respond.

These three tell whether we have received the Word of God and are putting it to work, or whether it's still just information sitting on a shelf.

And they're not three separate things. They're connected. Our thoughts determine our actions and our reactions. Everything stems from what goes on in the mind.

Your Thoughts Come From What You Store

Our thoughts are formed by the information we've stored in our minds. What you feed your mind becomes what you think about. What you think about becomes how you live.

That's why Scripture gives this instruction: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

Guard what goes in. The conversations you entertain, the things you watch, the voices you listen to. All of it is shaping the thoughts that will one day drive your decisions.

Your Actions Follow Your Thoughts

The things you do every day, the activities you carry out, even the places you go, are decided by the thoughts you've been entertaining.

Nobody drifts into a place they never thought about first. Actions don't appear out of nowhere. They're thoughts that have been given legs.

So if you want to change how you live, don't start with willpower. Start with what you're thinking.

Your Reactions Reveal What's Inside

Then there are our reactions. What happens when someone shouts at you? When someone mocks you? When you're treated unfairly?

How you respond in that moment shows what has been feeding your mind. Pressure doesn't create what's inside you. It reveals it.

This is where a lot of us discover that we know the right verses but haven't yet let them shape us.

Be Transformed, Not Conformed

So what's the answer? The Word of God tells us plainly: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).

Transformation happens through renewal. As you take in the Word of God, your mind is renewed. As your mind is renewed, your thoughts change. And as your thoughts change, your actions and reactions follow.

The Goal: The Full Measure of Christ

Every journey needs a destination, and Scripture gives us ours: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

There's a way Christ lived while He was on earth. There's a mark every Christian should aim for. That mark is the full measure of the stature of Christ.

Here's the beautiful part. In your spirit, you're already there.

Spirit, Soul and Body

Man has three parts. He is a spirit, he has a soul (where the mind is), and he lives in a body. Paul prays for all three: "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

For a person to grow into the full measure of Christ, all three are involved.

Your spirit is already complete. The moment you give your heart to Christ, you receive the Spirit of God. "In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit of God doesn't need to grow. He is already perfect, and that's how every born-again believer is in their spirit.

Your mind is where the growth happens. No matter how moral or educated a person is, the mind on its own can't reach that place. Man has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God... neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So at the start, the mind may know very little of spiritual things. But as the Word of God goes in, something remarkable happens. Everything the mind needs to know is already there in your spirit. When you receive a revelation, when a truth suddenly becomes clear, it's your spirit passing that truth to your mind in a form your reasoning can grasp. God speaks to your spirit, and your mind comes to understand it. That's the moment you say, "Oh, now I know this."

Your body follows your mind. As your mind is transformed, it begins to show in your body too. Scripture says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you" (1 Corinthians 6:19). God lives in you. So as your mind is renewed, the way you carry your body and the way you use it begin to change. You start bringing your body to the full capacity of what it was made for. Many believers find that even their health and strength respond as they grow in the knowledge of the life they have received.

Everything is connected. The Spirit within, the mind being renewed, the body following. Things begin to change around you, and you grow into exactly the way God wants you to be.

What to Do With This Today

Here's a simple practice for this week:

1. Audit your inputs. For one day, notice what you're feeding your mind. Keep what builds you, cut what doesn't. Proverbs 4:23 starts here.
2. Feed on the Word daily. Pick one passage, such as Romans 12 or Ephesians 4, and read it slowly every morning this week. Renewal is a daily habit, not a one-time event.
3. Trace an action back to a thought. When you catch yourself doing something you don't want to do, ask: "What thought led me here?" Then replace it with what God says.
4. Prepare your reactions in advance. Think of the person or situation that usually provokes you. Decide now, from the Word, how you'll respond next time.
5. Remember where you already stand. In your spirit, you're already complete in Christ. You're not trying to earn His life. You're learning to let it show.

You can know the Bible and still not live it. But you don't have to stay there. Let the Word renew your mind, and watch your thoughts, your actions and your reactions begin to look like Christ.

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Watch the full teaching: 3 Things that Differentiate a Christian on my YouTube channel.

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Which of the three do you find hardest right now: your thoughts, your actions or your reactions? Leave your questions in the comments and I'll answer them.

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God bless you,
Michael Adegoke