By Beth Jones

Vanilla Christianity ... what makes for a flavorless Christian life? How do Joe and Jane Christian end up with the blah-blah Christian life? The same old, same old woe-is-me, "I am a worm" Christian life? The carnal Christian life? The crummy, "life on earth sucks but heaven will be wonderful" Christian life? The defeated, roller coaster Christian life?

Get the idea?

Lots of Christians are living this life ... I once lived this life.

The problem was ... I had to "White Out" a lot of verses in the Bible to continue to live this life ... because lo and behold ... as I read the Word, I discovered that this is NOT what God's Word actually teaches. It's NOT God's best, not God's plan, not God's will. Sadly, so many Christians have signed for this defeat package for so many years they don't even know how far below God's best they are living. People rationalize their defeated, joyless, passionless lives with lame overspiritual excuses like, "Well, you know ... God never promised us that life would be rosy ... after all look at Job ... blah, blah ... ." It's like people want to be defeated. It's crazy!

We Christians can get so "suffering, sin, and storm conscious" we forget that Jesus took our place on the cross for suffering, sin and storms! Hello? The sun does shine and if we will take God at His Word ... it could shine a whole lot more in most of our lives! Why not get more "delivered, victorious, blue sky" conscious and take God at His Word?

People know what they know.

Until ... we realize that there are other Bible characters besides Job! What about Abraham, the father of FAITH! What about Moses? What about David? What about Joseph ... his faith in God's promise to him turned his woe into wow! What about Ruth? Anna? Elizabeth? Mary? Paul? Timothy? The disciples?

Trials and tests? Yes! Defeat? Never! Victory? Always!

When we actually read and believe the Bible ... that God meant what He said in verses like John 10:10, Psalm 103, 3 John 2 and about a zillion other verses ... we get some flavor! Bye-bye Vanilla Christianity!

Overcome "Vanilla Christianity" by taking God at His Word!

"I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly ..." (John 10:10)

To read Part Two, click here.