When you are consistent with whatever you do, people can depend on you. They do not have to wonder what you will do because they know you can be trusted to do what you said you will do when you said you will do it. A consistent person is not a wishy-washy person.
Consistency in our walk with God means we are the same person at work as at home, and the same person at home as at church. It is this kind of consistency and discipline that equips believers to “keep on keeping on” when life is difficult. Becoming a more consistent believer requires determined, disciplined effort.
How is God consistent?
We can depend on God because He is consistent in what He says He will do. His plans stand firm forever. All his promises are "Yea and Amen." That means God will do exactly what He said He would do.
"The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations" (Psalm 33:11).
God never changes. That is a major sign of consistency. Because God does not change, we can trust Him.
People will let you down when they are inconsistent. God is reliable. You can count on God to remain the same. He remains constant in His attitude and love towards you at all times. You will always know what to expect from God. Not only will God always mean what He says, but He will always follow through on what He says.
The most consistent person who ever lived was Jesus. We have no better example of life and discipline. When people were pulling him in every direction, He still took the time to spend with His Father because it was the most important thing in His life—even when it meant losing sleep and praying all night.
What God expects from us concerning consistency.
The Bible contains many scriptures and examples about consistency because God expects consistency from all people. Here are the areas in which God expects consistency.
God expects consistent obedience.
God expects consistent faithfulness.
God expects consistent follow-through on promises.
God expects a consistent relationship with Him.
Benefits of Being Consistent.
People know what to expect from you.
People can depend on you.
People know and admire your track record.
You are more successful in achieving your goals.
What happens when you are consistent.
When you are consistent, you are also committed. Your commitment shouldn't change with the circumstances. Some people give up instead of being steadfast and consistent when things don't go well with them. Those are the times when it is evident if a person is consistent or not. Consistent people will keep going, but inconsistent people will give themselves excuses to give up.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Practical Steps to Consistency
1. Identify aspects of your behavior that require change.
· In Psalms 134:23-24, David is on his knees crying out, “Search me God” and says, “Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” David is willingly asking God to show him areas of his life that need polishing. Do we do this enough?
· You have to decide what you must change in your behavior to align your life more closely to what you believe. Be brutally honest with God and with yourself. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit…” Why wouldn’t we want that?
· To walk consistently with God, we must remove all the hindrances in the “race.” Primarily, sin is the thing that holds us back most often. We need to lay aside anything that hinders our progress and keeps our focus off of Jesus, our supreme example.
2. Stop making excuses or justifying your lack of change.
· Tackling the barriers that get in our way is the first place to start. There are obstacles that can be destroyed with faith as small as a seed (Matthew 17:20)! Removing justifications is a way of saying, “God, I trust you… I have faith that you can guide me to escape the temptation that I face and help me to choose holiness in this moment.” Holiness is a byproduct of integrity and consistent character.
3. Judge Less, Love More
· ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39).
· Did you catch that? “Equally important.” Jesus is saying that we have got to learn to love His people if we ever want to experience the fullness and peace that God has for us!
· We make fun of those who are different, share videos on social media of people hurting or humiliating themselves. It is hard to say we love God when we fail to love one another. We are not showing love by doing these types of things.
4. Take your thoughts captive!
· The fourth key to unlocking consistent character is the most crucial! 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ…”
· Capturing our thoughts and taking responsibility for what we do with them is the key that will get you out of any tempting situation that arises.
5. Be persistent.
· Don’t give up trying. It would be easy for me to stop trying to pursue righteousness, holiness, integrity, or consistency because I mess up sometimes. It is possible that I might think, “Well, I have already __ (insert negative behavior) __, so I might as well just keep doing it…this is just who I am.”
· Don’t allow your mind to believe this statement for even one minute. It doesn’t matter if you make a big mistake, or struggle with worry, anger, fear, distraction… whatever your “mess up” is, it is not worth getting off the road of integrity. God wants to use your persistence to teach others!
· If consistency and diligence reign, it’s easier to put priorities in order. When Christ is the most important person in our lives, we can hear what He is saying. Consistency drowns out distractions, strengthens resolve against attacks and builds new habits that can last a lifetime.
· Passion must marry persistence for us to be consistent. Stay the course. Faithfully keep your time with God. Don’t trade that precious communion for anything. Keep on praying, fasting and sacrificing.
6. Accept discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11)
· When we receive discipline, we can feel ashamed or even angry. Hebrews suggests the difficulties of life are discipline from God, and the goal of God’s discipline is the possibility of holiness. It’s a worthy goal, but it can be a bitter pill to swallow.
· We do well, however, if we can view discipline and correction from God as opportunities for growth in our holiness.
7. Put faith into action (Hebrews 12:12-15)
· “Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” says the text. Prepare for action in our faith, and work always to make our faith the defining mark of how we live our lives. We believers race together and have a mutual responsibility to support and encourage one another “… make level paths” says Hebrews 12:13.
· The striving for spiritual health and holiness produces consistent Christian living, a lifestyle where our faith is put into action.
Exercise
1. Ask God to “search you” and show you areas of your life that you want to allow life and change to come into. What comes up? Write them down.
2. List all of your excuses for giving into temptation or preventing change and then cross them out!
3. How can you fight the urge this week to mock or tease someone who is different from you? Challenge yourself to pray for your “enemy” today.
4. Pick an environment and specific amount of time to pay attention to all of your thoughts (i.e., in the car for 30 minutes). Describe that experience; what did you notice?
5. Find someone to hold you accountable or to encourage you when you feel like giving in to negative behavior or giving up. List a few people who might fill this role in your life.
6. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Practical ways of doing this include creating and keeping a special time for prayer and Scripture reading. It might also include finding someone who knows you well and discussing how they might keep you honest about who you are in all the areas of life. This creates accountability outside yourself and leads to a more consistent lifestyle.
Definitions:
Consistency: is the condition or quality of being the same, compatible, or harmonious. Consistency can also mean focusing on the present task while having a long-term vision and repeating it regularly.
Passion: strong and barely controllable emotion.
Persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Scripture Reference
Proverbs 2:20-21 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
Hebrews 12:1-15
Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Do Not Grow Weary
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.