Copyright © 1982

All Rights Reserved

BT708
Printed in U.S.A.
Oral Roberts
Evangelistic Association, Inc.
 How to Live a
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Successful Christian
Life

I believe accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord

and Savior is the most important decision
you can ever make, because through it you

3
have everlasting life. I thank God that we can
be saved and when we die we can go to
Heaven. But what about all the years between
now and the time we go to heaven?
Salvation is just the beginning of a full,
happy Christian life. However, I've found that
some of the most need-centered, joyless
people in the world are saved people—
Christians. They are unhappy because they
don't know how to deal with their problems
and needs here on Earth. In Heaven we won't
have needs. It's in this life-span that we must
have answers to our problems. And God has
made that provision for us through His
abundance.
I believe that when you learn God's way
of doing things and do them, you can be a
victorious Christian. And you can have a
happy, joyful life in Jesus Christ IN THE
NOW!
It is important that you become a disciple.
When you become a Christian, you don't
necessarily become a disciple of Jesus. A

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disciple is a follower and a learner. You can
be converted in a moment but it takes a
lifetime to become a disciple.
CONVERSION is what God does for you;
DISCIPLESHIP is what you do for God.
Conversion is that moment of seeking
God when by His grace He freely forgives and
makes you into a new creation, ready for
heaven. Discipleship takes a lifetime of loving
and giving on your part. Jesus said:
If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23).
Jesus is not talking here about the instant
experience of salvation. He is talking about
living for Him on a day-to-day basis ...
keeping your Christian experience always in
the NOW. To become a disciple means you
start following the Man Jesus and learning of
Him daily.
The word disciple carries with it the idea

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of discipline. Discipleship, as Jesus taught it,
means total commitment and bringing oneself
under His authority. To use Andrew Murray's
phrase, "Discipleship is enrolling in Christ's
school of obedience." When we reach this
place of discipleship, we will recognize that
when Jesus asks something of us, He always
has a blessing to give us in return.
The Lord asks for our faith and obedience.
The world is not into faith, nor into obedience.
But as His disciples, we are called to separate
ourselves from the world—from all who
would stand in the path of obedience, from all
who are against those who obey God. Christ
asks this of us. But His demands are not
oppressive. They are demands based upon
God's love for us and His belief in us. What
God wants us to be, we accept. We gladly
obey. We receive His gift of authority as a gift
of life because we know God is a good God.
He only wants the best for us.
Now I want to share with you some
important things that I believe will help you

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enter into God's rhythm of successful
Christian living. Starting today!
1. Attend church regularly.
2. Study God's Word daily.
3. Learn to witness for Christ.
4. Practice Seed-Faith.
5. Release your faith.
6. Use a point of contact.
7. Pray and seek God daily.
8. Release your prayer language.

1. Attend Church Regularly

Now ye are the body of Christ. (1

Corinthians 12:27)
Often when we see a church building we
say, "There's a church." But we can't put the
Church within four walls. The Church is the
Body of Christ, a living organism made up of
all people who are born in the Spirit of God (1

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Corinthians 12:12-31). Christ is not in four
walls. He's in hearts. The church building is
only a place we worship in, a place where He
is in the midst of His people. But the real
Church is in you and me.
I like to compare attending church to
having your car serviced. You drive your car
into the full-service station and the attendants
put in the gas and oil and service it. But they
don't create your car. They simply improve its
performance. In the same way, the church
doesn't make you a Christian, but it does
enhance and strengthen your ability to live
like Christ taught.
You can worship God anytime and
anyplace, for your relationship with Him is a
personal thing. But in my life I've found no
substitute for the blessings of strength and
help that attending worship with other
Christians gives me.
God's Word tells us: "Where two or
three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew

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18:20). It's refreshing to worship with other
believers and to fellowship with like-minded
people. The Word also tells us we are not to
forsake "the assembling of ourselves
together" (Hebrews 10:25).
In church you will hear the Word of God
preached and your faith will be built up. You
can pray and express your love and worship to
God. You learn to love each other and to share
God's love with people outside the church.
Which church?
Many people ask me which church I
would recommend that they join. Only God
has the right to tell you which church to
attend. But I'd like to encourage you to look
for a church that believes in the real Jesus, in
His divine power to save, to heal, to bless, and
to guide you every day.
I believe the church you choose should be
one which teaches that Jesus is the same
yesterday, today, and forever, and that all who
believe may be healed and made whole in

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soul, mind, and body. It should be one where
the minister tells you about Jesus Christ and
about faith. He tells you how to approach God
and how to live a committed Christian life.
I would encourage you to select a church
where you feel Christ's Holy Spirit and where
He truly lives in the hearts of His people. The
church you feel comfortable in is probably the
best church for you. When you agree on the
fundamental doctrines of the Bible, with
Christ as the center of all, then you have a
basis for unity and harmony.

2. Study God's Word Daily

Thy word have I hid in mine heart.

(Psalm 119:11)
When I accepted Christ into my heart, I
did not just embrace a great spirit, an idea, or
a concept. I embraced a Person—Jesus Christ.
Jesus is more than a Savior, To me, He is a
friend and a daily companion. As I read His

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Word He becomes real and alive to me, and
He will become real to you too as you study
the Bible and meditate on it.
Bible study is an essential part of your
Christian life. It is the most effective means
by which you can get to know Jesus Christ as
a person and truly understand Him. God
communicates to us through His Word. I came
to know Jesus best by reading the four
Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—
and the book of Acts. In these books I
followed Jesus down the dusty roads of
Galilee, into homes where He ministered to
people with deep problems, and I began to
find the answers to my own problems.
But don't stop with the Gospels and Acts.
I have read through the entire Bible many
times, and each time I have found something
new and exciting that has helped me in my
walk with Jesus. Each time you read the Bible
you will realize more fully that Jesus of
Nazareth is the grand theme. He appears in
every book in both the Old and New

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Testaments. Reading the Bible is a wonderful
excursion of discovery, a journey with vast
rewards ... for now and eternity.
You should have your own Bible—one
you feel comfortable with. There are many
translations available today. Read from
several to see which one you like best, then
choose whichever version speaks most clearly
to you. Find a Bible with print large enough
for you to read easily, and room in the
margins for you to write notes and mark
special passages. Read and study it often, and
soon your Bible will be like a close friend to
you.
God's promises are promises to YOU. Let
me encourage you to believe them and claim
them for your own. In God's Word you will
find the answer to every problem of your life.

3. Learn to Witness for Christ

Ye shall be witnesses unto me.

(Acts 1:8)

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 Jesus has commissioned us to be His
witnesses. The definition of witness is: "to
testify in a cause ... to be evidence by conduct
or speech ... to furnish proof of."
According to the Bible we are ALL to be
witnesses of the Lord. Every one of us!
Naturally, there are functions of the ministry
that are set aside for ministers. But essentially
the gospel is on a personal level... one-to-one.
It's Jesus and you. It's you loving God and
applying that love to others. Love will cause
you to want to share Christ with others. You'll
be so concerned for their salvation that you'll
want to tell them about Jesus. You'll want
them to experience the same peace, love, and
joy you have found.
Let your love overcome the fears you may
have about witnessing. Through the power of
the Spirit, every believer is commissioned to
give to his generation the life and love of
Jesus.
Witnessing also has a side benefit. It
strengthens your own spiritual faith. The way

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you live your life is probably your most
powerful witness for the Lord. There is where
people see your faith in action. Reach out to
others and tell them what Jesus means to you
and what He has done in your life. But above
all, do your best to live what you speak.
Just as God used Andrew to win his
brother Peter to Christ, so God will use you to
win others to Christ. Yes, we are imperfect;
yes, we sometimes make mistakes. But God
has chosen to use you and me to win others to
Him. This is our privilege, our opportunity,
and our responsibility.

4. Practice Seed-Faith

Give, and it shall be given unto

you. (Luke 6:38)
I have often said that Christians are the
most giving people in the world. But
somehow we've never really learned how to
receive. Many of us have been taught to look

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upon our giving as something we owe God.
And according to the Bible, that's just not true.
You see, our giving goes all the way back
to Noah, to whom God said, "While the
earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest shall
not cease" (Genesis 8:22). This is God's
eternal principle of sowing AND reaping, of
giving AND receiving.
I know from personal experience that in
order to live a successful Christian life, it's
important to get into this rhythm of
GIVING/LIVING ... or SEED-FAITH. There
are three key principles (or "miracle keys" as I
call them) involved in SEED-FAITH:
The first miracle key is: God is the Source
of your total supply.
"My God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). This means that
God is your Source. He is THE Source of
your total supply. Although you may think
your job or other people are your sources,

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remember that they are instruments only and
God himself is the actual Source.
The second miracle key is: Seed for your
miracle.
Give your best to God, and give first; then
He will have something to multiply back to
you. Luke 6:38 says,
Give, and it shall be given unto
you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over,
shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that [you give]
it shall be measured to you again.

The third miracle key is: Expect a miracle.

What things soever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24).
Any time you give, think of it as Seed-
Faith. Then a wonderful new attitude will
possess you. No longer will you think of your

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giving as a "debt you owe," but rather as "a
seed you sow." It will put joy in your giving,
and help you shift your mind into "expecting
to receive a miracle harvest" from a good
God.
When a farmer plants his seed he
cultivates the soil and expectantly waits for
the seed he sowed to multiply into a harvest.
If he wasn't expecting a harvest he wouldn't
bother to check his fields. The harvest could
be there and he wouldn't even know it! The
harvest would be totally wasted because he
wasn't expecting to receive anything back on
the seed he sowed. But because he's waiting
and looking for his harvest, he is ready to
receive it when it comes in.
In the same way, you must expect a
miracle in order to recognize it, reach for it,
and receive it from God's hand. Otherwise, it
may pass you by.
I am absolutely convinced that Seed-
Faith is the key teaching of the work and life
of Jesus Christ for the day-to-day living you

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must do on this earth. The three miracle keys
do not save your soul but they do bring you
into discipleship—following Jesus in the now
moment of what you face in life ... here on
this earth, before you get to heaven.
Remember the three Miracle Keys of
Seed-Faith. Start practicing them today!
TRUSTING! SEEDING! EXPECTING!
Practice Seed-Faith and enter into the
cycle of giving and receiving and miracle
living that God has for you.

5. Release Your Faith

God hath dealt to every man the

measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)
Your faith is power—dynamic power that
can change your circumstances and your life.
Rightly directed, it is the key to everything.
Whatever you can conceive and believe, you
can do.

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 I have faith. You have it. Everybody has
it. That's the trouble. Too often we still HAVE
it. We're hanging onto it. We've not released
it. We've not planted our faith as a seed.
We've not put that faith to work like Jesus
instructed us to. He said:
If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove; and nothing
shall be impossible to you (Matthew
17:20).
Those are the words of the Living Christ.
He's saying if we have faith—just a tiny
mustard seed of faith—then we will see
mountains removed. OUR MOUNTAIN OF
NEEDS. Whatever your need, if you have
faith, nothing shall he impossible unto you.
Jesus said our faith is like a seed we plant.
If we plant it, nothing is impossible to us. But
it's only true if WE DO IT! We have to release
our faith.

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 If you give God a seed of faith to work
with, then He can grow a harvest with it.
How do we plant a seed of faith?
Sometimes we do it by planting a seed of
money in God's work. Sometimes we plant a
seed of our time or talent. Sometimes we plant
a seed of faith by having compassion for our
neighbor, doing a thoughtful deed for him or
spending extra time in prayer for him. These
are all seeds of faith that can be sown. These
seeds are ways to release your faith. They
become an act of your faith. And released
faith will bring God's miracles into your life.

6. Use a Point of Contact

If I may touch but his clothes, I

shall be whole. (Mark 5:28)
A man once said to me, "Mr. Roberts, you
say, 'Have faith in God. Expect a miracle.
Release your faith.' What I want to know is
how?"

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 This is why I believe the point of contact
is one of the greatest spiritual discoveries
lever made. It shows you how to believe. A
point of contact is the means of sending your
faith to God. A point of contact is something
tangible, something you do, and when you do
it, you release your faith toward God.
All sources of power have a point of
contact through which they can be reached or
tapped. You flip a light switch to get light.
You turn on the starter of your car to start the
motor. You turn a faucet to get water. In each
case, whatever you do to start the flow
becomes your point of contact.
The Bible abounds with examples of men
and women of great faith who used a point of
contact to release their faith.
David used his slingshot, released his
faith and killed Goliath. Moses released his
faith as he raised his rod, and the Red Sea
rolled back. Elijah let his faith go to God as he
struck the water with his mantle, and the
waters divided.

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 One blind man had to have his eyes
anointed with clay before he could release his
faith. The woman with the issue of blood
touched the hem of Jesus' garment as her point
of contact. The Roman centurion used the
spoken word of Jesus as his point of contact
for the healing of his servant.
Jairus used Jesus' hands being laid on his
child for the miracle of raising his daughter
from the dead. Hundreds used handkerchiefs
and aprons that the Apostle Paul prayed over
as their point of contact. Others used Peter's
shadow.
In the same way, you may need a point of
contact to help you release your faith toward
God. The important thing is not what the point
of contact is. God will honor any point of
contact that will help you release your faith.
It can be anything that is meaningful to
you: writing a letter, praying for someone,
calling for prayer, taking Holy Communion.
You may find that you are able to release your
faith as you practice Seed-Faith.

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 Faith when released and used is your
shield against sickness, against poverty,
against all the problems, anxieties, and
worries of life. Faith works anywhere and
everywhere. It is a powerful instrument that
God has given us to live a positive and
victorious life!

7. Pray and Seek God daily

Men ought always to pray. (Luke

18:1)
What do you do when things go wrong?
Where do you turn?
I thank God we can turn to our Lord in
prayer and say, "God, I need Your help."
That's one of the greatest things about our
Lord. He knows exactly what's in our heart.
And when we talk to Him out of our heart, He
hears us.
I pray as if I am talking to another person,
because when I pray, I really am talking to

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God. The main thing about prayer is that it's a
desire coming out of your heart and going
toward God. I pray as I go about my work and
I talk to Him at any time. I think of Him as the
Person He is—Jesus Christ. I pray to a Person.
A prayer is not always spoken in words.
Sometimes it is a thought—a thought with
such deep feeling that words cannot be found
to express it. If a thought is held in the heart
sincerely and if that thought goes out toward
God, it is a prayer. God desires the complete
sincerity of our soul and the release of our
faith toward Him, not just a volume of spoken
words.
There are times when we must retire to
some solitary place and get alone with God to
talk to Him audibly and tell Him the desires of
our heart and thank Him for answering our
prayers and supplying our needs. But we can
pray at any time or place. Prayer is constant
communion between us and God.
Prayer is a time of coming to God with
our needs and asking for His help.

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 This can also be a time to praise and thank
Him for what he has done for us. It is an
opportunity to confess our sins to Him, and
receive His forgiveness. And it can be a time
to intercede for others, to ask His help for
their needs.
Through prayer we can see the way God
sees, hear with the ears of God, feel with the
sensitivity of the Holy Spirit. A consistent
prayer life is a key to the solid mature walk of
a disciple of Christ.

8. Release Your Prayer Language

And they were all filled with the

Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance. (Acts 2:4)
One of the greatest blessings God has
provided to help you in your everyday walk as
a Christian is the prayer language of the Spirit.
Some people call this language "tongues."

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True it is a new tongue or language, but it is
not a tongue that's stored in your mind, such
as the native tongue in which you speak.
Others call it "the baptism with the Holy
Spirit." And if you want to call it that, it's
certainly not incorrect. But I believe there's a
better way to say it, and that is the "prayer
language" ... because it is a language (the
Holy Spirit's own language) and you use it to
speak directly with God in prayer.
Jesus said that when you believe on Him
and are born again, "out of your belly [your
innermost being] shall flow rivers of living
water" (John 7:38). The purpose of the prayer
language is the releasing of those living
waters inside you. The Spirit of God comes
together with your spirit and they work
together, renewing your mind and enabling
you to talk to God from the deepest levels of
your being, from your spirit, through a
language you have never learned with your
mind. A new language, a "heavenly language"
... a prayer language!

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 I believe it is God's highest will to save
your soul, fill you with His Holy Spirit, and
have you release your prayer language all in
one instantaneous act. However, I believe
many sincere Christian people today have
held back from releasing their prayer language
simply because they have not been taught that
the gift of the Holy Spirit came into them the
moment they were saved. They have not
understood that by a simple exercise of their
will they could have released their prayer
language the moment they accepted Christ as
their personal Savior.
I know you don't want to go five, ten, or
twenty years without the prayer language of
the Spirit working in your life, because you
don't want to miss anything God has to help
you live a successful Christian life in the now.
Therefore, know that once you have repented
and believed on Christ, the Holy Spirit has
filled you. And you can, if you will to, release
your personal prayer language in a matter of a
few seconds of time.

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 Through this experience you will begin to
have a deeper level of communication with
God than you have ever had before. You will
speak in a new language of prayer and praise
in your personal devotions. A language that
will enable you to speak directly to God with
your SPIRIT and with your
UNDERSTANDING, also (1 Corinthians
14:15).
While the prayer language of the Spirit is
not a cure-all, I can tell you personally that it
is one of the most soul-satisfying experiences
I have ever known. The moment you
experience it, you will be strengthened in your
inner man. You will begin to solve problems
that your intellect alone could not solve.
I believe that praying in the prayer
language can and should be a part of your
everyday life. Because praying in the Spirit
opens up your mind more keenly to the will of
God and to a clearer understanding of what is
in His mind for you. And that's something you
need every day. Every day you face problems

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and needs. Every day you need help in
knowing how to direct your life and in
understanding how to do what God has called
you to do.
If you'd like to know more about the
prayer language of the Spirit, just order my
booklet titled, If You Need to Release Your
Prayer Language, Do These Things.

Summary

Discipleship means putting Christ at the

very center of everything you do. As you are
faithful and obedient to do this, you will live a
successful Christian life. And you can enjoy a
rich, abundant life in Christ. Remember to do
these things:
1. Attend church regularly, for it is
essential to your Christian growth.
2. Read and study the Bible every day. Let
God reveal himself to you through His Word.
3. Learn to witness for the Lord. Tell and

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show others who Christ is in you.
4. Practice Seed-Faith.
a) TRUST God as the Source of your total
supply.
b) SEED for your miracle.
c) EXPECT a miracle.
5. Release your faith. Faith is a powerful
instrument that God has given you. Use it.
6. Use a point of contact to help you
release your faith.
7. Pray and seek God daily.
8. Release your prayer language.

Let's Pray

O Father, I come in the name of Christ

my Lord, and I ask for many miracles. I
believe that as we pray You will reveal
Yourself to this dear person in a way they can
recognize... that they will know You have
come to them to meet their need.

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 And now, dear friend, I pray for you. I
pray that Jesus Christ of Nazareth will start
filling your being with His unmistakable
presence, that you will feel the warmth and
glory of God, and that a knowing will come
into your heart that things are going to get
better...that you are going to have a closer
walk with God. I pray for God to heal and
restore you in your soul, mind and body...
beginning now! Through the name of His Son,
Jesus Christ, I pray, I believe, and I expect
many miracles for your life. Amen and amen.

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 I Care About You

I want to invite you to write me. When

you tell me what you're going through, I can
know better how to write you back ... and how
to pray and help you believe God for the
miracles you need. I care about you. I want to
encourage you in the Lord and help you learn
to get your needs met. Simply address your
letter to:

Oral Roberts
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74171

In Canada write:

Oral Roberts
Toronto, Ontario M4P 2G2

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