Christians have a lot of ways to describe themselves: Christian, Baptist, Catholic, Nondenominational, Jesus follower and sometimes, the term “practicing Christian.”

Wait, what does that mean? Is a practicing Christian someone who is still trying to figure out how to be a Christian? Like, they haven’t quite passed the test yet?

Well, yes and no. Yes only because all Christians are still trying to figure it out. While there is no test to pass, there is a really high bar of straight-up perfection that Jesus set, and we’re doing our best to follow Jesus’ example and lean on all of His grace to bridge the gap between who we are and who He calls us to be.

So, in a way, yes. But in a much more real way — no. A practicing Christian is not like a JV-league Christian.

To be a practicing Christian simply means to be daily devoted to following Jesus. Anyone who has an active faith in Jesus can be described as a practicing Christian. The distinction comes from the idea that because someone is born into a religion, they are automatically that religion.

I heard this several times on my college campus. We’d get into a discussion about religion, and a fellow student would say, “Well, my family is Christian.” So I’d say, “OK, but what are you?” And they’d say, “Well, I guess I’d be Christian, too.” Let me be clear, these conversations were not with people who actually believed in Jesus or really knew anything about Him. These students were raised in a household that held vague notions of Christianity, so the kids thought that also made them Christian in the same way that one would claim obscure personality traits for a previous family member.

They weren’t practicing Christians.

So, how do you become a practicing Christian?

If you are a person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, the resurrected Messiah, and you do your best to follow Him, then you are already a practicing Chrstian. There is no magical checklist that makes you a practicing Christian; it’s simply an active belief in Jesus.

That belief should propel you to live your life in accordance with His will, which is to love God and love others. This seems simple enough, yet so often this is where we, as Christians, fall short. We become too distracted by fleeting things or our ever-expanding to-do list to sit in prayer with God. We find it easy to love the people around us who agree with us, but, man, if we don’t get fired up across political party and social justice lines. Our love and loyalty is as fleeting as our patience, and we are forever having to come to God under the cloak of His grace and mercy to ask forgiveness for our wandering hearts.

That’s where the practicing comes in. As wonderful as it would be, you do not simply wake up one morning and have Christianity down pat. If we can’t even achieve our ideal standards for ourselves, why do we think we can achieve God’s perfect standards for us? It’s called practicing because we get up each morning and we try to follow Jesus a little closer, lean in a little more, align ourselves a little straighter than we did the day before. It’s a journey and a daily walk. And the good news is that God’s grace covers us the entire way.

Deepen your walk with Jesus

If you want to deepen your daily walk (or practice) with Jesus, there are a few things we recommend:

1. Get real in your prayers. If your prayers feel stagnant or your prayer life feels DOA, then the issue may be that you aren’t getting real about what’s in your heart or on your mind. God invites us to pour it all out to Him. In doing so, we build an intimate relationship with the God who is not only Creator over all things, but who loves us enough to bend down His ear and hear our prayers. He invites us into covenant relationship with Him. Sit in the awe of that and let it move you to pour out your heart to the Father.

2. Get deep in your Bible. God’s word is living and steadfast. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and yet it holds new value for us each time we read it in a new season of life. God tells us that every word that is spoken from His lips will not return void. His Word has the power to grow things, including to grow your faith and your heart. Dive into the Word and pray for God to speak to you and to grow your faith.

3. Get rooted in your people. You know that verse in Proverbs about iron sharpens iron? Being around other Christians sharpens our own faith. Get plugged into a church or a small group and get into real relationships with people who are also actively following Jesus. The camaraderie will help you learn and grow together.

If you want to learn more about what it means to actively follow Jesus, we have a resource center called Next Steps that is designed to answer your questions and help you build a solid foundation of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. We’re here to walk with you every step of the way.