“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”  James 3:10-12
When you look at the current state of the Christian church, you’ll find that there are many people who don’t mind making the statement, “I’m a Christian.” They never attend church, never read the Bible, never seek God’s guidance and never sow time or money into the kingdom.  
I know you’re thinking, “Who am I to judge?” Well, this isn’t a judgment but an encouragement for us all to practice what we preach.
It seems like we’ve gotten so comfortable talking about what we are, but we fail to practice or actively pursue what we’re talking about. There are some things that ought not to be named amongst the children of the Most High. The Christian standard should be higher than the norm.
I used to hear my elders say, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” And, “Birds of a feather flock together.” If we are Christians, which means to be Christ-like, we should look, act and sound like Christians because we will become known by whom we’ve associated ourselves with.
I understand that no one is perfect. In fact, the Bible states in Roman 3:23, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but there must be a consistent lifestyle that Christians live that reflects the presence of God in their lives. We’ve all sinned, but we shouldn’t continue to live in sin. Some have lowered their standards and accepted the sin as a part of their daily lives. The Apostle Paul wrote that we should examine ourselves to see if we’re still in the faith.
I encourage you to be the trendsetter, the example, the authority and the difference maker in everything God called you do. We are in the world but not of the world.
There is a line that has to be drawn, so we don’t find ourselves living contrary to the word we’re speaking. One day you’re speaking about the blessings of God, and the next day you’re cursing me out!
Saints of God, stabilize yourselves and let’s live a lifestyle that is both holy and acceptable unto God.

Hayes is the pastor of New Day Community Church and president of the United Ministerial Alliance.