When Christianity Is A Title More Than A Lifestyle
Imagine for a moment you are running a late-night bath for yourself. What bath temperature would you choose? Although I’m not all-knowing, I can confidently presume that you wouldn’t answer “lukewarm.” When unwinding from a long day, tepid bath water doesn’t soothe; it disappoints. Lukewarm is something you might settle for, but it’s never a goal. In Christianity, I’ve found the same to be true: faith, too, can become lukewarm.
Before starting college, much of my faith centered on the title “Christian” rather than on my devotion as a faithful follower of Christ. I attended church out of habit rather than deliberation. Rather than reading my Bible to strengthen my connection with God, I turned to its pages in times of fear and desperation. I would earnestly pray for a deeper faith and then foolishly sit back, expecting God to fix what I was unwilling to work on myself. Intentionality in my relationship with God—that was my Goliath. While there are still days when I fall short, the difference is this: I am no longer content with a lukewarm lifestyle.
At UW-Madison, the absence of a consistent, Christ-centered community forced me to recognize my need for faith-centered resolve. Being at a non-Christian university means that spiritual discipline is a must, as chapels and high school Word of God classes are no longer a part of the daily routine. I have begun to replace inconsistency with devotion. The time of excuses is over: plunging into Scripture has replaced my morning Instagram doomscroll, and church has become a priority rather than an afterthought. Unlike before, a deeply-rooted faith is not something I absent-mindedly hope for—it’s something I purposefully pursue.
Although I am no expert at navigating this lukewarm season, God has been faithfully guiding me through it. If your faith ever feels lackluster, here are a few practices that have helped me become more steadfast in my walk with God.
reading the bible
Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
The Bible is God’s Word, compiled for believers and nonbelievers to read and reflect on to gain a better understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice for them. It anchors believers in the teachings of our faith, guiding us to live God-pleasing lives and remain thankful for His abundant mercy and grace. Even though I knew this before college, I often read my Bible for high school theology classes but avoided it at home. Unintentionally, it became an obstacle to my busy schedule—highlighting areas where I needed to be more rooted in faith, while also chipping away at my already packed day.
That perspective changed in college. I have come to see how daily Bible readings orient my life toward God, even when it feels easier to let my schedule overrun my time with God. Every morning after getting ready, I release any worries from my heart and read a few chapters of my Bible to prepare my spirit and mind for the day. Since seeing this transformation in my life, I, too, encourage others to develop a consistent Bible-reading routine. In my experience, journaling directly in my Bible keeps me focused on the material the longest. Highlighting significant verses and jotting down little notes have helped me pay closer attention to what I am studying and retain the information, rather than reading it passively.
There are so many ways to start—find a method that works for you and stick with it! Reading my Bible daily makes my day feel so purposeful and full of God’s guidance, whereas missing a day leaves me feeling empty. When I feel distant from God, I have learned to crack open my Bible and start listening for what God has to say.
conversing with god through prayer
1 John 5:14 – “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
To pray is to have a direct conversation with God. And despite what many have been led to believe, these prayers do not need to be lofty or grand. It is enough to come as you are and intently talk to God about what is on your mind. Lately, I have made a daily habit of praying on the walk to my first class. Typically, I’ll tell God about any worries I have for the week and praises for recent blessings in my life. But sometimes, it’s as simple as updating Him that slow walkers on campus are really testing my patience or expressing my gratitude for a mildly sunny day amid Wisconsin’s tundra winter phase.
For me, prayer is a way to lift materialistic stresses off my shoulders and give them to God. This mirrors 1 Peter 5:7, which says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” God wants you to have an open relationship with Him where you can pray about anything and know that He hears you and will respond according to your needs. Prayer isn’t meant to just be a lifeboat when your world feels underwater—it should be a constant vessel of God’s connection to you through the good, the bad and the ugly. I have found that silent prayer also cultivates my one-on-one relationship with God as I bring Him any prayers or praises that are on my heart. When prayer became a part of my daily routine rather than a last resort, I found that God never left my side—He was there just waiting for me to notice Him.
paying attention in church
Hebrews 2:1 – “Therefore, we need to pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
I think I speak for all Christians when I say we have all lost focus at least once during a church service. It can be easy to treat church like a mandated routine rather than essential Spirit-led nourishment. But when we fall into this mentality, we aren’t paying attention to the message God is trying to convey to us, and we miss out on a weekly opportunity for growth.
During my senior year of high school, I especially found my mind drifting during sermons to my plans for the week or the texts from friends I might be missing. I would often leave church services with no meaningful lessons to apply to my life because I chose to prioritize my worldly desires over God. However, going into college, I started trying new methods to direct focus, and one that stuck was taking sermon notes directly in my Bible next to the passage being read. It helped me better understand Scripture and truly connect to what God was teaching me through His Word. Instead of going through the motions, I use church as an opportunity to deepen my connection with God by engaging intentionally and applying what I learn to my daily life—because when I choose to pay attention to God, I find that I stop drifting and start growing.
listening to christian playlists and podcasts
Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
On the mornings when I feel completely unmotivated to start my day, I turn on my Christian music playlist on Spotify. While I am an avid Sabrina Carpenter fan, even she cannot light up my morning quite like worship music can. And, in case you were wondering, no, I am not pumping up my day with a pipe organ rendition of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”—but, if that’s your jam, don’t let me stop you. Although I personally tend to gravitate toward Christian Pop, listening to artists like Forrest Frank, Josiah Queen, Francesca Battistelli and We The Kingdom. Their music carries the upbeat energy I enjoy, paired with lyrics rooted in reminders of God-given love and redemption. Starting my day with these songs lifts my spirits and prepares me for a day that the Lord has made. Christian music has a way of gently thawing moments of spiritual detachment by reminding me of my Savior’s importance—and my importance to Him.
Another way I strengthen my faith is through Christian podcasts. Lately, I have been listening to The Christian Girl’s Tea Podcast. The host, Anna Lynn, explores a wide range of topics relevant to young Christian women, including dating, mental health, identity and the Gospel. What resonates most with me is Anna’s approachability. Listening to her feels like getting advice from a close friend, rather than sitting through a lecture or sermon. In this way, Biblical truth is presented in a clear, concise manner to her adolescent audience, offering practical tips for spiritual growth and Scripture comprehension. Through podcasts like these, the truth of God’s Word pulls me out of stagnant ruts and often captures my attention with new insight into Scripture I had not considered before.
finding friends with the same values
1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”
The people you surround yourself with influence how you think, speak, and act—whether for better or for worse. As a Christian, it is vital to surround yourself with a support system of people who share your values. While your friends do not all have to be Christians, having a core group of Christian friends fosters mutual accountability, in which each person encourages the others in their walk with God. In this way, it matters that you have a faith-based community that guides you back to Christ if you begin to lose focus on God.
At UW-Madison, The SALT Company is a college ministry dedicated to building a Christ-centered community on campus and teaching college students what it means to follow Jesus. The SALT Company became my Christian safe space through engaging socials, late-night Bible studies with my all-female C-Group and meaningful weeknight worship services. The friendships I have developed through this organization are lasting and strongly rooted in our shared love for the Lord. Most significantly, the girls in my C-Group have profoundly impacted my life and the way I share my faith. It truly has felt like a sisterhood as we all provided scripturally grounded advice in times of hardship and celebrated all sorts of blessings in life. Since surrounding myself with this SALT family, I have grown not only in faith-fueled strength but in appreciation of my relationship with God.
putting god above other “idols”
Matthew 22:37 – “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
Pause for a moment and consider the depth of love we should have for God according to this verse. Matthew 22:37 reminds us that loving God doesn’t mean coming to church once a week and then setting Him aside until the next Sunday. No, it means wholehearted devotion by giving our full, undivided attention to God through our thoughts, words and actions. If this level of commitment sounds scary to you, bear with me. Loving God with your whole heart doesn’t mean immediate perfection, but intentional prioritizing. Our challenge today is that our idols are not carved out of stone or wood—our “idols” are any distractions in our day that lead us away from God and a Christ-centered lifestyle. Academic achievement, social media, relationships, money, reputation, career ambitions—all of these can become idols as they gradually consume our thoughts and become what we value the most.
When something or someone that isn’t God consistently receives most of our energy, time, and dedication, they begin to take God’s rightful place. This is how lukewarm faith began to overshadow my relationship with God—not through outright rejection of Him, but by giving God a sliver of my attention while earthly priorities claimed the rest. It was easy for me to start spending less time on spiritual development and more time worrying about materialistic aspirations that ultimately have no benefit to my soul. In these moments, I still identified as a Christian, yet my thoughts and actions conveyed what I was truly worshipping. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means assessing where our values lie. For me, it started by asking: What am I prioritizing before God in my life?
Choosing to place God as our top priority isn’t limiting—it’s freeing. By placing God first, my heart has opened more fully to His plan for my life, which is infinitely better than any plan I could create. With Him at my center, everything else—job difficulties, school stresses, family matters—seems to fall into place.
Lukewarm faith is an effect of a Christian going through the motions without sincere devotion to God, and it benefits neither God nor the believer. When struggling with this spiritual “should-I-shouldn’t-I” mindset, I recommend using the six previously listed practices to combat it. Take it from me—there is a true difference between the title of “Christian” and embracing Christianity in your daily life. These practices have helped me grow, sharpen my faith and discover a newfound joy in living God’s way. Of course, I’m not perfect; there are still moments when my priorities lie in earthly things. But the key to moving beyond a lukewarm faith is to dust yourself off after a misstep and recommit yourself to a God-pleasing life.
Devotion to God transforms your life from material dissatisfaction to religious fulfillment. When you focus your love on God, your spiritual “bath” goes from lukewarm to just right—because it’s the moment you grasp the hand He’s always held out to you, ready to live for Christ.