It has been weighing so heavily on my heart for about a week now. Why? Because I was just put in a real life situation and experienced first hand what happens when I, we, us Christians are not relevant! Wait… let me back up! Let me explain what I mean by relevant (because when I first started pondering on this topic, I was mostly asking myself what makes someone turn away from the truth of Christ).
To me, being a relevant Christian means that I always pray and ask God for direction concerning EVERY situation. That I act swiftly when God tells me to do something. That I love people PERIOD. That I am always willing to lead EVERYONE I meet back to God no matter how uncomfortable it makes me. That I don’t cover up sin or try to change God’s word.
It means that I stay above ALL gossip, murmuring, and backbiting no matter how innocent I try to make it. It means allowing the right people (because not everyone needs to be speaking into my life) to keep me accountable without being offended. It means that I constantly check my heart to make sure that I am telling God’s truth at all times with love and not a righteous, prideful, or haughty spirit. It means that I purposely seek out opportunities to love and understand people who don’t look like me so I can grow in compassion. It means practicing what I preach and actually changing sinful behaviors immediately. It means being wise enough to know when to rest and sharp enough to know when to endure. It means seeking an abundant life without losing the ability to trust in God or creating idols out of things. It means being a laborer in the field to reap the harvest for God instead of giving lip service in the bubble of a comfortable life.
#StopPreachingToTheChoir
People are looking at us Christians…
and seeing how we operate. We lose our relevance if what we do looks so much like the world. We lose ground (although it can be restored through Christ) in the war between heaven and hell when we look like sinners instead of saints because it hurts our witness and breeds confusion! As Christians, we are called to be the light and salt of the earth, but we don’t show a REAL picture of God’s power when we are not set apart and become involved with the things that sinners are involved with. It is then that we are in the world AND of the world instead of in the world and transformed into God’s likeness. For clarification purposes, a sinner is a person who practices sin continually without repentance (completely turning away from sin), guilt, or genuine remorse. A saint (which I am and you are through Christ) is a person that commits acts of sin (it’s not a practice or habit) yet feels guilt and seeks God for forgiveness.
Why am I even writing this? Because I saw areas of my life where I was an irrelevant Christian, and it hurt my feelings. It literally brought me to tears! I realized that I have a business that says I love Jesus but I had to ask myself what am I doing past that? I am NOT content with giving lip service and saying I love Jesus and not being a laborer in the field. I have a brand that at the click of a button reaches 14k+ people across all my social media.
This is a platform God has given me to be a voice and a laborer, and now I am choosing to be an even bolder witness. I will ruffle a few feathers, and I already know persecution comes with the territory. But I will be a bold and loving warrior for Christ. Souls are at stake, and God wants no one to perish in hell. Now it’s time for me to tidy up the places I decided to go, the people I let speak into my life, the music I listen to, and the shows and movies I watch. I no longer will participate in ANY gossip, backbiting, or murmuring no matter how innocent it seems.
Why?
Because if we are called to be the light, then God’s words tells us to always pray, to think the best, speak his truth, and to pray for our enemies. Plus an actionable and applicable way for me to be relevant is to dedicate time to pray for my enemies, those who talk about me, misunderstand me, and misunderstand God. Not to mention one of the best ways to get clear on the direction God wants you to go and for your questions to be answered is to pray for others. Comment below and let me know your thoughts!
Photo Credit: Wall Paper Cave
Powerful!!!! I have been feeling the same way like it’s time to stop compromising and making justifications for my sin and actually live for Christ because it’s other young women who need to see it’s possible.
Yes, it is definitely time to stop compromising! We are called to be the salt of the earth and it’s not always easy but it is possible!