I know, I know, it’s been a minute. Let me tell you the devil is real! My laptop broke, and I just got it back in working order last weekend, hallelujah! So much has been happening, I don’t even know where to start. I have a few posts that were waiting to be posted (since June) that you will see very shortly, so they may seem a little outdated, but still very relevant. I never realised how doing this blog was helping to shape me until I was disconnected from it. Oh, how I missed this space! Thank you if you are still here with me, please forgive my inconsistence, and hello if you are new to my little blog. There is so much I want to share, so much I have learned during my absence. This walk with God constantly surprises me, it can also be extremely challenging! Every day I am reminded that it really is a choice we make to follow Jesus, it’s actually easier to not follow Him. Which brings me on to today’s topic, religion and the misconception of it.
The reason why I wanted to write this post comes from a Facebook status I saw on my feed from an old work colleague. He is not a believer; he is into Buddhism. Do you ever notice how “wise” people into Buddhism think they are? Like they hold the key to all of life’s unanswered questions? Well, this Facebook friend decided to share his thoughts, probably feeling super enlightened as he typed it out and clicked on post. It read as follows “In my opinion, people turn to religion not to be informed, but to be massaged. It tells them what they want to hear, not what they need to know.” If I am being honest, the post annoyed me. It annoyed me so much all I could comment was “interesting theory.” I had so many thoughts and feelings about it, I didn’t think I could respond in a way that would spark a healthy debate. So, I mulled it over until I had all my thoughts in order, and here we are. Now I don’t know if my colleague will see this, if he does, he will know that this is about him. Just know I have written this with love.
The first question I had after reading that post was what was the religion he was referring to? I couldn’t help but think it was a jab at Christianity, after all Christianity seems to be the most disrespected religion out there! From jokes about Jesus, to tv shows being blasphemous, it’s always socially acceptable to step on the beliefs of Christians. My theory is because Christianity is the truth! Jesus is the only way to the Father and the enemy knows that, so he has people lost and believing the lies and propaganda that is spewed out. Remember the enemy has no care if you follow God. Many people follow a God, but Jesus is who he doesn’t want you to acknowledge!
I also remembered in my time hearing, and even once upon a time agreeing with that sentiment. There always used to be this thought process when you heard that someone you once knew gave their life to Christ. It was that the person had been searching for something that they could not find to satisfy them in everyday life. They had hit their lows in life and could no longer stay afloat like the rest of us. They had failed, so they turned to religion. The funny thing about that was it wasn’t far from the truth; the problem was WE had it all wrong. There is something we are ALL searching for, something that money, material things, sex, drugs, alcohol or social status cannot fill. That space we all try to fill is only reserved for God! The God-shaped hole as I’ve heard it put. We can have all the things this world has to offer and still be unhappy, depressed, and riddled with anxiety. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to stray too far from the point I was trying to make. I remember always looking at someone who suddenly found religion like they were doing life wrong, they needed people to hold their hand and tell them what they wanted to hear, a little like my work colleague. So, I know he wrote that post from a place of ignorance, I too used to be just as ignorant!
LUKE 9:23 “THEN HE SAID TO THEM ALL: “WHOEVER WANTS TO BE MY DISCIPLE MUST DENY THEMSELVES AND TAKE UP THEIR CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME.” I love how it is worded in Luke because of the word “daily.” It really is just that! Every day I wake up and have to deny myself to choose Christ. Following Jesus is doing the opposite of what my flesh wants to do. It’s a constant battle and anyone who says it isn’t, is not being honest. The stronger your walk with God becomes the less battles you may face, but there will always be battles! For 37 years of my life, I was living as an enemy of God. I did what brought me pleasure, I lived for myself only. I got drunk, I had sex casually; there was nothing holy about the life I lived. When God called me, and I answered, He didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear, nor did He massage my ego! He didn’t tell me I was doing a good job and to keep up the good work. Instead, He absolutely brought me to my knees! He showed me I was a sinner, He showed me that the path I was on only led to death, He humbled me! I can say I was truly informed, I was given truth, a truth that had been hidden from me. It’s hard to be told home truths about yourself. It’s hard to accept your shortcomings, but the truth revealed to me was such a great act of love, a love only God could have shown me!
When I read that post I was triggered because I knew how hard it had been for me, and still is to be “religious”, whatever that means to people these days. It’s funny how the word religion can feel so negative at times. When I was part of the world, I never liked that word. Religion meant hypocrite to me. I had such a bad impression of religious people; everyone became tarred with the same brush. When I became a believer, I tried my hardest not to be “religious” even though my view of religion in general was not correct. As I read the bible and started to understand what it meant to be a Christian, God softened my heart to the wording, and now informed I stopped looking at it in a negative way, after all the word means to believe in, and worship a superhuman power, a God, which is not a lie. Now when people use the word religion in a negative way it makes me think of the religious leaders of the bible who would fulfil their religious duties, appearing holy from the outside, but their heart posture was not of God, they had no relationship. Unfortunately, there are a lot of so-called Christians who live like the Pharisees of the bible today.
1 PETER 1:14 “SO YOU MUST LIVE AS GOD’S OBEDIENT CHILDREN. DON’T SLIP BACK INTO YOUR OLD WAYS OF LIVING TO SATISFY YOUR OWN DESIRES. YOU DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER THEN.” It can be so easy to slip back into old habits, that is why we are constantly warned throughout the bible about the dangers of this. It’s very different falling back into sin when you know better. The conviction you feel knowing you are displeasing God but doing it anyway is another level. The road to Jesus is not easy! The great thing about it is that He never gives us a false impression of what it means to be His sheep. He tells us the path is narrow, He tells us we will face persecution for His namesake, He tells us we will be asked to sacrifice and put ourselves last, He tells us we will endure suffering and be hated! If we look at the society we live in today; the shift that culture is making, if we stand true to God’s word and do not compromise ourselves, we will experience all those hardships that we are warned about. To be a Christian today is to go against the world we live in, a world that glorifies what God hates. A world where people are a lover of selves, where money and status are king, where people’s hearts have become hardened and cruel, and there is a lack of love for people in general. To be a Christian who does not compromise in this day and age is not an easy feat! Sadly, many are failing in this department; deconstruction is really happening. Nothing about being a Christian is a walk in the park.
JOHN 16:33 “I HAVE TOLD YOU THESE THINGS, SO THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE. BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” Even though we will go through our trials and tribulations, we can have peace in our hearts because we have Jesus! He has already won! We are to keep our eyes focused on above not on earthly desires/treasures, things that are meaningless to the kingdom because we cannot take them with us. Remember we are aliens here; this is not our home. We know our God is faithful and keeps His promises. As Christians our eyes and hearts are focused on an eternity with Christ, that is what we have to look forward to. That is why we choose the hard path and deny ourselves. My Facebook buddy has it wrong, it’s the world that tells you what you want to hear. It’s the world that massages your ego! We live in a culture that affirms your every whim and lies and tells you it’s an act of love. You can wake up and be whatever you want to be, and because it’s your “truth” then that’s ok, cause as long as you are living your “truth” that’s all that matters, even if that “truth” causes you more harm than good.
My Facebook buddy shared his opinion, and opinions can always change. Who knows, maybe he wasn’t even thinking about Christianity when he wrote that post, I could have been triggered for no reason lol, only God knows what was in his heart when he wrote it. But I do know many people share that view of religion and maybe this post will help someone to rethink and ask questions, God has a funny way of reaching people. Although I have spoken about the difficulties of this walk, I want you to know this is, and will forever be the best decision I ever made in my miserable existence. I felt so empty for the longest time, I experienced so much trauma as a result of my search to fill my missing piece. The changes that God has done in me has given me a contentment in myself and my life that I never had before. God has filled me, and I feel so complete within myself. If you read this, and you experience an emptiness, maybe you do not know God yet, or maybe you are curious and something inside you is making you want to explore, well just taste and see, He is good! He knows you and His love for you is so deep that even though you live opposed to Him, when you decide to seek Him, He will be waiting for you with His arms outstretched. Isn’t that beautiful.
MY CONVICTIONS 