THE THING ABOUT FAITH IS…

We talk about the importance of faith so much, almost like a well rehersed line that just rolls off the tongue without a second thought. When life is running smoothly, we don’t ever question our faith. Faith seems easy. Trusting in God is a walk in the park. But the true test of your faith comes with hardship. When you are sick, when you lose your job, when you lose a loved one. When the worst thing in your world happens, that is when we truly learn what it means to have faith.

This season has felt difficult. I feel like since becoming a believer, my faith has never truly been tested. For the past six years, I have been living in a cloud, and now I feel like I am free falling, anticipating a hard landing. It’s interesting how quickly you can become jaded when things don’t seem to go your way. I am not complaining, I think it’s been good to see things for how they really are. It has been making me more determined to understand what it means to be a believer and really please God! I have witnessed so many disheartening things happen to good people around me, people who fear God, and it made me think about what it actually means to have faith.

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HEBREWS 11:1 “NOW FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE CONVICTION OF THINGS NOT SEEN.” Imagine having hope for something, and being sure that you will receive that something you hope for. Having that certainty that runs so deep in your soul that no one can question or make you doubt it. That is what faith looks like. And when you have that type of faith, it makes you move differently. That’s why faith equals action! That’s why faith pleases God so much. There is something about watching a brother or sister going through lifes trials and tribulations, but not seeing their faith waiver in God, it acutually builds your faith when you witness it. Faith is powerful. That is why God says all you need is a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain. But you can’t have faith in God if you don’t trust Him, and if you have had a traumatic life where you have learned to not trust people, it can be very difficult to trust in what you do not see.

I remember when God first showed me that I didn’t trust Him. It was a time when I was dealing with a family crisis and instead of taking it to God, I decided to fall back to my old behaviours of dealing with things in my own strength, because for most of my life I had to protect myself by placing the unmaginable things in my imaginary box. Not dealing with things was how I survived. But God told me that I didn’t need the box anymore, that He would take care of me. I didn’t need to survive because He wanted me to live! I realised I still had this wall around my heart, and it was becoming a barrier in how I allowed God to flow into my life. As soon as I trusted God with everything and removed that barrier, I grew closer to him. You go to church, read the bible, repeat the words you read in this ancient book, but until you are tested, it’s hard to know how much everything you read really resonates in you.

In pottery, fire is used to create durable and water-resistant vessels. God uses the imagery of a potter moulding and shaping his creation, illustrating His power to shape, reform, and control the destiny of His people. So fire can bring about purification, which means impurities are removed. And if we look at trials as going through the fire, then we know only good can come out the other side. Now, let’s use common sense because some trials are our own doing and very unnesscersary, but God in His goodness always has a way of turning the bad into good for those who love Him. JAMES 1:2-4 “DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN TROUBLES OF ANY KIND COME YOUR WAY, CONSIDER IT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GREAT JOY. FOR YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED, YOUR ENDURANCE HAS A CHANCE TO GROW. SO LET IT GROW, FOR WHEN YOUR ENDURANCE IS FULLY DEVELOPED, YOU WILL BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, NEEDING NOTHING.” The testing of faith is nesscersary! Because this walk is about enduring to the end. Our endurance will not grow if life is rosey. Like I said before, when life is good, faith is easy. We actually need to go through the fire so we can grow. In our weakness, God is made strong, so He expects us to rely on Him when we weather the storms of life instead of relying on ourselves. I always think of Peter walking on the stormy sea to meet His master Jesus. His confidence in taking his first step out onto that sea, the hope and conviction he had in his heart that he would and could do the impossible. All until he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at his situation with fear, and stopped believing that he could do the impossible because he started to move in his own strength, and of course he started to sink into that stormy sea. He cried out to Jesus to save him, and immediately Jesus reached in and pulled him out. The first thing Jesus says to Peter is, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” That is so powerful! It’s a reminder that no matter what the situation, how impossible, or how big it may seem, God is bigger, and there is nothing that He can not get you through. When we see what God can do, not just reading about it, but having our own tangible experience with Him, it changes us, and our faith deepens. People in this world can call you crazy for believing in God because of a book written thounds of years ago, but they can not refute your own personal testimony of God working in your life!

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Sometimes, we forget that Jesus warned us that in this world, we would have troubles. He warns us so that we will have peace and remember He has already overcome this world! It’s so easy to get caught up in the things of this world. The culture is constantly telling us what we should and should not have, or who we should or should not be. Just like a stormy sea, it can get loud and all consuming, and all it takes is us to take our eyes off Jesus for one moment, and then we become consumed! The only way to get through and tred water is to keep our faith and never doubt! Remember that we are nomads on this earth until Jesus returns.

I know that I want to leave this earth perfect and complete, needing nothing. I know that I will not come close to that without a few storms here and there. As James says, consider it an opportunity for great joy! So this post is just a reminder that even if you are going through the fire of life, just know that God is using it as an opportunity to refine and purify you. See it as a great joy to know that through that fire awaits a more developed you, a you that grows closer to becoming perfect and complete, needing nothing!

WHERE IS THE LOVE?

No, I am not talking about the song by the Black Eyed Peas, I am genuinely asking the church, where is the love? It has been a struggle! I know this might sound trivial to some of you seasoned Christians, but I have been finding this season very disheartening. I have been on what seems like a rollacosta when it comes to church. Since parting ways with my old church, it has been eye-opening to see what is going on in other places. I know in my last post I had said that I had found a church, but I think I may have been too quick in making that decision. I think in my desperation to just find myself settled somewhere, I choose too quickly. It was so refreshing to go to a church that was unapologetically proclaiming Jesus and the importance of living holy. I didn’t even realise how thirsty my spirit was for that message! I didn’t hesitate to sign my name up. But, I quickly learnt that even though the word being preached is important, it’s not the only thing I needed.

After attending that church for over a month, I found that the people were not that friendly or warm. I couldn’t feel the love of Jesus reflecting from the congregation. I know that may sound harsh, but as someone new attending the church, not many people would talk to me. Other than the pastor and his wife, only one person had gone out of their way to make me feel welcomed. After service, the pastor always tells people to stay for tea’s and coffee and fellowship. But if my friend, who had invited me to that church, wasn’t there, I would find myself sitting alone. I have never been a shy recluse scared to talk to people I don’t know. I talk to everyone! I love meeting new people. But this was different. I found people to just go off in their groups and chat amongst themselves. Even when passing by them, trying to see if anyone would open themselves up to engage with me, I was just met with a polite smile as they continued on in their groups. This made me feel so lonely. I found myself going to church because I didn’t want to get out of the habit that I had for the last 6 years. I was no longer excited in the same way I used to be. I felt like a child going to school because they had to, not because they wanted to. That made me feel sad.

I remember when I first attended my old church, the welcome I received was what kept me coming back at first. The love and care they showed to me, a stranger, felt like being accepted into a family after being an orphan all your life. It wasn’t just from the leadership. It was everyone! People went out of their way to talk to you because they knew they had not seen you before. There was a genuine feeling of a desire to connect. Because of this welcome, which was the culture of that church, I learned to do the same because that was all I knew. I assumed that was the way of church! I was wrong. I realise that I need a church with a solid word and the love of Jesus. I can’t have one without the other. Unfortunately, the church I thought would be my new home is lacking in what I need, so back to the drawing board I go. Although I haven’t run out of churches to visit in my area, it is becoming disheartening. Attending churches that I see are very off in what they teach; it feels like I am gonna run out of churches, finding myself in the same position.

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 ” DON’T LET ANYONE THINK LESS OF YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG. BE AN EXAMPLE TO ALL BELIEVERS IN WHAT YOU SAY, IN THE WAY YOU LIVE, IN YOUR LOVE, YOUR FAITH, AND YOUR PURITY.” On Sunday, I visited a church that reminded me of this scripture. The preacher started off well in his message but then lost me when he said that reading your bible at home doesn’t build your faith, only hearing the word, meaning only by coming to church on a sunday to listen to your preacher will you increase your faith. Safe to say, I won’t be back there again, but being a mature Christian means being able to discern what is good from what is bad. So, I threw away the bad and kept what was good from that message. I think the body of Christ may have forgotten how to love. In a world where the love of man runs cold, sometimes the culture of the times we live in seeps into the church. I know that this doesn’t apply to the whole body of Christ, but no matter how small a group is, it’s still too much. Sometimes showing love to others, especially others that may not be living the way you think is right can seem like affirmation of a life that is opposed to God, but even Jesus showed love to those who lived a life opposed to God. He gave them truth in love, not out of condemnation. His love for them didn’t affirm their behaviour. It was meant to expose the darkness within them by showing them the light. We are meant to be an example of that kind of love. So if someone walks into your church, you should rejoice and seek to know who they are and discern why God has brought them there. We can’t forget that we are workers among the harvest.

I never liked the idea of attending mega churches because I always thought that too many people would affect how you connect in that environment. But I have learnt that even the smaller churches can create a feeling of disconnect. I have learnt so much about myself and what kind of church goer I am. It has felt like I am creating a checklist of wants and needs when it comes to finding a church. I know that God is pruning me in this season, and I am learning about what it means to walk with God even when my life isn’t wrapped up in serving my church and community. I realised that the way I was serving in my old church was subconsciously becoming like a way of working my way into heaven. I don’t think I would have ever realised that until it was taken away. It left me questioning my identity and what it meant to even be a believer. For the first time, I felt like I had lost my purpose in life. I work for a secular company, and I work shifts, which take up a lot of my time. So, when I was throwing myself into my church, I felt like that was the only way I could do work to build the kingdom of God here on earth. This is why God takes the bad things that happen in your life and turns it for good for those who love Him. Because, leaving my church felt like the worst thing that could ever happen a few months ago, but now I see what He is doing for me and how he is using this experience to shape me and build my faith.

ROMANS 12:1 “AND SO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I PLEAD WITH YOU TO GIVE YOUR BODIES TO GOD BECAUSE OF ALL HE HAS DONE FOR YOU. LET THEM BE A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE-THE KIND HE WILL FIND ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS TRULY THE WAY TO WORSHIP HIM.” Sundays for the past 6 years have been an important part of my worship. Leading worship was a big part of who I was. But when God said it was time to leave these things, I obeyed but felt lost and unsure of what my worship actually meant to God. I forgot that it was more than a Sunday and more than a song. He has reminded me that how I live and conduct myself every day is worship to Him. Just because I don’t have a church right now doesn’t mean I don’t worship God. It’s so funny how you can misplace what is really important in your walk with God and get caught up in the details. Although I long to feel part of community and find a church to call home, the most important part of all is how I live everyday, because church or no church I will always be an ambassador of Jesus Christ, and that is everything.

As I continue on this path to find my community, I want to encourage you if you are in the same season as me. Please don’t give up your search, but don’t forget that being a Christian is more than just attending church on a Sunday. It is life every day. If you are fortunate to be a part of a local body, I encourage you to approach the new face at your church, lead with love because it makes all the difference. I want to end this post with scripture from 1 Corinthians. This scripture has been jumping out at me of late, and it’s a good reminder that without love, it’s all worthless. Your church can have the best preachers on a sunday, the best worship, great kids work, and packed seats, but without love, it means nothing!

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-3 “IF I COULD SPEAK ALL THE LANGUAGES OF EARTH AND OF ANGELS, BUT DIDN’T LOVE OTHERS, I WOULD ONLY BE A NOISY GONG OR A CLANGING CYMBAL. IF I HAD THE GIFT OF PROPHECY, AND IF I UNDERSTOOD ALL OF GOD’S SECRET PLANS AND POSSESSED ALL KNOWLEDGE, AND IF I HAD SUCH FAITH THAT I COULD MOVE MOUNTAINS, BUT DIDN’T LOVE OTHERS, I WOULD BE NOTHING. IF I GAVE EVERYTHING I HAVE TO THE POOR AND EVEN SACRIFICED MY BODY, I COULD BOAST ABOUT IT; BUT IF I DIDN’T LOVE OTHERS, I WOULD HAVE GAINED NOTHING.”

WHEN GOD CHANGES YOUR DIRECTION.

I struggled with writing this blog because so much has happened since my last post, and I have debated whether I should discuss it here, but I would not be true to myself or my blog (which can sometimes feel like therapy) if I didn’t talk about it, and it might help somebody else, which has always been the point of sharing so openly. So, there is no easy way to say it, but I decided to leave my church. This was not an easy decision, and it was one that I prayed about, wanting to make sure it was the Lord moving me on instead of my flesh. There is so much I want to say about it, but I know it would not be right to disclose everything here. So I will share what I can and be mindful that I honour God with my words. Honestly, this has felt like a breakup. I have gone through all the emotions possible. This was my first church home where God placed me when he convicted me in my room that I needed to be a part of the body, which meant being a part of a community. The place where I got baptised. The place where I experienced my first’s with God. The place where He revealed my gift of worshipping and leading others in worship. It was home. But sometimes you come to a point when you just don’t share the same vision. I am aware of how crazy that sounds being that the body of Christ should all share the same vision, but sometimes it’s about how we achieve that vision and what we feel convicted about.

I am so glad that I came to Christ in my unique way. I was never indoctrinated by religion or followed man like he was God. I came to the Lord through His word and nothing more. I had no experience of church, I just read what it was meant to look like when reading the book of Acts, and that was what I wanted to be a part of. But God always warned me about man and how our hearts can not be trusted, so I pledged never to place my faith in man, but only the man that is Jesus. Because of man, church can be messy! If I was spiritually immature, I think I would have left church a lot sooner because people can be the most disappointing. I have had my share of ups and downs with the body of Christ, and believe me, I know that church hurt is a real thing. But the Word says that offence hardens the heart, and I always wanted to have a heart of flesh where God could mould it as he saw fit. When your heart is hard, you make it unmouldable. So, I kept my eyes focused on Jesus through the mess and constantly reminded myself that people who attend church are here because they know they need fixing (well, most do).

As you may be able to tell from my posts and the things I talk about here, I am no wall flower, and if something doesn’t feel right, I will not hesitate to voice my concerns. I have always done that at church, so believe me when I say this time was no different. I believe that one of my gifts has been the spirit of discernment, and what I was descerning was grieving me in spirit. I am a creature of habit, and when I am comfortable, I will not leave! I had built up a reputation at my church as someone wise who others looked up to. I led worship every Sunday, which was an honour. I was comfortable in the position I held, but when God says it’s time to move, you move! When God is leading you, trust and believe He will give you that peace that surpasses all understanding. I remember going to bed in waves of grief, crying out to God to give me peace if it was His will. That next morning, I was so serene and at peace, I had the best restful sleep one can have with 5 hours, and I remember feeling so grateful that God had been so clear. From that day forth, I never shed another tear or even felt sad about my decision. In fact I felt the joy of the Lord wash over me and the day I met with my leaders to tell them of my decision and reason, I felt like God say, go in peace and honour them! It reminded me of the graciousness of David, the man after God’s own heart. He spoke truth in love when it came to Saul. He had opportunities where he could have cut Saul down, but he always chose to show him mercy and honour him. He left it to God to deal with, and that’s exactly what God did. Although I am no David and my church has nothing to do with Saul, I felt God reminding me how to carry myself as a child of God.

Do you ever look at significant moments in your life where you are reminded of how far God has brought you? Because the old me would not have been so merciful, and my words would have spoken death instead of life. All glory to God! PROVERBS 18:21 “DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE, AND THOSE WHO LOVE IT WILL EAT ITS FRUITS.” Over the last month, God has spoken this proverb to me in many different ways. He knows me so well it makes me chuckle. I fear God, and because I fear Him, I can go in peace. God is sovereign and knows more than I could ever know or understand. All I need to be concerned about is being obedient and keeping a check of my heart posture. When people leave, it can cause more questions and confusion, and when you hold a respected position at your church, what you say to others can be like a death sentence. So God has been teaching me how to speak life instead. It’s so easy to get up on our self righteous box and point fingers and tell everyone that they have a plank in their eye, but what has that ever done that has been helpful to the body of Christ? Don’t get me confused, I believe that when things are wrong and hurt the body, we have a responsibility to call it out, but remember wisdom will be proven right by her deeds. Sometimes, we have to be careful we don’t cause the little ones to stumble on account of us being hurt or disappointed. MATTHEW 12:36 “AND I TELL YOU THIS, YOU MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT ON JUDGMENT DAY FOR EVERY IDLE WORD YOU SPEAK. THE WORDS YOU SAY WILL EITHER ACQUIT YOU OR CONDEMN YOU.”

As you know, I have and will continue to be an advocator when it comes to being a part of a local church. This experience has not changed that. For almost six years, I served God diligently with joy. Being connected in my church community was a big part of my life. I have been like Martha, running backwards and forwards, making sure I was serving to the best of my ability. Now it’s time to be Mary and sit down at the feet of Jesus. God says that it’s time to choose the better thing. I am excited to have a season of just receiving it. I needed it! I know that I won’t be Mary for as long as I have been Martha because God has things for me to do for His kingdom. But I am going to enjoy this time of rest that He has been gracious enough to give me. Rest doesn’t mean not going to church. If anything, this has shown me how important it is for me to be a part of the body and be in a church community. I have found a church where I am hearing God clearly, and it’s nice to not be involved in the politics of it all, but I think it’s not good to rush back into a new relationship. Yes, I am looking at it like a relationship. When you leave a long-term relationship, it’s not wise to jump straight into a new one. I’ve only ever known one church, one way of doing church. It’s been refreshing to see what else is out there, and it’s helped me to understand what kind of church goer I am. It’s crazy to feel like the world has opened up to me, and I am now free. But that’s the best way I can describe it.

I have met so many great brothers and sisters in Christ who will continue to be just that. Sometimes, when people leave churches, that means they leave the relationships they created during their time there. I never understood why people did that. After all, the church is not a building! I might not be doing church in the traditional way with them, but we are still doing church together. HEBREWS 10:24-25 “LET US THINK OF WAYS TO MOTIVATE ONE ANOTHER TO ACTS OF LOVE AND GOOD WORKS. AND LET US NOT NEGLECT OUR MEETING TOGETHER, AS SOME PEOPLE DO, BUT ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THE DAY OF HIS RETURN IS DRAWING NEAR.” Look at the apostle Paul, who wrote so many letters to the different churches. He recognised them as one body, just in different areas, and he loved them all the same. When Jesus returns, He is coming for ALL the body, the ones that have placed their faith in Him. Now, I get to meet more people and expand my family, which I find exciting. I also have to do life with people and be intentional instead of relying on seeing people one day a week. These are all positives.

I want to end this post by saying church is important, even if it can be messy at times. Church is not a reflection of God but a reflection of our NEED for God! Yes, life would be much simpler if we could just do Christianity without people, but we need people to see the full glory of God manifest in His gifts. We can not be lone ranger Christians. We are called to serve just as Jesus served. Don’t let the mess get in the way of what and who God has called you to be, because in the end it’s not even about you, you are not the main character of this story, it is Jesus!

THE SYMBOLIC CHURCH.

Believe it or not, but this post was sparked by a conversation with an AI chat bot about whether the UK was still considered a Christian country. I was born in London and I have only ever resided here. My grandmother was an immigrant and she had my mum in London so it’s all she’s ever known too. Although I am british, I have always felt like an outsider due to the racial tentions I experienced growing up. When I would see white men waving their british flags with pride, it would subconsciously instil fear because through the years, that flag had been weaponised against people that look like me. Now, through a different lense I am starting to understand what is going on. British people are fighting for their culture and heritage to remain. I am seeing ethnic people like myself who have been born and bred in the UK protesting and waving their british flags with pride. And for the first time, I understand what it’s all about.

The UK was built on Christian values, which has shaped its culture and institutions. The British monarch’s role historically as “Defender of the Faith”, the supreme governer of The Church of England, which dates all the way back to the 16th century has now become largely symbolic and has evolved over time. According to the 2019 British Social Attitudes survey, 52% of people in England and Wales identify as Christians, while 48% do not identify with any religion. When you see stats like that, it’s no wonder there has been such a shift in the UK. The UK is now considered a secular country with a Christian heritage. The laws and institutions, and social norms are largely secular and pluralistic. There have even been debates for the monarch’s title to be changed to “Defender of Faiths” to reflect the countries’ growing religious diversity. When you look behind the veil, you see something more sinister happening in the UK.

Christian traditions are being erased before our very eyes, all under the guise of diversity and inclusion. If your spiritual eyes are truly open, it’s clear to see the UK is under spiritual attack! Just the other day, there was a report of a school in the UK that had decided to cancel it’s annual Easter parade so they could be more sensitive to other faiths. I do believe the other faith is Islam, as this ideology seems to be growing rapidly in the UK. Now, let me be very careful and clear about what I say because free speech no longer exists HERE. As a Christian, the goal is never to force people to believe in what you believe. Our God, Yahweh, is not a dictator. He gives us free will to choose him. So people are free to follow the God of their choosing. But Christian traditions shouldn’t be erased in a country built on the decrees of God! This reminds me of the Old Testament when Israel, after being rescued out of Egypt by God, then forgot about God. JUDGES 2:10 “AFTER THAT GENERATION DIED, ANOTHER GENERATION GREW UP WHO DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD OR REMEMBER THE MIGHTY THINGS HE HAD DONE FOR ISRAEL.” There was a reason why the Israelites were told to study the Book of Instruction continually and to share what the Lord had done for them from generation to generation. Because when we don’t, we forget. Then we end up living in a time where research has shown that Christianity is the most mocked religion in the UK!

This brings me to the church. Sound doctrine is harder and harder to come by in churches today. The Church of England now reflects the pluralistic views of the culture and has made significant changes all in the guise of diversity and inclusion. It looks like the church from the outside, but inside, it is something else. I watched a video of an ordained UK minister talking about the lies found in Christianity. There was so much heresy in his list, but the one that was the most diabolical was that Jesus isn’t the only way, Love is, because God is love! I felt sick to the stomach. The church in the Uk has become infected, and it is spreading. I know not all churches have succomb to this infection, but it’s very hard to find a church that stands on the word of God. It feels like we have become luke warm, and we already know that Jesus warned in Revelation that He would rather us be hot or cold, He will spit us out if we are luke warm!

The message of the Gospel has now been watered down so as not to offend. People rarely talk about the truths that will set you free from bondage, the actual things that save your soul. Going to church on Sundays or every religious holiday will not secure your place in heaven! Hearing motivational speeches on a Sunday will only make you feel good on a Sunday, but the rest of the week, your life is a shambles! 48% of people do not identify with any religion. That is a lot! There is definitely something not right here! If Jesus and the message of the Gospel aren’t being shared, then that number will get higher, and if we think it’s bad now, we haven’t seen anything yet! I know that churches are not perfect places because they are full of broken people. I know for myself it takes a certain level of maturity to endure. That might sound harsh, but I am being real! I do believe being a part of a church is part of the life of a believer, and I will always advocate for it. But when I see the people that God has placed as his shepheards leading people astray, I want to flip tables like Jesus did! But then I am reminded that God already warned us. 2 PETER 2:1-2 “BUT THERE WERE ALSO FALSE PROPHETS IN ISRAEL, JUST AS THERE WILL BE FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU. THEY WILL CLEVERLY TEACH DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES AND EVEN DENY THE MASTER WHO BOUGHT THEM. IN THIS WAY, THEY WILL BRING SUDDEN DESTRUCTION ON THEMSELVES. MANY WILL FOLLOW THEIR EVIL TEACHING AND SHAMEFUL IMMORALITY. AND BECAUSE OF THESE TEACHERS, THE WAY OF TRUTH WILL BE SLANDERED.” There are so many other verses about false teachers. It’s clear that God wanted us to know what a problem it would be to the church.

If we let the cultural norm infect the church, the church will lose its power. Jesus has to be the centre of EVERYTHNG! If we pick and choose the truths that seem more harmonious for all, then we are not giving the people the real Jesus! To just lead with God is love to make everyone happy feels deceitful. Yes God is love, and it’s because of His love that He gives us commands to follow, because love is not just telling people what they want to hear to make them happy, love is telling people the truth because you want them to be better! Jesus came to give us life more abundantly. That doesn’t just mean that you get all your hearts desires, because sometimes you don’t. But this “life” means a vigourous life devoted to God! You can keep it light at church if your sole purpose is to make sure all the seats are filled and those tithes flow, then you will receive your reward right now. But isn’t it more than that?

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Church feels more symbolic of what it once stood for. All these new initiatives to create more butts in the seats feel empty and disingenuous. They feel like a business model with no heart or soul. Jesus no longer seems to be the driving force, and this grieves my heart. It feels like the church has fooled itself into believing that It’s all about Jesus when it isn’t. Again, I stress to you that as a believer, it is important to be a part of a community. We are called to serve others, not just ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s not even about us! We are living in some trying times, and it’s only gonna get worse. If you can not stand for the truth of the Gospel now, then woe unto you when you face true persecution for your beliefs. We must endure to the end, which tells us that it won’t be a walk in the park by the time Jesus returns. Please read your word contiunally. Know what the word of God says for yourself, so you can protect yourselves from having itching ears. Don’t get led onto the wide road that leads to destruction! Cling to God in these days, we can not endure if we are far from Him. Please pray for the UK. We need your prayers! Please pray for the 48% that they will come to the truth and knowledge of Jesus Christ!

JOSHUA 1:8-9 “STUDY THIS BOOK OF INSTRUCTION CONTINUALLY. MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT SO YOU WILL BE SURE TO OBEY EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT. ONLY THEN WILL YOU PROSPER AND SUCCEED IN ALL YOU DO. THIS IS MY COMMAND-BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED. FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO.”

GROWING IN FAITH PT2.

Last year, when I wrote part 1, I was in New Jersey spending time with my family for Thanksgiving. It was a very eye-opening visit. It prompted me to write about the importance of growing in faith. You could be a professing believer in Christ for 20 years, but after your first year of being on fire for Jesus, your fire began to die out, and you never grew beyond that first year. So, you spent 19 years in a loop, never really growing more than what you did when you first believed. You attend church every Sunday, and you even say your prayers before bed and before every meal. You feel like an accomplished Christian because you do these things. But you don’t grow in your faith. You don’t even pick up your bible outside of Sunday anymore because your week is busy. You spend every year just repeating that first year when you were chasing God. So your 20 years is really 1 year on repeat.

Growing in faith is evidence of our relationship with God. The more we grow, the closer we get to God. If we are not growing as we should, it becomes evident in our lives. We start to look like the rest of the world. This is what I witnessed when I visited my family. My aunt, who I love dearly, believes in Jesus, but the things I witnessed from her really disturbed my spirit. It had me wondering if she was truly saved!? It pains me to even think that, but Jesus said we would know His people from their fruit, and her fruit was rotten! As time went on, I realised that the problem was she had stopped persuing God. She wasn’t a part of any church. She even confessed to not picking up her bible anymore. She was responding to everything out of her flesh instead of the Spirit. When I would try to point out these things and guide her back to the word of God, I was met with such resistance and anger. My time spent with her felt like I was in a spiritual battle that I wasn’t prepared for! Unfortunately, as I write this blog, my aunt refuses to communicate with me. I’m ok with that because, like I told her, I will always stand on the word of God because I fear the LORD! The one thing I remember her saying when I told her that being a Christian meant we had to deny ourselves was this, “but it’s hard!.”

MATTHEW 7:13-14 “ENTER BY THE NARROW GATE. FOR THE GATE IS WIDE AND THE WAY EASY THAT LEADS TO DISTRUCTION, AND THOSE WHO ENTER BY IT ARE MANY. FOR THE GATE IS NARROW AND THE WAY IS HARD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND THOSE WHO FIND IT ARE FEW.” Jesus warned us that following Him would be hard. That is the life of a believer! But he also promised us a helper when we placed our faith in Him and decided to choose the narrow path. The Holy Spirit is with us as we journey! God in spirit lives within us, leading us on this difficult path. We don’t do anything in our own strength. But if we stop seeking the Spirit while we journey like nomads, we will find ourselves stumbling on to the wider path and fooling ourselves to believe it is the right path because it’s easy. There is a great proverb that says that there is a path before each person that seems right but ends in death. If we stop seeking the Spirit for wisdom, we then start to do whatever feels right in our own eyes.

We live in a world, so opposed to God, it feels like we are in an episode of the twilight zone. If we are not careful, the culture will infect us, and we will start to look like friends of the world. The things that once grieved us when we first believed will no longer affect us in the same way. We will become desensitized to sin and start to make excuses for the things we know offend God. Then we will start to tell ourselves that we don’t need to go to church and be a part of the body, because we don’t need the body, why, when we can readily tune into one of our many social media pastors from the comfort of our beds. We will tell ourselves that we don’t need to read the bible because we’ve read it before . Like it’s just some regular book that holds no power. Then, before we know it, we will start to fall back into our old bondages that Jesus set us free from. Satan will sit back and laugh at us as we exchange our freedom and return back to being a slave to sin, chained up with the other unbelievers walking that wide road away from God.

I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling this shift happening throughout the church. I feel like we are in a season where it is imperative that we seek to draw closer to God and grow in our faith! My fear is that if we remain stagnant, we will not be able to endure to the end and receive our crown of life. We run the risk of becoming like the five virgins who didn’t have enough oil in their lamp and missed the wedding! We are seeing a rise in so many false teachers as well as false doctrines, and people are being led astray. God is exposing those who have built their foundations on sand instead of the rock. People are deconstructing because they can’t handle the narrow road. It’s clear that many people are doing religion with God instead of a relationship, and faith is wavering as a result. JAMES 1:2-4 “DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN TROUBLES OF ANY KIND COME YOUR WAY, CONSIDER IT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GREAT JOY. FOR YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED, YOUR ENDURANCE HAS A CHANCE TO GROW. SO LET IT GROW, FOR WHEN YOUR ENDURANCE IS FULLY DEVELOPED, YOU WILL BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, NEEDING NOTHING.” The hard narrow path is meant to breed endurance through the testing of our faith, and if our foundation is firm, our faith strengthens, and we become more mature. The hard road is not meant to destroy us. This is why faith is so important. A strong faith keeps us obedient. You can’t say you have faith when your life does not reflect what you believe. As the word says, faith without action is dead!

God promised that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. I emplore you to take your relationship seriously with Him, for your life depends on it. If your faith isn’t where it needs to be, it’s time to start working out your salvation with fear and trembling! I look at what’s going on in the world and it excites me, because we are on this timeline of end time events, which is moving with such speed that I sometimes wonder if Jesus will return for His chuch in my lifetime. The bible is not only a book full of wisdom and teachings, but it is a historical and prophetic book. A big part of our growing in faith is due to the bible. If we are not reading it and seeking to understand it, how can we expect to have an unshakeable faith needed in the times we live? We are setting ourselves up for failure! PSALM 119:30 “I HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY OF FAITHFULNESS; I HAVE SET MY HEART ON YOUR LAWS.”

We are meant to seek to become mature Christians. Some of us have become unteachable, which is not a good place to be in. It’s time to become like children again, hungry to learn and grow. We are in a spiritual war, and too many of us are not wearing all our pieces of armour. We are running out into battle without our shield of faith, which is meant to protect us from the fiery arrows of the enemy. God has provided everything we need to finish our race, to be victorious in this battle. But if we are not wise and prepared, we will be destroyed. It’s time to sharpen up our swords, which is the word of God. It’s time for the body of Christ to unite, for iron sharpens iron. If you are looking to truly grow in your faith, here are some suggestions. Join a church. It’s time to have a spiritual covering. You were not created to be a lone ranger Christian. You are a functioning part of the body of Jesus Christ. Ok, I hear you when you say you tried it and it didn’t work out for you. Well, I say try again. Find a different church that is solid in theology and ask God to heal your heart of church hurt. That is what it looks like to be a mature Christian. Create a habit of reading your bible daily. Buy a study bible to help you in your personal reading so you truly understand the word of God. Find a believer who is wise and allow them to speak into your life. Go to them for godly counsel instead of looking at what the culture says about a thing. These are just a few suggestions, but they are so impactful to your walk, and I speak from experience. I have been a believer for 6 years. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of the word of God. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of church. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of fellowship with my sisters and brothers who hold me accountable and who hold my hand on this narrow hard road. I thank God for placing them in my life. My prayer is that 2025 will be a year of growth in our walks with God. May our faith endure until we are reunited with our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ!

WORKER OF INIQUITY.

Happy New Year!! 2025 already! December was a busy month for me, so please accept my apologies for my inconsistency. I spent three weeks in America with my family for Thanksgiving, which is a whole story in itself. Then I returned home and went straight back to work. December was a blur. But I did receive sad news during December, which inspired this post. I have deliberated about sharing my thoughts, not wanting to come across as incensitive, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I had to talk about it. So I apologise in advance if you take offence at the subject matter, but it is important, and something we all should think about because it’s a matter of life and death!

A few weeks back, I received news that somebody I knew had passed away due to complications of an illness. I’ll call her “Susan”. I hadn’t seen Susan for a long time, I had never kept in contact with her over the years, so she had become somebody distant, an aquaintance. I used to work with Susan 10 years ago, and during that time, I had been brought into her circle of friends due to a mutual friend. I had even attended her wedding (to another woman), I was not a Christian in those days. So, when I was asked to pray for her when I first heard she was sick, I was very torn. I did pray for her, but for some reason, I felt bothered about it. I felt guilty for feeling the way I did, as I knew that it was good to pray for others, especially in their time of need. A week later, when I was told of her passing, I felt sad, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t because I was mourning a friend, but because I didn’t know where she was going. I consoled myself with the thought that perhaps she had a life change. I hadn’t spoken to her in years, I didn’t know her anymore. Then I was added to a group chat where everybody shared their surprise of her passing, pictures, and memories of their last time with Susan. It was then that I knew for sure that she hadn’t changed. There were some people in the group who would call themselves believers. These were the people who wrote messages that Susan was with the Lord, Susan was enjoying herself in heaven. Messages that inspired a sense of hope and comfort. People said how Susan was kind, always giving to others, full of love, all the good things you want to hear. Because of her goodness, there was no doubt in the group chat that she wouldn’t be chilling in heaven. This troubled me further because I knew it wasn’t true.

I started to think about people, including “Christians,” who are under the impression that “their” gooodness will be what gets them into heaven. This false sense of security, which, in my opinion, is straight from the enemy himself! The idea that we can live opposed to God and still see heaven is baffling to me, it’s definitely not what I read in the bible, and if you call yourself a believer but don’t understand that, then I would have to ask you, do you really know God? Do you really know Jesus? So the question to you is this: If you were to die tomorrow, do you know where you are going?

MATTHEW 7:21 “NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.” One of the most scariest verses, in my opinion. The fact that we can call on the Lord boldly but fail to see heaven should have us always working out our salvation in fear and trembling. Just because you call out to the Lord in prayer or send the amens in the group chat does not mean you are saved and secure. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you doing God’s will? Are you living in obedience to God? Are you living to the standards that your sinful flesh has created or the standards that God has created? Is it YOUR good, or is it God’s good? Just because people thought Susan was a good person doesn’t mean God agrees. Susan was not obedient to God. She did not do the will of God, and if God’s love language is obedience, then I think it’s fair to say Susan lived like she hated God. Because of that, it grieved my spirit to say that I didn’t agree with the group chat.

MATTHEW 7:22-23 “ON THAT DAY MANY WILL SAY TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND CAST OUT DEMONS IN YOUR NAME, AND DO MANY MIGHTY WORKS IN YOUR NAME?’ AND THEN WILL I DECLARE TO THEM, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS.” I could not imagine God turning me away and telling me He never knew me. Imagine thinking you know someone so well, but them, turning you away because they don’t know you. The plot twist being, that you actually didn’t know them like you kept proclaiming to. It hit home that many of us who call ourselves Christians don’t know God at all. TITUS 1:16 “THEY PROFESS TO KNOW GOD, BUT THEY DENY HIM BY THEIR WORKS. THEY ARE DETESTABLE, DISOBEDIENT, UNFIT FOR ANY GOOD WORK.”

I thank God that He sent His son to pay the debt I could never pay. I thank God for the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. I know I could never work my way into heaven on my own merit. I am a sinner, and because of that, I know I will always fall short of God’s glory. So I thank God for His grace and mercy! As my friend always says, you can’t pray right and live wrong! If we keep His commandments, we can truly say we know God. Yes, we may not get it right all the time, but we don’t make a practice of sinning. But if we don’t keep His commandments but claim to know God, the bible says that we are liars, not having the truth in us. Our faith should equate to action. If the things that grieve God do not grieve us, do we even have the Holy Spirit in us? When we live by the Spirit, He causes us to turn away from sin. We do the things that please God, we become righteous, the Spirit helps us to be holy. But if we live by our flesh, we turn to sin, we do the things that grieve the Spirit, we even start to make allowances for things that God sees as evil, we start to say it’s not that bad, that God doesn’t see it as sin. We start saying things like love is love, and God is love, so it’s all good. We deminish who God is and create our own version of god in our lives. 1 JOHN 3:9 “NO ONE BORN OF GOD MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING, FOR GOD’S SEED ABIDES IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT KEEP ON SINNING, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD.”

I don’t know who needs to hear this or needs this reminder, but you can’t have the Father without the Son! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Don’t let the enemy steal your free gift! The day of judgement is fast upon us, and not because I believe Jesus is coming back in glory next week. It could be another 50 years before that day comes for all we know. But because we don’t know when we will take our last breath! When we die, we won’t get another try to get it right. We can’t plead our case and say, “Forgive me, I won’t do it again, I’ll be better, I promise!” It doesn’t work like that. Live your life like Jesus is coming back tomorrow! All is not lost. The fact that God grants you life each day is a new mercy, a chance to pick up your cross and deny yourself!

HEBREWS 10:26 “FOR IF WE GO ON SINNING DELIBERATELY AFTER RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE NO LONGER REMAINS A SACRIFICE FOR SINS,”

I’m sorry that Susan didn’t get a chance to do things differently, but if you are reading this, that means you do! Don’t be a worker of iniquity! Please don’t read this as me pointing a finger at you in judgement. Just know that I had to sit and think about my own walk with God. Maybe I have become complacent and comfortable, and that’s a dangerous place to be in. Losing someone really put things into perspective for me. As we enter into 2025, a time when we seek to better ourselves, let’s seek to better ourselves for God.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 “EXAMINE YOURSELVES, TO SEE WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE FAITH. TEST YOURSELVES. OR DO YOU NOT REALIZE THIS ABOUT YOURSELVES, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU?- UNLESS INDEED YOU FAIL TO MEET THE TEST!”

GROWING IN FAITH PT1.

I am currently writing this post from my phone in the U.S.A. I am on vacation, having just spent my first Thanksgiving with my family. This post is gonna be extremely short, but I will talk about it more when I get back to the U.K. I just wanted to leave a thought for the month of November.

Seeing my family is always a great time, but it also comes with great challenges. This trip reminds me of the importance of growing in faith. I am seeing the results of what happens when you become stagnant in your faith, and it is a very sobering reminder that if we don’t grow, it’s possible to start to look like we belong to the world. Our fruits stop looking like the fruits of the spirit. Sadly, it has me questioning whether people are saved because I don’t recognise the spirit in operation. I am not here to judge or make those assumptions because God knows the heart of man. But, it makes me sad to see all the same.

So… my reminder is this. Don’t forget that you have been cleansed from your old sins. Don’t be shortsighted or blind! God has given us everything we need to live a godly life, and if you don’t truly get to know Jesus Christ, you won’t receive the promise, instead you will struggle and possibly even fall away. We must GROW in our faith.

That’s my thought for the month of November. Short and sweet. This is just part one, I will talk about it in my next post. Until then, stay blessed!

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE.

Please excuse the impromptu hiatus. It really wasn’t planned. All I can say is that September was a busy month. I spent the month celebrating another year that God has graciously granted me. I took a solo trip to Paris and had an encounter with the presence of God that was so transformative, that I needed the rest of the month to sit in what He taught me, so I had nothing to talk about (for once). That’s not to say there hasn’t been anything to talk about. The world is still dark and destructive. But God is still and will always be good, so I wanted to just ponder that for a while. Like I said, there is a lot going on in this world, and it reminded me of my journey, my walk with God, the fight to keep my faith in a world that seeks to destroy it. This idea that we are taking part in a race, but not a race to get to first or even second or third place, but to just make it to the finish line made me think of marathon runners. I thought about how they train for their chosen race, whether 5k,10k, or even a half-marathon. They train for up to one year, depending on their fitness levels or experience. Marathon runners never just sign up to run without training first. Ultimately, the goal of a marathon runner is to just finish the race! This, to me, is what it is like to be a Christian. We are running this race (or walking with God) to make it to the finish line, which is where Jesus is waiting to hand us our heavenly prize.

We read the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, making us more like Jesus. This is how we train to run our race. The longer we spend training in the word, strengthening our faith, the more endurance we build up to run this race. This race is not about coming first place. This is about making it to the finish line! I remember when I first gave my life to Jesus five years ago. I had so much fire and zeal, I am sure I took off at the start of my marathon like I was Usain Bolt, looking back at weary runners wondering why they were so slow. But as I kept running, I started to realise this wasn’t a race to first place, but a race to make it to the end. I realised that I would burn out quickly if I didn’t change the way I ran, so I made endurance my priority. MATTHEW 24:13 “BUT THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.”

Enduring to the end simply means to remain firm in your commitment to God, to be obedient to him despite temptation, opposition, and adversity. Let’s be clear, all runners will be tempted to quit the race before the end. Many will do just that because it will seem easier. Some people might decide to take a break from running, promising to rejoin the race at a later date, which is dangerous because once you stop running you lose your momentum and find it hard to pick up where you left off. GALATIONS 5:7 “YOU WERE RUNNING WELL. WHO HINDERED YOU FROM OBEYING THE TRUTH?” And then there are the runners that run slow but keep a steady pace, these are the ones that make it to the end, these are the ones who have trained and sacrificed their time preparing for the endurance needed to receive their prize. 2 TIMOTHY 4:7 “I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH.”

PHILLIPIANS 3:12-14 “I DON’T MEAN TO SAY THAT I HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED THESE THINGS OR THAT I HAVE ALREADY REACHED PERFECTION. BUT I PRESS ON TO POSSESS THAT PERFECTION FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS FIRST POSSESSED ME. NO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I HAVE NOT ACHIEVED IT, BUT I FOCUS ON THIS ONE THING: FORGETTING THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, I PRESS ON TO REACH THE END OF THE RACE AND RECEIVE THE HEAVENLY PRIZE FOR WHICH GOD, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, IS CALLING US.”

There is something about Paul talking about his imperfection and his drive to continue and to press on, looking ahead only, that I find encouraging. Paul, who knew he was not worthy for all he had done to persecute the church before he encountered Jesus, walked in a humbleness that I Iong to possess. The fact that this great man of God, whose letters we gleam from today and forever, always eluding to himself being a work in progress, is something we should all take courage from. Forgetting the past and looking forward can sometimes be the hardest part of our journeys. It’s the past that often keeps us bound from moving forward. In a world that is constantly throwing things in our paths to keep us from receiving our prize, paul tells us to press on. I imagine a strong wind working against us as we push forward, teeth gritted, determined to make it through.

The grace of God is so important as we run our marathons. Things happen in life to test us, and we are not always successful. This is what makes us all imperfect beings. But the real test of faith is what we do after we stumble or fall. Do we decide that the race is impossible and sit it out? Or do we get back up, dust off our knees, and continue on, even if our pace is slower than when we first began? It’s like when you watch a race and you see a runner take a fall and injure themself. You think that’s it, they are finished! But you see the fight in their eyes, the determination to cross that line sparks something in them that can seem somewhat supernatural at times, because even though they may no longer be able to run, they press on anyway, limping their way to the end. And as they approach the finish line, you often see their running mates swoop in to support them at the last 20 feet of the race. In that moment, it’s not about how long it took them to complete the race. In that moment, it’s about making it to the end when it seemed impossible, finding strength you didn’t know you had, not giving up!

This walk can be challenging, but that’s life. Life is a challenge. What sets someone that places their faith in Jesus apart from everyone else is that although life has it’s challenges, we do not go through lifes challenges alone. We have help, a hand to hold. We have a God who provides what we need. Don’t let your imperfections keep you from being perfected. If you stumble, let God lift you back up and keep going. Don’t look back on the past. Keep your eyes fixed on what lies ahead! Keep the word of God close to your heart. If your faith is wavering, it’s because you need to spend more time with Him in His word. His word is the key to endurance! As a brother or sister in Christ, we are called to gently and humbly help others who may be struggling to stay the course. Support each other when you see they need help. Don’t look at them as less than because their faith is weak or they are not as mature as you, walk alongside them, love them. We are one body working together with Christ at the head. Let’s start opperating as that. Every part of the body is just as important and is needed, so in a world where the love of man is growing cold, let’s show what the love of Jesus looks like so we can be the light and salt of the earth God calls us to be. JAMES 1:12 “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO REMAINS STEADFAST UNDER TRIAL, FOR WHEN HE HAS STOOD THE TEST HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, WHICH GOD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

FEED MY SHEEP.

I’ve been thinking of different ways to approach this topic that has been on my heart. It has taken me this long to formulate my words and my thoughts. This will be a short read, and I am sure this won’t be the only time I talk about this. But my heart has been grieved of late, so much has been happening on a global scale and in my little world. It has been hard to talk about it in a way that doesn’t cause offence to others. I don’t pretend to even know what it takes to be in a position where you are shepherding God’s flock, so please, if God has placed you in that position, please don’t receive what I say as arrogance or that I think I know everything, because that is not true. I know nothing. I don’t know what it takes to be in such a position, and to be honest, I would never want to know because that is not my calling. But what I do have, which is a gift from God, is spiritual descernment, and I see things before others see things at times.

I love being a part of a community, I love fellowship with my brothers and sisters, and I love church. I know not many people can say that because of things that may have been experienced being apart of the body of believers, and although my journey with others hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I have been hurt by people many times already. But I am mature enough to know that the actions of others aren’t a reflection of the God I love and serve, but an accurate reflection of man’s ability to be weak in flesh. This is why we need Jesus! The Good out weighs the bad, and experiences that aren’t pleasant will not turn me away from serving others. But, I can say that from a place of spiritual maturity. It’s to be expected that when we gather together at church, it is filled with believers at different stages of their faith, some new, some old, some unsure. But coming together and doing life together, we are meant to walk with each other, helping others to become more mature in faith. Church is meant to be a place where we can get fed, where we are helped, and given the tools meant to make us more mature in spirit. Yes, we have a responsibilty to ourselves to feed and cultivate our faith because in the end when we stand before God, we will have to answer for our lives and all that we did with it, and we will not be able to blame a soul for our lack. But God has given us people to guide and teach us. This is why church is so important.

When I became a Christian at the end of 2019, my coming to faith was a direct result of the power of the Word of God! In me reading the bible diligently everyday for a month, well it was more like 4hrs of bible study everyday, my mind was being renewed without me even realising what was happening, because I never intended to find God reading the bible, my intention was to prove God wrong instead. I didn’t start out in church. It was just me and my friend doing bible study every day over the phone because we lived in different countries. I became spiritually mature very quickly because I let the word of God renew my mind and build my faith. ROMANS 10:17 “SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST.” My story was different. We were in a time (the pandemic) where there was nothing to do because the world had shut down. Now, the world is very much open, and many will not have the time I did to do what I did. So people come to church when they want to explore and find out who God is. This is why the church is so important.

The church has a responsibility to feed and help you to become spiritually mature. But that doesn’t seem to be the goal amongst (some) churches today. It seems that they are more and more becoming consumed with numbers in seats and making money. Although those things are not inherently bad, if that becomes the main focus rather than genuine conversion to Christ, there may be a problem. Having a packed out church may make you feel good and stroke your ego as a leader, but what good is it if it is not cultivating a relationship with Jesus? If people are attending week after week, and month after month, but still can’t tell you who Jesus is, or they have no conviction in their heart that they are living away from God, then it’s quite possible you have created a feel good centre instead of a church! You don’t want to give the people attending the truth, in case you lose butts on chairs. Or worst still, you don’t think the word is sufficient enough because you don’t think the people attending the church can handle the truth, so you make it more palatable? HOW DARE YOU!! HEBREWS 4:12 “FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL. IT IS SHARPER THAN THE SHARPEST TWO-EDGED SWORD, CUTTING BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT, BETWEEN JOINT AND MARROW. IT EXPOSES OUR INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND DESIRES.”

You can think of all the amazing ways to fill your church, but it is all for nothing if it is not centred on the Word of God. Jesus has to always be at the centre of it all. It doesn’t matter if fewer people attend because they can’t handle the unfiltered Word of God. If the truth hardens their heart, then they were never chosen. It is God who does the growing of faith. It is the Holy Spirit who brings people into the revelation of Jesus, not us. We are but vessels that are called to be obedient and share the good news. The people who are meant to respond will do just that!

Jesus asked Peter three times to feed my sheep. Peter, who Jesus made the rock on, which the church was built. He wanted the flock to be attended to, to be brought into spiritual maturity so that they could go on and carry out the task of making disciples. That is still the same for churches today. You can’t expect the flock to become spiritually mature if you withhold the only thing that will bring them into full maturity! 2 TIMOTHY 3:16 “ALL SCRIPTURE IS BREATHED OUT BY GOD AND PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, AND FOR TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,” notice it doesn’t say to entertain, make you feel good, or tell you what you want to hear. Everything about it makes us reflect on ourselves, search our hearts, and most importantly, turn away from our own desires to carry out the desires of our Father in heaven. It helps us to become righteous!

I think you get my point, so I am gonna wrap this up. This isn’t every church. There are many good churches out there. But it’s a slippery slope, and it is definitely something we need to keep watch from entering our churches. Many are falling away because of it. Leaders, you have a great responsibility. Many souls are under your watch and care. I pray that you will do well in your calling, for not only do our lives depend on it, but your life depends on it also. God bless you all.

HAS THE CHURCH LOST THE FEAR OF GOD?

The once saved always saved debate, is what led me down a winding road, that took me on a journey that kept leading me back to this question, have we, the church, lost the fear of God? After a recent trip to visit my family in the USA, my aunt who I vividly remembered being a christian all her life surprised me when I witnessed certain behaviour and speech from her, far removed from what Jesus requires from us as his followers. It’s funny because the last time I saw her, which was before the dreaded pandemic, I was not a believer. I remember her calling me to her bedroom and asking me to get on my knees and pray with her and a friend who was on the phone. I will never forget how awkward I felt bowing my head. And as I listened to their feverent prayers to God, I kept thinking, when would this be over! Although I obliged my aunt out of respect, that memory never left me, and I can’t help but feel it was a seed that had been planted. That was the last memory of my aunt, a memory that built her up in my mind as a prayer warrior, a woman of God who had an unshakable faith. So, in my excitement to come back 5 years later, now a woman of God myself, I couldn’t wait to connect with my aunt in a way that I had never before!

We did connect in a new way, but it was just not how I envisioned it would be. I spent the first few days “correcting” her (her words), reminding her of what it meant to be a follower of Christ. But in me doing that, it brought us closer than ever, and we had long conversations about faith and her understanding. God used me to remind my aunt that He should be feared and his grace not taken for granted. Because of my own reverence for Him, it ignited her fire for the Lord, which had been smouldering for years. That was when the first thought about the lack of reverance for God came to mind. I know there are plenty of people like my aunt who have been believers for years, and for whatever reason, their faith has become habitual, instead of something you live for daily. People claim to know God, but they don’t exhibit His nature, for the bible says we should be holy because our father in heaven is holy! But how can you fear the Lord if you don’t even know Him? My aunt didn’t read the word like she should, and she could only digest a verse, never a whole chapter. This explained why she misused and misunderstood scripture. It’s hard to understand the word without any context. If you can’t understand scripture, I would think it would be hard to understand who God truly is, His nature, and His love for us! Of course, without that important information, it would be hard to revere Him.

PROVERBS 9:10 “THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY ONE IS UNDERSTANDING.” When I think of having fear of the Lord, I don’t see it like the fear of an abusive partner. It’s like the fear and respect you have for your parents. When you respect and fear your parents, you watch what you do, you stay away from doing things they prohibit you from doing, because you know that there will be serious consequences if you are not obedient. You respect them so much that the thought of disappointing them would break your heart. But the most important part about that relationship is knowing that they truly love you and want the best for you. They are your safe place! To me, that is the fear of the Lord! Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because when you fear Him, you abide in Him, and when we are obedient, all things work in our favour! To know Him is to understand life!

I had been reading the book of Acts, and there seemed to be this theme of fearing God that kept jumping out at me. First, it was in chapter 9 verse 31, when it said the church became stronger as the believers lived in fear of the Lord. I started to think about the churches in the west and how lukewarm some (not all) appear to be. I started to think about self professing christians who didn’t even think church was necessary, how they lived like non believers, like the God of the bible was just a fable. I even thought about my church, how not every member was truly submitted to God. This is not me casting judgement, but me pointing out what is just a fact, not every believer fears God! Without fear, it’s hard to be an effective Christian. How do we successfully carry out the great commission in Matthew 28 without the fear of God? When our life is on the line, it’s only then we seem to remember that God is real and not to be played with. It’s in those times we promise God that we will be better if He would only give us more time! Why do we need to be brought to our knees for us to start taking God seriously? How do we translate that moment into our lives daily? I will never forget watching an old sermon with this Ugandan preacher sharing his encounter with God. I spoke about it before, but it convicted me in a way I had not experienced before. It was watching that sermon that brought me the fear of God. The way I crumbled and cried out to God for forgiveness, knowing how unworthy I was! I feared that He would not be pleased with me when I stood before Him, and the thought of eternal separation left me feeling fear like I had never known before. I bottled that fear, and every so often, I like to remind myself of it.

I started writing this post at the end of May so I could be on time to post in June, but God has been giving me nuggets of information and I have felt the need to take my time and listen to what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me. It’s been clear that He has been trying to teach me the importance of fearing God. Sunday, I sat in my church and listened to one of my pastors give a great message, which seemed to lead back to fearing God. God is so intentional and has a way of affirming His message. We visited the book of Haggai, who was a prophet. I know I haven’t studied this book before, so I wasn’t that familiar with it, but oh, how it spoke to me as clear as day! In a time where God resided in a holy temple, His temple was lying in ruins and had not yet been rebuilt, for the people kept saying that the time had not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. So God gave a message through the prophet Haggai to the govenor of Judah and the high priest HAGGAI 1:4-6 “WHY ARE YOU LIVING IN LUXURIOUS HOUSES WHILE MY HOUSE LIES IN RUINS? THIS IS WHAT THE LORD OF HEAVENS ARMIES SAYS: LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING TO YOU! YOU HAVE PLANTED MUCH BUT HARVEST LITTLE. YOU EAT BUT ARE NOT SATISFIED. YOU DRINK BUT ARE STILL THIRSTY. YOU PUT ON CLOTHES BUT CANNOT KEEP WARM. YOUR WAGES DISAPPEAR AS THOUGH YOU WERE PUTTING THEM IN POCKETS FILLED WITH HOLES!” He then tells them to go to the hills to bring timber so they can rebuild His house because the Lord wants to take pleasure in it and be honoured.

HAGGAI 1:9 “YOU HOPED FOR RICH HARVESTS, BUT THEY WERE POOR. AND WHEN YOU BROUGHT YOUR HARVEST HOME, I BLEW IT AWAY. WHY? BECAUSE MY HOUSE LIES IN RUINS, SAYS THE LORD OF HEAVEN’S ARMIES, WHILE ALL OF YOU ARE BUSY BUILDING YOUR OWN FINE HOUSES.” When you continue reading, it goes on to say that the people FEARED the Lord when they heard His message. It was fear that brought them into obedience. And when they feared God, He said, “I AM WITH YOU.” We no longer have temples where God resides because we have become the living temples. God resides in us! So when I read that scripture that morning, it hit different. Why is His house in ruins while we worry about our life and what we have? We need to make ourselves right with God. We have been spending time worrying about the wrong things. We neglect Him, like He isn’t the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! That’s why we are not satisfied. That is why we don’t reap what we harvest. That is why we don’t see growth the way we should. We are too focused on ourselves and have neglected to give God the honour He deserves! We have lost the fear of God! I think that’s why God is so intentional by repeatedly referring to Himself as The Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Someone who holds such a title deserves all the respect and fear we can muster!

It’s time to start living like we believe what we read in the bible, instead of using it as a motivational tool when we need a pick me up. When we start to live like God is real, we start to rebuild His temple. We have His Spirit that resides in us, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave! And He deserves to live in a home that is fit for a King, He deserves the best! And when we give Him what He deserves, God is honoured! Look at Cornelius, the Roman army officer in the book of Acts chapter 10. He was a devout God-fearing man, and He lived that way by giving generously to the poor, praying regularly to God. He didn’t know the Gospel and didn’t know of Jesus, but God received his prayers and gifts to the poor as offerings. Because of this, God saw that He would receive the Gospel through Peter because you can’t have the Father without the Son. ACTS 10:34 THEN PETER REPLIED, “I SEE VERY CLEARLY THAT GOD SHOWS NO FAVORITISM. IN EVERY NATION HE ACCEPTS THOSE WHO FEAR HIM AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT.”

We know Jesus, but can we say we are devout God-fearing believers? Do we live doing what is right in the eyes of God? These are hard questions that I have to ask myself. I so desperately want to be accepted by God. People strive to be accepted by man, but that is a waste of time. This is why the bible says we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling, because the day when you become sure of yourself and your standing with God, is the day when the enemy enters your gate. PROVERBS 28:14 “BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO FEARS THE LORD ALWAYS, BUT WHOEVER HARDENS HIS HEART WILL FALL INTO CALAMITY.”