Go and sin no more

This was a letter I wrote in response to someones confession of sin. It really ministered to me as I was writing so I thought I would share:

Thanks so much for the kind words. Your own confession was bold. You’re right church folks are good at tucking and hiding. Though that “confession” is not a struggle I still have my willingness to remain in sin in other areas of my life is a problem. No matter what the sin in God‘s eyes the weight is the same. Yours may be sex, mine unforgiveness, someone else lying, etc it doesn’t matter the sin.

The issue becomes why we are willing to live a life contrary to the one God outlines for us IF we love Him. I battle with this often. Submission, surrender, His will, my will, free will, love, desire, soul, flesh and spirit. If I love God then the word says I should obey His commandments. No commas no additions just obey period. So then free will becomes something I get to do only once and that is when I accept the invitation of salvation. After that I belong to Him to His work His way.

The struggle is we all want God’s results because we know for sure they are the best. The problem is we all want to do it our own way. It’s a reason there is one bible…that is so we all would walk and talk the same way and inevitably achieve the same results. But because we only focus on the parts of the bible that work for us right now we miss the how to part for the things we need. When you are able to see your sin as something filthy and unrighteous your heart towards desiring it changes. See sex is not filthy and unrighteous but out of the will of God it produces sin and sin produces separation from God and separation from God produces death.

We just have to change the way we see things and see them for what they are, an opportunity for us to be separated from God. So don’t just be encouraged, be different, see yourself victorious, not struggling not battling but having dominion over all sin. Christ died to pay the cost of sin because apart from Him we can’t afford it but everyday we take it back from Him and go back to the market loaded with the already paid for sin in our cart asking Him to repurchase it. Jesus said go, and sin no more.

My Soul Cries O…

My Soul Cries Out!

 

So last night I did an experiment on Facebook (first I got approval from a trusted friend).  I knew this would be edgy borderline crazy for some people but I had to do it.  I had to know how people would respond, particularly those in the Body of Christ.  So I posted a confession of sorts, it read like this:  “#Confessions I’ve been living a lie. I sleep with numerous men because I like sex. I’ve grown up thinking this was wrong and being told this was wrong but it’s what I enjoy. I love God and I believe that He wants me to be happy. I don’t understand why I can’t love God and have sex freely. After all He gave me these desires. #Justwanttobefree.”

Now as you can imagine I’ve received all types of comments, text messages, phone calls and even likes on my status.  I further pushed the envelope and left this comment: “I feel it’s okay to have sex and not be married and love God. I’m not looking for change. I like being me!”  As of this moment I have two likes for that stat.  I guess you’re wondering why in the heck would I post this stuff on Facebook, of all places?  I did this because it’s NOT true! 

Let me explain.   I read a lot of post on FB and when people aren’t giving God all the praise I’m reading what they are saying.  People are openly and comfortably living lives in TOTAL contradiction to the Word of God.  I often ask myself how do people shout out how great God is in one breath and drunkenness, sex and other ungodliness in the next?  I was puzzled until last night.  While reading a post, I had a revelation.  The reason people could so easily do this was because there was no correction or conviction.  Not even from their “friends” in the Body of Christ (me included).  How often had I read a post from a “Christian”  that was in contradiction to who they said they represented and never said a word to them?  In the book of Titus Paul teaches us the ways of the elders and spells out the qualities of sound doctrine.  Then in 2:15 he says “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority.  Let no one despise you.”  The Message reads: “Tell them all this.  Build up their courage and discipline them if they get out of line.  You’re in charge.  Don’t let anyone put you down.”  So essentially Paul is saying, after you tell them how to live and the expectations God has of them, if they stray from that, forget that or do opposite of that, you are to correct that! 

There were a range of responses I received in from my experiment.  I was told congrats on my honesty, be who I am, God still loves me, it’s ok because I’m not the only one. SSSSTTTOOOOPPPPP!  STOP right there “friends” I do not desire that any of you should perish like Jesus said so why are throwing me in the pot? 

We as the Body of Christ have become so tolerant of sin that we are no more disturbed by the sin in others than they are in themselves.  Jesus says in Matthew 12:31, “ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”  If sin of any kind is not profitable for me whom I love, how could it be profitable for my neighbor whom I should love as myself?   And if I don’t find it profitable for my neighbor, why would I not correct him? 

Is it because we don’t want to offend them or hurt their feelings?  What about their offense to God?  Are you not offended that they offended your daddy and hurt his feelings?  Did you not consider that God may also be offended by your inability to speak up and out for Him?  In your silence, how different are you than Peter when He denied Jesus three times.  He merely tried to blend in with the crowd and watch what was happening to Jesus from afar off.  People just kept putting him on the spot. If you rewind to the earlier parts of the Gospel, Peter was Jesus right hand man.  At least he was when he was talking to his other friends that followed Christ.  The moment he was the only believer in sight he no longer saw Jesus up close, his perspective was from afar off!  selah

Or maybe that’s not you instead, because you can identify with the sin you refrain from commenting for fear of being seen for who you truly are, a hypocrite!  Understand if this is your truth then it is not judgment it’s  just truth.  If you say one thing and do another you are a hypocrite, Webster said that not me.  (Titus 2:15 moment again).  Let us stop using fear of judgment as an excuse to not correct.   Instead of being fearful that you will be exposed, stop doing the sin that brings you shame. That way when it is necessary for you to speak out you can guilt free.

 God has given us the power over sin yet we give over our power to sin daily. Romans 12:2  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  As the chapter and book for that matter go on it is clearly outlining how we should live as Christians.  Will you make mistakes? Maybe.  Do you have to? No!  No you don’t.  Now I know if I haven’t lost you already it is here where you want to stop reading.  So let me explain or as my pastor says “stay with me, I’m going somewhere.” 

We have so conditioned our thinking to accept that we are human and we are flesh so mistakes are inevitable.  But God says in His word that His expectations for us are to be holy as He is holy.  If that be the case His holiness is not founded in mistakes.  Maybe the reason we can’t achieve holiness isn’t because it is impossible but because we don’t believe in the possibilities. Now I’m not saying I don’t make mistakes.  What I am saying is that my making mistakes are a direct reflection of my unbelief in the possibilities of holiness and righteous living in me.  It speaks to my beliefs in my limitations.  Where God has no limits neither should I, if I was made in His image and His likeness.  Which Genesis clearly tells me in the 1^st chapter 26 verse.

With that being said, God is looking for BOLD followers.  The times we are living in call for a Paul kind of Christian.  One who will not justify their wrongs in order to stay in the sin that they are in.  One who will not be silenced for “acceptance.” One who will not continue to love Jesus in private only. One who will not allow his brothers and sisters to walk themselves right out of the arms of God.  One who will not have multiple FB pages for their multiple personalities.  One who will not compromise righteous living for what feels good.  One who will not say it’s okay because God loves you rather  because you say you love God sin of ANY kind is not okay!

It was not okay for me to say I’m having sex and I’m good with that and don’t want to change.  If I love God the bible says the evidence of our love is that we follow His commandments 1John 5:3.  I would like us to stop excusing sin.  If you believe in the power of God than you believe that He can deliver you from all sin if you let Him.  Our problem is we aren’t quite ready to let go of that sin yet.  Now that right there is HONESTY!!  Confessing my sins to man doesn’t make me great, allowing God to change my sinful ways proves He’s great!

So family I didn’t bring this to condemn you but to challenge your thinking. My desire is that none of us become comfortable in our sin to the point it only looks like sin when someone else says something.

“In the Name of Love” Ephesians 2(MSG)

With Valentine’s Day just the other day people were extremely excited or extremely depressed, very few were indifferent.  Valentine’s Day has been labeled as a day of love and romance.  It is the one day out of the year you are supposed to show and receive love.  It’s funny how we are only made to purposely show love on one day out of the year.  We put a lot into this day.  Some people determine the true love of their significant other based on how they show their love on this day.  Weird isn’t it.  A whole relationship revolves around a couple of holidays and gifts.  Well maybe it’s not as crazy as it sounds.

When you think about God and His love it always seems to go back to one day. So much so, that we use this one day to bring others into the body of Christ.  There is even one scripture that we are taught from young children and seem to remember forever, can you guess what it is??  Yup John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.  From this we understand the sacrifice of love like no other.  God gave His Son’s life so that He may have all His children with Him for eternity, all “in the name of love.”

Though the thought of this isn’t at all new to us, it still never ceases to amaze me.  Why would God do such a thing?  He had a perfect son, one that loved Him completely and wholly.  Yet He wanted us as well.  He wanted you so much that instead of just wiping the world clean of its hateful, disobedient and selfish self He sent His Son to be beaten, ostracized, spit on, hated and then killed.  Not just any kind of killing but the most disgraceful killing of a man guilty or innocent ever thought of.  But He did this for you.  In the name of love

So what is our response for this great gift?  If this was Valentine’s Day and our significant other gave us the ultimate gift.  You know the gift we don’t even ask for because we know it is too much to ask of someone.  Plus we know that we don’t really deserve anything of that magnitude, even though we desire it.  So when we get it we are so surprised, grateful and willing to do anything to show our appreciation.  At least we are initially.  Once the nuance of it all wears off, no matter the cost of the gift we have depreciated its value with every passing day.  It no longer makes us light up and want to do summersaults at the thought of it.  We leave it hanging around, let dust collect on it or let people demean it, as they and we compare it to something new that seems to have more value.  Satisfaction simply not guaranteed.  We still love the person but we are waiting for the next opportunity or next gift where they can prove their love.  How tiring it must be to always have to prove your love.  If you ever had to be that person in a relationship you no matter what you did they were NEVER satisfied.  The feeling is not a good one.  There is a scene in one of my favorite movies “the five heartbeats” where the guy says “every night I have to prove my love.”  Trust he wasn’t saying that with a smile on his face.

If this is not the kind of relationship you want to be in with a man then why do you stay in this relationship with God?  Better yet why does He stay in it with you, all in the name of love?  I say this because we have all find ourselves in this role with God at one time or another.  He gave us the ultimate gift His son and it was great in the beginning.  We were amazed by the sacrifice He made for little old, non-deserving us.  We wanted everyone to know about how much God loved us.  We wanted this feeling to last forever.  It was the best thing anyone could have done for you.  But because you quietly thought you did something right that made Him extend this love to you, when you no longer felt like you could live up to the pedestal you thought He put you on you backed away from Him.  Or maybe in your pursuit to live “right” not understanding that things done in your own strength don’t last and that it is only through Him that all things are possible you fell so hard, you thought He wouldn’t want you because of your own disappointment in yourself.  Or maybe none of the above, maybe you got saved but no one really taught you what that meant so now you’re not even aware of all that you have in this Great God.  Maybe you’ve been hurt by man and blame it on God because He allowed it.  Maybe you asked God to change you but the process seemed to be too harsh to come from this loving God they talk about.   Maybe though it felt good in the beginning, the requirements to maintain it were too much for you to bear.  Maybe everything you thought about giving your life to Christ isn’t what you thought it to be.

We find ourselves saying but I do love Him.  I’m just not ready or able to do all the things He’s asking.  It’s too much, too many rules.  His expectations are way too high.  I know He speaks of great rewards to those who will both love and obey Him but but but…  I’m not perfect.  I can’t do all these things.  If I leave him, who will I have?  If I stop hanging out with them, who will I talk to?  If I stop doing the things I used to do, they will say I changed. It’s funny the sacrifices we won’t make for God. But just like a typical girlfriend, just because I’m unwilling to do certain things for the betterment of our relationship I still expect you to do things for me.  Nothing major just the small stuff like wake me up, provide me with a house, job, transportation, money, protect me, love me, bless me abundantly, give me favor when I don’t deserve it, treat me like I’m the only one on earth, watch over my family and friends, keep me when I’m falling, save me from myself, stop that bullet sent out for me from hitting me, forgive me when I make mistakes even though I do it consciously and repeatedly, see just like I said small stuff.

When will we stop putting conditions on unconditional love?  The love you have with God should be unconditional both ways but our actions say it’s a one sided kind of love.  I’ve had friends, even myself who has been used in relationships and I promised never to allow anyone to do that to me again.  But it’s happened more than once.  I’ve returned to relationships that were unfulfilling, abusive, degrading all in the name of love.  The personal benefit for me was costly and the return on it was below minimal but I stayed.  I stayed because I saw potential, I thought they change, they needed me, I could help make them better, or I didn’t want to start over whatever the case I convinced myself it wasn’t as bad as it felt.   I made myself believe that the good times outweighed the bad or that this is what I deserved.

If I was willing to do this for someone so undeserving how much more should I be willing to do this for God?  What does truly loving God look like to Him? Well the bible tells us in (amp)  1 John 5:1-5

¹EVERYONE WHO believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring).

²By this we come to know (recognize and understand) that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey His commands (orders, charges)–[when we keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and His teaching].

³For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).

⁴For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.

⁵Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?

If this is the case and our love for God is true and this is the evidence of that truth why can’t I just let it all go and walk away from the things I know don’t bring me any lasting joy?  Why I am struggling with things that don’t benefit me?  Empty relationships I refuse to walk away from because I’ve been in them so long.  Is it because I’ve lost my identity? I no longer know who I really am.  I believe what they say or even what I say about myself instead of what God says.   Everything that God says we are, we seem to forget. The bible says in  Psalm 139:14 reads; “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and my soul knows very well.” In the original Hebrew text, the word ‘fearfully’ means: with great reverence and heart-felt interest and respect. The word ‘wonderfully’ means: unique, set apart, uniquely marvelous.  This is who God says you are and He should know He created you!  The question becomes when will you believe what God has said, so much so that no one could make you believe anything different?  When will you make the necessary changes in the name of love for not just God but for you??

People always want to know, how do I do this?  If you want any easy answer I got it.  The answers are easy the process is what has its challenges but so what!!!  Life is full of challenges no matter which god you choose to serve?  It’s just that my God offers you a help so much so that when Jesus was leaving He said when I leave my Father  will send you a helper John 14:15-17  The bible is full of answers the question is do you really want them?  See Jesus said He has come to make the secret things known to us.  But if you don’t want to hear the secrets of success, happiness, joy, everlasting life, peace, wealth and so on then close your ears because I’m about to tell those who want something better for themselves, who are tired of being tired who no longer want to be mediocre who believe that there has to be more to life than drama, frustration, drugs, unnecessary pain, poverty, anger and hopelessness. I’m about to tell you that if you the biggest secret ever told the answer is JESUS!!  That’s it just Jesus.  If you didn’t know this before than in the name of love I beg you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:20  (NKJV) says

²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

If you think you know Him but there is no real evidence of your love by His standards. I implore you to dig deeper to redefine your commitment to Him.  If you think you are solid and there is no change needed then help me because as much as I feel like I am doing this walk right I still fall, I still struggle, I still don’t always please Him.  So I’m not asking anyone to do what I am unwilling to do, just the opposite I am asking you to do this with me.

Never enough

No matter how many things we are given or allowed to do, we tend to focus on what we don’t have or can’t do.  Remember at Christmas time, when you went to the tree and opened all your gifts; if you didn’t get the one thing you really wanted, it would negate all that you did get.  All the gifts in the world didn’t matter if you didn’t have the one thing you really, truly desired.  In the US, the struggle with obesity further proves the point that we aren’t satisfied with what we are given to take care of our needs.

This sense of entitlement past our needs goes all the way back to the garden of Eden.   Eve was no different, so we  get it honestly.  God had given her and Adam everything except access to one tree.  The enemy focused on the one thing she didn’t have, drawing attention away from the perfect and complete life she did have.  It’s funny how quickly we forget the blessings.

I reflect on the times when I failed to acknowledge all I did have because something I wanted was still missing.  Have you ever wanted a better job, more money or a bigger place to live?  I know I have but if you needed a better job, then that means you had a job; if you needed more money, than you had some money; and if you needed a bigger place to live in, then you had a home to start with.  Why aren’t we ever satisfied?

Life for me, like most over that last couple years hasn’t been the best due to the recession.  I’ve been out of work for over a year; I have no income to report; I am over thirty living on someone else’s dime; I’m excited to get food stamps; I’m praying I don’t get sick because I have no insurance; I’m single and the list goes on.  Every opportunity the enemy gets to remind me of that he does but I’ve been able to flip it on him recently.  See I have a job they just aren’t paying me yet; my bills are always paid; I live with my neighbor because it helps us both and it works; I’m eligible for food stamps, so I can help out; I haven’t gotten sick but the free clinic gives out free medicine when I do;  I’m not in an unhealthy relationship; and I can go on.  The ability to be able to flip things around, is how I have this unexplained peace and joy.

I pray we all get to a point where we can be truly satisfied with how the Lord has provided for us. So we can be content no matter what state we’re in!  Wanting more is not the problem it is the motive behind it.  Let us all go from “never enough” to ” simply enough.”

Just to be close to you

“Just to be close to you is my desire,” is a line in one of my favorite songs by Fred Hammond.  After some recent sermons and even some more personal conversations with God, I’m really feeling like that.  I just want to be close to Him.  I feel like I can’t do enough to get close to Him.  I can pray, sing, go to church but I just can’t seem to get close enough.  How much closer can I get, I mean He is in me for goodness sakes?  It’s a good feeling though, the only other time I ever felt like this was when I was “in love with a man.”  Now that got me thinking.  When I thought I was in love with a man, I used to give it all I had.  As I evaluated my relationship with God, I wondered whether or not I really have devoted that same kind of attention and love to Him.

It didn’t take much thought for me to realize that I probably didn’t.  When I was in a relationship I would call him daily, multiple times even.  I would text him, daydream about him and night dream when I could.  I always wanted to be in his presence and always wanted to hear his voice.  I was so in love.  He was all I could talk about because he was all I thought about.  But then the one thing I never thought would happen always did, we ended.  He always left me.  I only ever left those I was never truly in love with.  When they left me, I was crushed and devastated.  In all the situations I never really understood why they left me.  I mean I had done everything I knew to do to please them, to make them happy and yet they still left.   None of them complained that I wasn’t a good girlfriend, actually it was always the opposite.  Which to be honest only left me more confused.  How could I be the good girlfriend that you loved and you still leave me? I would learn later that they never felt good enough for me, that I deserved someone better.  Though to some degree I could agree with them it didn’t matter, I still wanted to be with them.  It wasn’t about whether or not they were deserving of my love, I still wanted them to have it.  It was my gift to them.  My love was free there was no amount of anything that they could say or do that would make them worthy of it, I just loved them.

So as I reflect on my relationship with God I guess He is me and I am them.  He has done everything in this relationship to try and make me happy.  He has loved me when I deserved it least.  He’s reached out to me over and over again.  He’s made me feel  like I was the only one on earth.  He has loved me to tears.  He chased me when I tried to leave, He’s begged me to stay, He’s forgiven me when I’ve betrayed Him and He’s welcomed me back when I left.  As for me I call when I have time, I read when I feel like it, I talk about Him if the mood strikes, I pull away when He gets too close, I pretend I’m not with Him if I think my friends will judge me, I’m consistently inconsistent, I have greater expectations than I do commitment, no, my love for Him does not compare.

Just like my old loves I know I’m unworthy and undeserving of this selfless love that God gives me.  As unworthy as I may be I’m grateful for it.  I long to be able to return the love He gives me.  I want to pursue Him the way I’ve pursued my love interest previously.   In the secular version of the song “Just to be close to you” by the Commodores there were a few verses that stuck with me it says:

“You know I’ve been thru so many changes in my life girl
Aw I’ve been up real high where I thought I didn’t need anybody
Aw and then again I’ve been down real low where
There was no one in my life who needed me
Aw and I found that material things I thought had so much value
Aw girl didn’t really have any value at all

There was a lonely man
A man with no direction, with no purpose
With no one to love and no one to love me for, for me
Aw girl then you, then you came into my life
You made my jagged edges smooth
You made my direction so clear and you aw woman
You became my purpose my reason for livin’ girl”

If I changed every “girl” to God this could be my story.  And if someone could make you feel like this you should just want to be close to them.

Let’s pray…

So I almost didn’t post tonight but this is what is on my heart. I’ve heard people say many times they don’t know how to pray. If you can talk you can pray so let’s keep it real simple.

Lord, Dad, Father…

Here I am your imperfect child living in this imperfect world recognizing that I can’t do this thing called life alone. In order to do it your way I need your help. So Lord, Dad, Father, help me. I’ve tried so many times to work things out on my own and every time my plans fail, some quicker than others. Now this year, this month, this week, this day, this hour, this moment I want to stop doing me. I’m ready to just fall back and let you catch me. Lord, Dad, Father please open up your arms and catch me. Remind me that it’s okay if I make a mistake. Teach me to see myself the way you do. Guide me so I can obey which is better than sacrifice. Forgive me but most of all let your love cover me. When I’m lonely, feeling sorry for myself, depressed, busted and disgusted, comfort me. Thanks for listening, thanks for caring, thanks for forgiving and thanks for loving.

In Jesus name AMEN

#So Bored

I so often here people say this in relation to their marriage or relationships. I often hear it as an excuse to cheat on their spouse or significant other. Really, you are bored? Being with the same person all the time can get monotonous I guess, if you let it. But what have you done to spice it up? Have you really tried everything? Maybe you are the boring one. Maybe it’s your ownlife that bores you, separate of your spouse or significant other.

We so easily look for ways out. A reason to justify cheating or leaving because it’s easier than addressing the real issues. I mean why put energy into fixing things with the one I say I love and am committed to? Who does that? Especially when there are so many other options like, cheating, leaving, etc.

We have become some of the laziest people when it comes to relationships. Society has us so brainwashed. We think if we can’t get instant results than it’s not worth it. We believe if we don’t like it, after a period of time than we can toss it, even if we signed binding papers. And to think I’m still talking about the Body of Christ!

Let’s give up the ghost. Relationships are like jobs, everyday you have to work but if you don’t want to work you have the option of not having to get job in the first place. Stop messing up other peoples lives with your lazy, selfish, inconsiderate self! No one really likes to work but it is a necessity of life especially in a relationship. Even the one you have with God requires you do some work! #tomakeitworkyougottawork

#The Gift Giver (controversial?)

I will start off by saying please don’t be offended. And do not post if you are not willing to have a discussion. As I go into a new dimension in my relationship with Christ I am beginning to experience Christ in a different way. Some of my experiences are supernatural. I know a lot of people don’t understand that or believe in it. Which is fine with me because before I experienced it, I wasn’t the biggest believer either. But this isn’t about whether or not the experiences/gifts are real. This is about who determines they are real.

I used to think that only pastors could be sure if you had a spiritual gift or not, I’ve changed. I think the church has done the body a disservice by its traditions and doctrines. We have put so much stock in the heads of churches that God is no longer the head of His own body. In the bible it says that God had to swear by Himself because there was no name greater. Yet we look for the “heads” of churches to confirm and reassure us of what God is telling us. If God wanted to confirm what He is telling you, couldn’t He just point to it in His word? Could it be that the reason we feel we need the “head” of the church is because it’s the only word we get? And since we won’t read (I was soooo guilty of this) for ourselves God has to use a Man or Woman of God to speak it to us? What happens if I go to a church that has 10,000 members and I never meet my pastor to get what I think God is telling me confirmed, does it mean that God isn’t really giving me a gift?

Why does man have to confirm what God said in order for it to be acceptable, welcomed and used? My gifts come from God, whose name is greater than that, that should confirm? I just think this is how we easily lose people in the body of Christ. If you don’t do something (that isn’t even biblical) then you are out of order. God does do things that are decent and in order but that order is His. How do we know what His order looks like on any given day? How do you say Lord have your way and then put Him in a box of “order?” I don’t need anyone to tell me what I’m experiencing, I know I’m there when it happens and I can find it in the Word that these things can happen. This is all the confirmation anyone should need. Outside of that is just bonuses. Understand that all “heads” of churches are still human. If you forget that they can have an off day or an impure motive or jealousy in their heart than you will a repeated hurt soul. Don’t leave Christ because people are no better than you; draw nearer to Him so He can show you how to help make changes. #i’mjustsayingthinkaboutit

#Clique Clack

One thing I hear a lot, as a reason people don’t like church is, because there are so many cliques. Really there are cliques in church, I didn’t notice. SIKE!! Not only did I notice, I used to want to be apart of them so I could feel like I belonged to my church. MLK said that the 11am hour on Sunday was the most segregated time in America and I’m almost sure he was just referencing the different buildings and denominations. I don’t know if he had even thought about the segregation once you get in there.

Let’s see, you have the choir folk, their always together, the intercessors, the deacons, the pastors family and friends, the employees, the not really saved, the oh to holy, the families with young kids, the older kids, the folks that been members for years, those that are new, the confused, the rich, the poor, the lonely;did I find your group yet?

It’s crazy as I typed that of course I saw that they were drawn to each other because they could relate to that group but I thought the underlining common bond was supposed to be Christ? I’ve been in churches where I have felt alienated and separated from the time I walked in to the time I left. Which is why I never returned. Who wants purposely to join a family to be separated again. We do that in our own families, I don’t need church for that.

Church should be the one place that I can go and always feel like I belong. I should walk in and not be able to see or feel the separation because by the love of God we are so connected.

I got delivered from people for the most part and just focus on God. I treat everyone the same and no longer try to belong. I don’t have to be best friends with everyone but then again why not? Church is supposed to be different. If the body was truly reflecting Christ, wouldn’t people be drawn to it, not away from it? Did Jesus only talk to disciples because they traveled with Him everywhere? NO! He hung out with whores and hustlers. Always making everyone feel that they have the same importance to Him.

Sometimes we don’t even realize what we are doing. But ask yourself who from church is in my circle? Better yet why do I even have a circle? Inclusion should be the goal of the church because exclusion of any kind inside the body is of enemy! #checkyourself