Masked Christians?

Have you ever found yourself wondering why things happen the way they do, or questioning the situations or circumstances you live through? I find myself there sometimes… although, for the most part I am happy with my life… I have lots of things I appreciate and love… but that doesn’t take away that sometimes there are moments in life that I do not necessarily like and/or that make me wonder or question…

Over the past few years I have put a lot of thought into life. How and why we do things… what motivates us or holds us back… One thing I have noticed is that people (in general) seek acceptance and approval. Whether it is from family, friends, employers, or anyone else, we all have a need to find acceptance within the people we find most important in our lives.

Because of this need for acceptance, we learn what is acceptable for us to say and to do within our circles and we easily fall into doing and saying things so that we can stay within those lines. This can be a good thing when we cut out bad habits and make real changes in our hearts and lives to improve ourselves because we feel convicted to do so and especially if we are drawing closer to God and building a stronger relationship with Him through it.

My concern is more for when staying within those lines might become harmful to us. When we are acting only because we know what is expected of us or when we speak only what we know will be approved. Sometimes we have thoughts, feelings, desires or struggles that we know will not fall within what is acceptable or approved by others in our circles, so instead of being real about those things, we remain silent about them. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that they are still there.

So, we learn how to put a mask on… say all the right words, do what is expected, make sure that on the outside we look like we have it all together, when in reality there can be things in our minds and hearts that we really need to deal with. It becomes a real problem when we are not free to talk about these things because they don't just go away… even though many times we pray and ask God to help us get rid of them.

Why exactly is it that we are not free to speak of such things? Is it because we fear that speaking of them will make us appear weak? Is it because we may loose our status or level of approval? Maybe we fear that others will question our integrity? I read something recently that impacted me so much. The author of this book stated that we reward people by showing love, and punish them by withholding it. That simple statement blew my mind, because I have seen it done time and time again.

When people know that they are loved and accepted because of what they do and say, if they want to remain in that love, they will continue to do and say all the right things. Even when they might have real issues with the thoughts, feelings and/or desires they have inside their hearts and minds. If they know that love will be withheld from them for stepping outside the lines of what is acceptable, they will hide things, often times for many years, until one day it explodes.

This is why we have so many pastors, leaders and church members who fall into sinful situations or have “sudden” addiction problems or very critical family issues. They did not have the freedom to speak about what was real in their hearts and in their minds, because they knew that doing so was might have withheld the love they received and their acceptance among those who were important to them.

So in our venture to help people draw near to God and build long, lasting and fruitful relationships with Him, we also create a trap for them. Then when one falls, we blame them for not having a strong enough prayer life or for not reading the Word enough. We speak of how they should have been more committed or how they needed to do things differently so they wouldn’t have fallen into anything. But we never stop and think about how WE could have and should have helped them.

How could we help? By allowing people to be real, without the fear of losing their status or love and respect within their circles, letting them know that they will not be judged, condemned, seen or treated any less because of whatever battles they might be fighting. By allowing them to speak freely of their weaknesses, of their thoughts, feelings, frustrations, desires… any of it, all of it… the good and the bad… Allow them to be real in whatever way that is to them without withholding love or anything else that person might hold important because of it.

As people are free release these things in confidence, God then has the power to heal and restore those areas because they were able to bring the truth to light. The enemy no longer has a hold on them because his nasty tricks have been exposed. This is what God really wants from His people. This is what Christ came and died for. To remove the masks off God’s people, allowing them to reveal what was really within their hearts and be transformed by His mercy and grace.

I have decided in my heart and life, that it is far more important to me to be real about anything and everything I face in life. I speak transparently about what is in my heart, even when I know that it may not be within the lines of what is acceptable within my circles. I rather run the risk of never moving up in status or rank, than to put on a mask and appear to be something on the outside while knowing that something else is happening inside my mind or heart. I am a great person and I have a great heart, but I am real all the same. This may work against me at times, but even then, I prefer to be real about everything in my life.

I pray that wherever you are in your journey with Christ, that you find the freedom to be real. First and most importantly with yourself, second with God, and then with those who are important to you within your circles in life. If you find yourself hiding behind a mask, I pray that you find the courage and the strength to seek God’s direction and find someone you can talk to that will not punish you by withholding love or acceptance of you. I pray that as you remove the mask, that you find healing, restoration and a greater relationships with God our Father than you could have ever imaged possible!

May you be blessed, free and fruitful in Him always!

Forever His!

><>Kelly<><

Insights from Job’s Trials…

For the last few weeks now I have been thinking about the story of Job in the Bible… I have pretty much known that story all my life, but with all I have been going through this past year, it really called my attention in a different way, so I decided to study the story a little more in depth. I may dig deeper into it to gain even greater insight, as I know there are many valuable lessons to learn from it. However, I wanted to share a few of the things I have learned from this story…

All my life, I have heard how Satan had asked God for permission to try Job… But in all reality, one of the first things I noticed when I started reading was that Satan did NOT ask for permission to try Job! When Satan presented himself before the Lord (chap. 1 v.6-7) and was asked where he came from, he simply stated that he had come from roaming the earth and going back and forth in it. The next verse (v.8) blew my mind! Now, I know I have read this before… but it really didn’t have the same meaning for me back then as it has in these last few weeks. The verse states that God asked Satan "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Wow!!! I was shocked when I read it… It never occurred to me that God basically put Job out there like bait to the sharks! The following verses go on to explain that Satan states that Jobs righteousness was only because God had protected him and if that was taken away that Job would curse God, and that was when the Lord permitted Satan to try Job. But the beginning of Job’s test was when the Lord drew Satan’s attention to him.

I really had to concentrate on and question why God would put Job out there like that! Had it been that Satan himself came to God and brought Job up to God’s attention, it would have been different cause Satan seeks to destroy… But God is love, he seeks to build up and bless His people… I know God knew that Satan would want to try Job if God thought so highly of him and noticed that he was an upright man who lived right and avoided evil. And that right there is the answer! God only put Job out there, because He KNEW Job’s heart and had noticed that there was something different in him. God felt confident in letting Satan know that He knew that this man would not turn away from Him, thus opening the doors for Job to be tested and proven. What an amazing insight!

Of course, at the time Job was living through this, he had no idea what was going on… His life went from all going well, living in prosperity and happiness to complete and instant devastation. He didn’t know what conversations took place between God and Satan prior to anything happening to him. He didn’t know what would come next, once he had come out of the trials that he had just experienced. All he knew was that he was hit with some very real and difficult situations in his life and he experienced a lot of heartache and pain. He suffered his losses, just like any other human being. In his own understanding he thought he was being punished for something, and struggled to understand what he was being punished for. In Chapter 2 the Bible states that he was in mourning and in chapter 3 he begins 35 chapters worth of whining and complaining about his circumstances… When I had heard as a child growing up in church, that Job had never cursed God, I thought that meant he never complained or suffered his losses. But he did, just that in all of his cries and suffering, Job never failed God.

In chapters 38-42, When God finally speaks to Job in regards to all of his cries, God humbles Job, making him recognize that his wisdom, understanding and power are nothing compared to Gods. Job recognized that God has control over everything and that he was foolish to question the circumstances he did not understand and he repented. Job never failed God by denying Him or turning away from Him. But nonetheless, Job had a lesson to learn, and having passed the test that was brought upon him, God returned to him the prosperity he knew before and blessed him twice as much as he was blessed before.

We know this story beginning to end, and we might be tempted to judge how foolish Job was to cry so much or to question God, when we know how it ends. The thing is that Job never knew that he would be blessed once again, nor that it would be twice as good as what it was before. All he knew was what he was living and feeling at the moment. He acted like any other human might have reacted to such circumstances. Job was real in his thoughts and feelings and did not hide that from God.

As I go through and have gone through so many things in my own life… I have taken my moments to cry and suffer, because I don’t know what God is doing or why He is allowing things to happen. Because I don’t know what he has planned for my future. All I know is what is in front of me today, the circumstances I have been through and how I feel about. But I have to stop and consider, why is God allowing this to happen? Perhaps God sees in me something that is different, and He knows that I will not turn away from Him? Perhaps He has allowed this time of trials in my life to help me recognize my weaknesses and for me to build greater confidence in Him and His provision for my life? Perhaps He has something greater than I can ever even begin to imagine in store for me? The question I now have for myself is… Do I want to cry for 35 chapters of my life? Or can I recognize that Gods ways are greater than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts? Can I be confident that He who began a good work in me will carry it to completion? Can I learn to be still in the midst of the raging storms and know that He is God and that He will not allow for the storm to drown me?

Its not easy when we live through difficult moments in life. We want to believe that God only brings good things. prosperity and happiness to our lives. We reject the idea that God may sometimes put us in situations that are less than perfect, where we will suffer and experience moments of fear, loss, pain and suffering. But God does allow these moments in our lives, and He may even possibly put us in positions where we will be tried, as He did with Job. It is in those moments that we recognize our own weaknesses and are able to see how small we really are in comparison to God Himself and His perfection in planning and ordaining every day and moment in our lives, in the world around us and in every detail of His great creation. Its in these moments that we recognize our need to repent for thinking higher of ourselves than we ought to and for thinking that we have any right to question God for our circumstances or dislikes in life. Its in these moments that we recognize our need to reaffirm our faith in Gods faithfulness to us and His provision for us and thus open, once again, the pathway for Gods blessings to pour upon us in greater measure than ever before.

If you are living faithful to God and yet find yourself facing difficulties and hardships, consider that God may be boasting about you in the heavens, proclaiming that He knows your heart, and trusts that you will not fail Him. Trust not on your own understandings, but continue to seek Him and live faithful to Him. He will bring your suffering to an end. He will comfort you once again and He will bless you for enduring the trial! God is faithful and His children will never be in need!

Be encouraged and God bless!

><>Kelly<><

Walking on Water

As I was sitting in church tonight, I came across a note I made to myself several months ago about when Peter walked on water. This is a lesson that has been very real to me personally this past year, so I decided to share it. You can read the story in the Bible, in Matthew 14:25-32. In this story Jesus was approaching the boat where the disciples were and they became afraid. When He assured them that it was Him and they were safe, Peter called out to Jesus saying, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water."At that moment, without hesitating or thinking about it, Jesus called him and Peter climbed out of the boat and began to walk on the water towards Jesus. It must have been such an amazing moment to be there, walking on water, doing what we all know is impossible by all human strengths and abilities. Yet, Peter was very much human and very aware of his own limitations and abilities. As he was walking towards Jesus, he noticed the wind blowing and became afraid. The moment he allowed that fear into his heart, he began to sink and cried out to Jesus to be saved. Jesus didn't stand there and watch him sink. He immediately reached out His hand and rescued Peter, but in this He had a lesson. Saying to Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they climbed in the boat, the winds died down.

Peter was given the ability to do something completely impossible, and he had the courage to step out of the safety of the boat. But even though he had Jesus right in front of him, he still took a moment to look at the circumstances around him and allow the wind to instill fear in his heart. How could Peter doubt when Jesus was right there in front of him? I wonder what I would have felt if I was in Peters position. We know the story and we know how it ends, but at that moment, Peter didn't know what was going to happen next. All he knew was what is known to all of us, it is impossible to walk on water, and the wind could easily blow him down. He simply reacted in a very natural way to what he knew about his limitations.

How many times do we do the same thing in our Christian walk? We want to be used by God and we seek opportunity. God opens doors, gives us strength and ability to face new challenges. We rise to the occasion, build up the courage and climb out of our boats, out of our safety zones, and venture into the unknown. Then we remember who we are and what our limitations are. The winds begin to blow and we allow, if even for just a moment, the fear of our limitations to enter our hearts. Thus stopping the flow of what God had planned for us. Why do we become fearful? Why do we doubt? Because we are human, its difficult to separate from what we know about our own strengths and abilities and fully put all of our trust, wholly and completely in God. Our flesh does not incline to that naturally. It is something we have to put into practice and develop; something we must intentionally make the effort to do in every circumstance in our lives. Even Peter having Jesus right there, struggled with this. Yet it is not impossible!

All of us pass through times in our lives where we are experience doubt and fear. God understands this about us. That is why Jesus did not hesitate to save Peter and take the opportunity to teach Peter that he could accomplish anything he was empowered to do, as long as he did not allow doubt to enter his heart. Jesus allowed the winds to blow, not to frighten Peter, but to provide a lesson for everyone. When God calls us to do something, the enemy will try to put things in the way so that we feel incapable of fulfilling the call. Notice that once they got back on the boat the wind died down. Our circumstances will not last forever. It is up to us to keep our eyes focused on God and not allow anything we face to stop us from continuing to move forward. We must do so knowing and having complete faith that if God called us, He will empower us to accomplish and protect us from anything that may come against us.

I encourage you today, to follow hard after Gods calling in your life not allowing anything around you to discourage you or hold you back from fulfilling what He has given you the ability to do! Be courageous, full of faith, and completely confident in God, and You will see great and mighty things you could have never dreamed of or imagined!

Where are all the God-filled young people?

In my blog yesterday I mentioned that my church did the 21 day Daniel's fast last year. We are doing it again this year as well, we started this past Sunday and it will last through Sunday January 25th. I really, really enjoyed the fast last year, but this year, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I didn't feel ready to start and the more my pastor announced it, and the date was getting closer, the more I felt like I wasn't ready for it. So, Sunday came and I started the fast, and for the first couple of days I just kind of felt like I was going through the motions, but it hadn't quite really sunk in yet. But, along with the 21 days of fasting, we are also having nightly services, which let me tell you... they have been GREAT!!! Each night is more powerful than the night before! We have had our first 5 nights/services and they have been a real great blessing to my life. I am really appreciating this time of seeking God and drawing in nearer to His presence and I have come to embrace this fast the way I wanted to from the beginning.

All that said, when I look into the congregation each night I notice that its mostly adults in the services. There may be a handful of youth there, but where are the rest of them? I know that in our church the leaders love and really reach out to this generation as best as we can... and I know even in other churches and youth groups, there are so many great men and women of God that are out there giving all they have to impact this generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So where are all the God-filled, God-seeking young people? It seems that with each new group of young people, there are less and less of them that actually get real with God and make a solid decision to follow Jesus Christ and commit to live and serve Him.

I have been observing this long before this fast... Statistics say that only 4% of teenagers today fit the evangelical criteria... 4% and I question myself on this often. What are we as leaders doing wrong? How can we make a real lifelong impact in the lives of the young people who we work with. I know that leaders all over the United States love the young people they work with, but is there something that we are missing or doing wrong? Why are our young people not embracing a faith based commitment and lifestyle? Or is it not necessarily something we as leaders are doing wrong... maybe in today's world, where we have so much available to us at the tips of our fingers... Maybe our young people are just being bombarded in almost every aspect in life at a greater level and capacity then we were when we were their age? Maybe we need to have a more aggressive approach at ministering to them and really reaching them where they are?

I am curious, if there are any youth leaders out there who can relate to what I am saying, or perhaps might have some ideas that have worked for your youth group... Please share your heart, your thoughts, ideas and/or testimonies... Is there more that we can do, within our reach, to make a real life-lasting impact on the young people in our churches?

Go the Extra Mile!!!

This is a blog I wrote back in May of 2008. I wanted to post it here too. I hope that it can be of help and benefit to someone :)

Go the Extra Mile!!!

We all face moments in life when we are not happy or satisfied with the way things are going or the way people are treating us. In many of these situations in our lives, we can easily see how God needs to work in those around us, in those who may be causing these problems in our lives. However, regardless of how true it may be that God needs to work in the lives of others around us, the fact that God is allowing us to go through it means that He also wants us to learn something through it as well. We can easily make the mistake of brushing it all off our shoulders and simply stating that God needs to work in someone else, while missing the lesson God has for us.

If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41 NIV). Notice the verse said if someone forces you to go one mile. Meaning that perhaps someone is creating a situation or a problem and taking you down a road you do not want to travel, even then, we should not only walk the mile, but also go an extra mile as well. I do not believe that God is asking us to walk down a road of sinfulness, if that is what is presented before us in our daily walks; but I believe that when it comes to difficulties and problems in our friendships and relationships, God wants us to do everything we can to maintain healthy relationships and live at peace with those around us. This verse and the verses surrounding it encourage us not only to sacrifice by giving what is asked of us, but to take it to the next level and give even more.

We can easily become discouraged, lose our focus, and/or get so caught up in our problems that our emotions can block out everything we know and value. It's up to us to keep ourselves in line with the Word of God and to remember that we are to reflect the Love of Christ to everyone around us, regardless of what others are doing whether right or wrong, we need to make sure that we are acting and reacting correctly and that the choices we make not only benefit ourselves, but those around us as well. We cannot change the way people are and the way they do things. But when we live according to the Word of God and allow God to be in control of the situations we face, God defends us and will honor and bless our efforts to live according to His Word. Walking the extra mile will take you to a higher level in life and to a higher level in Christ... Don't let the small, insignificant things hold you back from reaching greatness!

Standing Firm

I have so many thoughts and ideas of what to write about, I don't know where to start... I am so excited about my new blog site that I have been thinking about what to write all day long! So, I finally decided to narrow it down to something that has been very real to me this past year. My topic of choice tonight, Standing Firm...

2008 started out really well for me... My church did the 21 day Daniel's fast and I was so excited every day of the fast, it was so amazing and powerful. At the time I felt like my life was at a peak, I felt great in my relationship with God, and life was falling into place the way I wanted things to go. Sure it wasn't perfect, nothing ever is, but it was great! I was loving the direction my life was going in and I had such high expectations for the rest of the year.

Little did I know what was coming my way... about a little over a month after the fast was over, things started to fall apart for me. One thing after another... it was a constant flow of disappointment. Everything that I cared about seemed to be falling apart... and when I thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, I would get notice of something else that was going south for me. Man! I took so many hard hits I didn't know how to handle it all. Needless to say I became frustrated and stressed with so many circumstances all at once. What is one to do when all is falling apart around you? I did all I knew how to do as well as taking all the things I was going through in prayer before my Lord Jesus Christ... The crazy thing is that all of those circumstances I faced are still grim situations in my life right now. Its been months, and under normal circumstances there would have been that final blow in many of my circumstances, but here I am, still standing and recognizing that despite how frustrating things may get, I am not down yet! Only God knows how much I can handle cause I thought I was done months ago, but even though things haven't really gotten better for me, I am still standing.

How do I do it? The truth is, I can't do it alone! I have cried out to God countless times. I know that the reason why I am still standing, the reason why I can still look at the world around me and find pleasure in life, why I can still love people and share whatever God allows me to share with them, why I can have peace in the midst of everything, is because my strength is not my own, but God's power becoming perfected in me. He is my strength! Its not easy, I am human, made of flesh and blood like everyone else. I have my thoughts and my feelings and there have been many moments where I have lost my cool. But, even in those moments I always look to God for direction. I have made mistakes, plenty of them, but God has been merciful with me and despite how imperfect I am, He has been with me by my side helping me through every situation I have faced. I don't always feel Him and many times I have felt alone, but I know that He is always there. It doesn't matter how bad things have gotten or how bad they might get, I know that He is here with me. I have been faithful to Him to the best of my ability and I know that He is much more faithful than I could ever dream of being! He gives me the strength I need, He calms me and gives me peace that only He can give. I know I am always safe in His loving care! Nothing that comes against me can overcome me because my God, who is in me, is greater than any other power in this world!

If you are going through hard times. I encourage you to call out to God and have faith that He will be there with you through your circumstance(s). Even if you don't feel Him, have faith and believe that He is there and will help you, faith moves the hand of God! Seek Him and all He has done and is doing for me, He will do for you and possibly even in greater measures! It may be hard, but despite whatever comes your way, let me encourage you to keep standing firm! Gods love is so great for us, when we call out to Him, He responds!

Be blessed and encouraged in Christ!

Till next time!

Hello!

Hello and Welcome to my blog site. Since this is my first blog on this site, I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Kelly, and for the next week I can say that I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in a Christian family. My Dad has been a pastor all my life, so my siblings and I were not only raised in church, but also very close to involvement in full time ministry. That has affected us each in our own way... some of us better than others... but for me, I have really learned to love the ministry. I gave my life to God when I was 15, and the only thing I regret is that I did not do it sooner! I have had many great times in the Lord and being involved in ministry. It hasn't always been easy or fun and games. I have also had many difficult moments throughout my walk in Christ. BUT it doesn't matter how hard things may have been for me, I know that I am always in a better place when I have God by my side. There is no trial or circumstance too big or hard for Him. When I am weak, His power is made perfect in me... So, as I write I will pour out more of who I am and what I have to share. I hope that you are blessed by my blogs and that through my writings, I can share how wonderful it is to love and serve God wholeheartedly. I am not perfect, I have my flaws and shortcomings, but I have made a decision, which I know is the best decision I could have and ever will make in my life and that is to live my life Daily Committed To Christ!

God bless you all and I look forward to sharing more with you through this site.

Forever His,

Kelly