CAN I FOLLOW YOU?
I discovered something very sad today. I see people saved and delivered and healed and discipled all the time. We all do. We expect hypocrisy from some of them; they are just learning how to walk in God. But it was one man's story that broke me. He had backslidden from God a few decades back and was so determined to never walk with God again. However, God placed intercessors in his path that prayed for him for more than two years and a miracle happened. This person gave his life back to God and he is again growing and feeding on the word of God. How awesome if the story were to stop here. But it doesn't.
See, it was the sin in the church, specifically church members - gossip, slander, backbiting, judgmental hearts and the like that caused a lack of the glory and power of God to reside among them. Seeing nothing real, he left the church for what was real - the sinners. They are very real. In bars, drunk or high, they will tell you just what they think. But he (and sadly I) find that there are "mature" believers who still talk freely in judgment against others...in the church or outside of it. I heard someone say of me that I hate it when people talk about me...not true. If you are speaking life - as I do you - with your tongue - then even God could say nothing. However, it is God Himself who says in Proverbs that He hates (emphasis on hates) those who sow discord among the brethren. He is speaking to His people when He speaks this. It is not the sins the church thinks God hates that stand out enough to be written by the scribes of old.
Many times when I am witnessing to someone, they have a tale or two to tell of what someone, who professed to being a Christian, did to them that. One woman said that there were more church people in bars on Saturday nights than at home sleeping. Why did she say this? She said every Saturday night, any bar she was in had people that would be at her table, partying, drinking, and flirting, until about midnight. Then they would get up, say they had to get home because of church in the morning, and stagger out to the car.
A relative of mine said that he would never get saved because every man that worked at the plant with him who called himself a Christian was either a liar or a thief, or both. He told me story after story of the foul language, stolen parts, calling in "sick" after partying with other men at the plant, and so on. My heart hurt for him. I know that without a miracle of God, this relative will go to hell because of the poor representation he has seen of those that call themselves followers of Jesus.
Another person explained that for years she has bought her drugs from someone who went to church. This could go on for a long time, but suffice it to say that we cannot say that we are all, 100% of the time, able to say that we are representing the Lord Jesus Christ accurately to those around us on a consistent basis.
In recent months I have dealt with a situation in my life that has required me to draw heavily on every bit of grace available to me. Hurting people hurt people. And a hurting person that is family hurt me. But if a hurting person hurts me and I don't deal with it, I in turn, through my hurt, perpetuate the cycle by hurting others. I have to daily pour out forgiveness. I have to bless unless I become accursed. The venom injected by this person could defile me quickly if I made the wrong choices.
But on a personal level we all can relate to, God is very interested in the way we treat others. It doesn't have to be the big things like I mentioned above, it can be a bad attitude, anger, jealousy, out of control thoughts that break into the everyday workplace. It may be rejection that is manifesting as an uncontrollable temper. It could be a flirtatious spirit that winks at or touches others inappropriately. Regardless of what it is in your life, God takes a great interest in taking that thing or things into His hands
I am laying down the gauntlet today and challenging you to take me up on it. I ask you, for one whole day, to live that day as if Jesus had possesses your body and is living your life for you for this one day. If in the morning, when you wake up, you began the day by literally saying, "Today, until my head is back on this pillow, I will only say what Jesus would say, only do what Jesus would do and act like He would act."
What would he say to that person at work? Would there be big changes or would no one notice any difference? Would your spouse think that that day you lived like that was the best day of your marriage? Would your kids find a more patient and loving father or mother?
If you are not sure about something, err on the side of humility. For example, recently I had a misunderstanding with someone. They had thought they portrayed one thing to me, but my perception of it was not what they intended. The result: offense was trying to take hold and work its way down. In a situation like this, you may find it hard to know exactly what Jesus would do.
When in doubt, take the path of humility. Humble yourself, take the blame and walk in restoration. If not, pride will rot away relationships with coworkers, friends, or family.
Satan is not only out to steal your soul and destroy your life, but he is also after your witness. Anything that he can do to discredit you to others will make it harder for those souls to find salvation, now or in the future. Worse yet, on Judgment Day, who will have to answer for those souls? We will. Everyone that was hindered because of us will be headed to an eternity apart from God and we will have to answer for it.
Where is that in the scriptures? For one, the Bible says that every idle word that we speak we will have to give an account for on Judgment Day. If something is idle, it is not moving forward or backward. It is motionless. Unproductive.
Those outbursts that we think we can get away with will be replayed to us. I don't know about you, but I want to make it easy for anyone who hears me, knows me, watches me or trusts me to make it to heaven. (Matt 12:36)
Jesus takes seriously the discrediting of His church. That is why the Bible is in our hands. It is the roadmap to life and handling every trying situation. We have the answers in our Bibles to every situation we face.
Reinhardt Bonke said, "Win the lost at any cost because people last forever." Nothing we try to attain has any eternal value except what we do with the people around us. Will it be easy to find Christ if people follow your footprints? Do those that work with you want to know your God?
What about you? Do people want to know your God? Are you consistently a good witness or do people tiptoe around you?
If you hesitate, as I did when I first posed this to myself, then take the challenge. Really examine your heart. If it is hard for you to make it one day, then you, like many others, will have found places in the heart that need to be surrendered to God so that they can begin to look like and act like God.
Michelle Molina
I discovered something very sad today. I see people saved and delivered and healed and discipled all the time. We all do. We expect hypocrisy from some of them; they are just learning how to walk in God. But it was one man's story that broke me. He had backslidden from God a few decades back and was so determined to never walk with God again. However, God placed intercessors in his path that prayed for him for more than two years and a miracle happened. This person gave his life back to God and he is again growing and feeding on the word of God. How awesome if the story were to stop here. But it doesn't.
See, it was the sin in the church, specifically church members - gossip, slander, backbiting, judgmental hearts and the like that caused a lack of the glory and power of God to reside among them. Seeing nothing real, he left the church for what was real - the sinners. They are very real. In bars, drunk or high, they will tell you just what they think. But he (and sadly I) find that there are "mature" believers who still talk freely in judgment against others...in the church or outside of it. I heard someone say of me that I hate it when people talk about me...not true. If you are speaking life - as I do you - with your tongue - then even God could say nothing. However, it is God Himself who says in Proverbs that He hates (emphasis on hates) those who sow discord among the brethren. He is speaking to His people when He speaks this. It is not the sins the church thinks God hates that stand out enough to be written by the scribes of old.
Many times when I am witnessing to someone, they have a tale or two to tell of what someone, who professed to being a Christian, did to them that. One woman said that there were more church people in bars on Saturday nights than at home sleeping. Why did she say this? She said every Saturday night, any bar she was in had people that would be at her table, partying, drinking, and flirting, until about midnight. Then they would get up, say they had to get home because of church in the morning, and stagger out to the car.
A relative of mine said that he would never get saved because every man that worked at the plant with him who called himself a Christian was either a liar or a thief, or both. He told me story after story of the foul language, stolen parts, calling in "sick" after partying with other men at the plant, and so on. My heart hurt for him. I know that without a miracle of God, this relative will go to hell because of the poor representation he has seen of those that call themselves followers of Jesus.
Another person explained that for years she has bought her drugs from someone who went to church. This could go on for a long time, but suffice it to say that we cannot say that we are all, 100% of the time, able to say that we are representing the Lord Jesus Christ accurately to those around us on a consistent basis.
In recent months I have dealt with a situation in my life that has required me to draw heavily on every bit of grace available to me. Hurting people hurt people. And a hurting person that is family hurt me. But if a hurting person hurts me and I don't deal with it, I in turn, through my hurt, perpetuate the cycle by hurting others. I have to daily pour out forgiveness. I have to bless unless I become accursed. The venom injected by this person could defile me quickly if I made the wrong choices.
But on a personal level we all can relate to, God is very interested in the way we treat others. It doesn't have to be the big things like I mentioned above, it can be a bad attitude, anger, jealousy, out of control thoughts that break into the everyday workplace. It may be rejection that is manifesting as an uncontrollable temper. It could be a flirtatious spirit that winks at or touches others inappropriately. Regardless of what it is in your life, God takes a great interest in taking that thing or things into His hands
I am laying down the gauntlet today and challenging you to take me up on it. I ask you, for one whole day, to live that day as if Jesus had possesses your body and is living your life for you for this one day. If in the morning, when you wake up, you began the day by literally saying, "Today, until my head is back on this pillow, I will only say what Jesus would say, only do what Jesus would do and act like He would act."
What would he say to that person at work? Would there be big changes or would no one notice any difference? Would your spouse think that that day you lived like that was the best day of your marriage? Would your kids find a more patient and loving father or mother?
If you are not sure about something, err on the side of humility. For example, recently I had a misunderstanding with someone. They had thought they portrayed one thing to me, but my perception of it was not what they intended. The result: offense was trying to take hold and work its way down. In a situation like this, you may find it hard to know exactly what Jesus would do.
When in doubt, take the path of humility. Humble yourself, take the blame and walk in restoration. If not, pride will rot away relationships with coworkers, friends, or family.
Satan is not only out to steal your soul and destroy your life, but he is also after your witness. Anything that he can do to discredit you to others will make it harder for those souls to find salvation, now or in the future. Worse yet, on Judgment Day, who will have to answer for those souls? We will. Everyone that was hindered because of us will be headed to an eternity apart from God and we will have to answer for it.
Where is that in the scriptures? For one, the Bible says that every idle word that we speak we will have to give an account for on Judgment Day. If something is idle, it is not moving forward or backward. It is motionless. Unproductive.
Those outbursts that we think we can get away with will be replayed to us. I don't know about you, but I want to make it easy for anyone who hears me, knows me, watches me or trusts me to make it to heaven. (Matt 12:36)
Jesus takes seriously the discrediting of His church. That is why the Bible is in our hands. It is the roadmap to life and handling every trying situation. We have the answers in our Bibles to every situation we face.
Reinhardt Bonke said, "Win the lost at any cost because people last forever." Nothing we try to attain has any eternal value except what we do with the people around us. Will it be easy to find Christ if people follow your footprints? Do those that work with you want to know your God?
What about you? Do people want to know your God? Are you consistently a good witness or do people tiptoe around you?
If you hesitate, as I did when I first posed this to myself, then take the challenge. Really examine your heart. If it is hard for you to make it one day, then you, like many others, will have found places in the heart that need to be surrendered to God so that they can begin to look like and act like God.
Michelle Molina
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