Day 299: It Takes Faith

One of the most important aspects of being a Christian is faith, if we do not have faith how can we serve God. How can we believe in a God we have never seen without faith. Faith is a key ingredient to having a relationship with God. We must believe in Him.

Romans 10:9-10 says, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

When many people refer to Christianity, they refer to it as ‘the Christian faith’ or we even talk about it as our faith. I do not believe that that is without reason. Following God take faith, it takes us believing first in God, and His word, and standing on His promises. Faith is choosing to believe in the things that are not seen. But if we want to get technical let’s get a dictionary definition.

Faith: confidence or trust in a person or thing.

Belief that is not based on proof

The trust in God and His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

As Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That being said our faith is our proof of the living God, and God’s faithfulness to us is proof that we are not crazy people out here believing in a spirit that we don’t know is real. No we believe in a living God, the same God who created the heavens and the earth, the same God who spoke to Moses on a mountain top, we believe in the God who made it rain manna, the God split the red sea, the God who sent His son to die for our sins so that we can have a relationship with Him. That’s the God that we believe in, because we choose to believe. Out faith is not based on proof it is based on the goodness of God. The proof is all around, one thing that blows my mind is that God created the earth the way it is on purpose. According to science (which God created as well), Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. If Earth was smaller an atmosphere would be impossible, like Mercury. If earth we larger it’s atmosphere would contain free hydrogen like Jupiter, making it impossible to live on in both cases. Also if earth were further away from the sun we would freeze to death, if it we closer to the sun we would burn up. God placed us exactly where He wanted us to be and made us the right size. Aside from the scientific facts, our most powerful tool in our relationship with God is faith. Faith enables us to pray, it enables us to trust in His word, faith allows us to have that relationship with God.

Our faith is based on the signs and wonders, the miracles that we have seen in our lives. The moments where there was no other answer but, “there is a God”. This is what we know to be true, and if we want to take it further, science proves His existence. What I’m saying is, as Christians we live a life that is based on faith. #FaithBasedLiving We put our trust and confidence in God because time and time again He has shown us His faithfulness. I know we have all had moments in our lives where things didn’t go as planned they actually went better. We’ve all had those jaw-dropping moments that left us speechless, and eluding to the fact that God did it. What I’m saying here is if  we are going to serve God we must have faith. Without faith we can do nothing. If we do not believe in a true and living God how are we going to expect Him to do something in our lives. Better yet how can we expect to have a relationship with God if we do not have faith in Him. We talk about faith a lot, but we’ve never talked about it in this context. The basics of Christianity is faith. We start a relationship with God by declaring that we believe. Faith is what bridges the gap between man and God.

Often times I am asked, “What do I have to do to become a Christian?” The simple answer is have faith. Have faith that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He was resurrected three days later. Not just saying these things but believing them in our hearts. We must have a heart full of faith in God, it’s what allows us to draw closer to Him, it allows us to have a relationship with Him. Faith allows us to persevere.  It is everything we need in order to serve God.

All this to say, faith is the answer. It is the foundation of our lives as Christians, it all starts because we choose to believe in the living God and we make that decision daily.  

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to respond in whatever way you feel led. Have a conversation with God about faith, and thank Him that He is so faithful and wonderful.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 300!!!

Day 261: Recap!

Day 253: The Life you are Called to Love

So, this devo was originally titled "The Life you are Called to Live" but the typo ended up working out in our favor. However, today we talked about living the life God has called us to live. We talked about how God gave us the life we have for a reason. We also touched on how being a Christian does not strip us from who we are. We talked about living the story God is writing for us, He knows how it ends. We focused on 1 Corinthians 7:17-19.

"We cannot live someone else's life and if we try it's not called living it called imitating. More like plagiarizing life. No story is exactly the same. Live the story God is writing for you. I promise it's amazing"

Day 254: People's Opinions

Today we talked about not caring for people's opinions or their ideas of who you are. We talked about being comfortable with who we are and realizing that the only person we are here to please is God. We really talked about ignoring people's opinions and living for ourselves and being comfortable and confident with who we are. We focused on Proverbs 29:25.

" Don’t allow the opinions of others dictate who you are and how you view yourself. God made you who you are for a reason. People’s opinions either elevate you or tear you down, you have to choose which ones are meant for your life."

Day 255: Occupy Your Street

Today we talked about doing God's work from right where we are. We talked about how we often feel like we have to leave where we are and stop what we are doing to serve God. We basically talked about using the gifts God has given us in order to advance His kingdom from right where we are. Doing everything we do to the glory of God. We focused on 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 and Colossians 3:23.

" Wherever you are, whatever you do, glorify God, from right where you are. That’s what it means to occupy your street. You don’t always have to travel halfway across the world to do the Lord’s work, you can do it right here."

Day 256: The Language of the Heart

Today we talked about how we are sometimes deceived by our hearts how we speak what is in our heart. We talked about how we speak, how we speak to others, about ourselves, and about God. We talked about how the way we speak reveals who we are, or at least who we are pretending to be.

" Whatever is on our lips reveals what is in our hearts. What I’m saying is, is the word of God on our lips, and furthermore is it in our hearts? See when we have the word of God in our lives, and it written on our hearts, the condition of our hearts are in great shape."

Day 257: Know It All

Today we talked about how knowledge is good but love is great. We talked about how we can know everything we need to know about the bible but if we do not have a relationship with God it means nothing. There is a difference between knowing of God and knowing God. We focused on 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.

"We don’t know it all and that’s actually more than okay. It’s good. In our lack of knowledge we find that we draw closer to god because we want to know Him. Not because we want to boast about how much we know about Him."

Day 258: Our Brother's Keeper

Today we talked about the responsibility of being our brother's keeper. We talked about how we often think that we are not responsible for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Chenin fact we are, we talked about picking up those who are falling and making sure they have a way of we can provide that way for them. We focused on 1 Corinthians 8:13 and Galatians 6:1-2. 

"We are to carry one another’s burdens not make the weight heavier or say they can handle it. I think sometimes we are so consumed with not wanting to get in someone’s business or letting  them figure it out on their own that we are letting people drown that need our help. People are reaching for us and we are waiting for them to save themselves."

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 262!

Day 238: God's Temple

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Temple-A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

The temple is the place where God dwells, it is the holiest of holy places. God’s spirit remains in the temple. Since God is a Spirit, He cannot dwell in a place where sin is, it doesn’t work, God and sin cannot cohabitate.

I grew up being told that my body is God’s temple, not really understanding what it meant or the depth of that statement until I was older. When we hear this term it is commonly referred to in conversations about sex. How we should not have sex before marriage, or engage in any kind of sexual immorality.  That is spoken about in 1 Corinthians 5. While it is true we should not engage in any acts of sexual immorality, there is so much more to it. Sex isn’t the end all, be all of sin. The church puts a lot of emphasis on sex before marriage as the worst, most condemnable sin of all. However, there are a myriad of things that will make you a sinner, but that is another topic for another day. When we think about God’s temple what do we usually think about?

The place where God dwells must be a place that is acceptable for Him, and place where no confusion lies, no sin, nothing that separates us from God but a place full of worship. The place where God’s presence is constantly. That’s the temple. Now when we think of ourselves or our bodies as God’s temple we must think of who we are as a Christian and the lifestyle we lead. A question we should ask ourselves is, “Is my body a place where God can dwell?” Meaning am I living my life in such a way that God’s presence is with me at every moment? Am I living and acting in a way that shows the Holy Spirit is within me? Am I holy? I know that’s a scary word for a lot of people, but it’s a simple yet profound word. We all proclaim to be Christians, but are we living like one? Or are we trying to find loopholes in the word of God? Sometimes we try to get around the parts of the bible we think don’t apply to us or shouldn’t apply to us. That’s not how it works, it’s all or nothing. If we are God’s temple we cannot be half in and half out. I think too often we take this as a burden, we view holiness as a burden, and this grand impossible task. It is not, it is more of an opportunity to grow in Christ. It is an opportunity to be in tune with God to remain close to Him. When I think about I am truly honored, and filled with gratitude that God loves us so much that He wants to be where we are. He wants to dwell within us. That’s amazing! Holiness is not a burden it is a lifestyle, and when we view it as such, we will no longer be burdened by it. When we decide that serving God is better and more important than our need and want to sin, this life of holiness will be more rewarding and even more relaxing.

Another question to ask ourselves, are we taking care of our temple? I mean that in every way possible. What are we doing to make sure that our temple is in tip top shape? First I mean it spiritually, is our temple clean? Are we making sure that it’s getting everything it needs to function properly. Meaning, are we diving into our relationship with God, are we feeding our spirit with His Word, are we praying? If we are fully devoted to Christ and committed to this life as a Christian, our temples will not be destroyed. We are the only ones that can destroy our temple. But also are we taking care of ourselves? Are we the vessels that God wants.

This can also be emotional, mental, and physical. Let’s not let anything get in the way of us being used by God. We don’t talk about physical well being in the church a lot, but the way I view it is, we must take care of the the body God has given us. Meaning let’s eat healthy foods, and workout, we only get one body and God gave it to us, so let’s take care of it the best we can. Also we must take care of ourselves emotionally and mentally. We can’t let our emotional or mental well being get in the way of our spiritual lives.  These topics are also topics that are skipped over in the church, but I believe that while God cares about our spiritual lives, He also sees and cares about those of us who are going through heartbreaks and struggling with mental illness. He’s there to help you through it and heal you.

All this to say, we must be the temple of God, as place where His spirit dwells. In order for the Holy Spirit to dwell in a place, that place must be holy. Are we holy?

Reflection

(Ask yourself these questions)

1. Is my temple a place where God can dwell?
2. How am I living?
3. Is my temple clean?
4. Am I taking care of my temple?
5. If anything, what is stopping my temple from being a place where the Holy Spirit dwells?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the about questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what it is to live and be holy, and be a home for the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to search you and cleanse your spirit and create a new heart within you. Have an honest conversation with Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 239.

Day 232: The Sheep and the Shepherd

John 10:26-27

But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Here, Jesus had just been told by the Pharisees, “If you are the Messiah tell us.”  To which Jesus responded, “I did tell you, you just don’t believe me… Then He goes on to say, you are not my sheep, my sheep listen to my voice and I know them. We cannot follow Jesus if we do not listen to His voice. We cannot be a part of His flock if we don’t listen to Him. We can be sheep, but we choose our shepherd. We choose to follow Christ or not, and those of us who listen to His voice, are His sheep. If we aren’t listening to Christ and following Him we are not one of His sheep.

Before I go any further into today’s devo I want to first explore the relationship of the sheep and the Shepherd. There are so many mind blowing parallels as to how our relationship with God is synonymous to the relationship between the sheep and the Shepherd.

While researching I came across a blog post that put it all in perspective and dug deep into the meaning of these relationships and why it is so relevant for us as followers of Christ. There were a few things that stood out to me that I’d like to make note of.

“Guidance for the sheep. The Eastern shepherd never drives his sheep as does the Western shepherd. He always leads them, often going before them. “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them” (John 10:4). This does not mean that the shepherd is always in front of his sheep. Although he may be usually in that position when traveling, he often walks by their side, and sometimes follows behind, especially if the flock is headed for the fold in the evening. From the rear he can gather any stragglers, and protect such from a sly attack from a wild animal.”

The shepherd is a leader and protector of the sheep. He goes before them showing them the way, but He is always right there beside them. He is making sure that nothing can harm them. He’s protecting them as they go, and gathering the ones that seem to be straying away from the herd or wandering off. Sound familiar? This is how Jesus is to us, always by our side, He has gone before us and shown us the way and He is constantly leading us through life. Jesus isn’t going to let us get too far away from the flock because He’s right there to make sure that we get right back on track, and if we do get lost, he will come looking for us to bring us back.

“It is very important that sheep should not be allowed to stray away from the flock, because when by themselves they are utterly helpless.“

We cannot navigate through this world alone, we need Jesus. We desperately need Him. Without Him we are like lost sheep, we are wandering through this world with no direction, guidance, or hope, we’re lost. All of this is found in Christ, so apart from Him we are helpless, as the quote says.

I think another important message to learn here is that in order for us to follow Christ and listen to His word we must trust Him. The flock trusts the shepherd with their life, everything they are depends on the shepherd, they have learned to trust their shepherd and listen to His voice. They will not follow the wrong voice either. I believe that as followers of Christ, if we do not trust Him, we are wasting our time. When we don’t trust someone we hesitate to listen to them, we question everything they do, we will not give them a chance to be a part of our life. We cannot have a solid relationship without trust.

Another thing to note is that it is very important who we choose to follow here on earth. I’m talking about churches and pastors, especially when we are new Christians and we are looking for guidance. Ask God for discernment, because it is a dangerous thing to be led by someone who puts up a facade that they are leading you to Christ but leading the entire church astray. Be careful who you listen to and who you let influence you. At the end of the day you follow Jesus, and if someone is trying to lead you away from Him, they are not for you, no matter who they are or what they seem to represent.  

Reflection

1. Would you consider yourself a part of Christ’s flock?
2. Have you ever been led astray by your own doing?
3. Has anyone ever tried to lead you away from Christ?
4. Check your surroundings, and the people you call your leaders, are they leading you in the right direction?
5. If you are a leader, are you leading God’s people toward Him?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Ask God to give you the spirit of discernment and talk to Him about whatever is on your heart today.

If you have been led astray for whatever reason, now is the time to come back. Now is the time to rededicate or resubmit your life to Christ. Surrender to Him, ask Him to make you new. Know that He is standing there waiting with open arms, you’re not too far gone for Him to reach. You’re not a lost cause, Jesus loves you and He wants you near.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 233!

Day 221: Unpacking Romans 12- A True Christian

 Romans 12:9-10

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

We have talked about love and the importance of loving one another. It is our calling as Christians, the second greatest command. One thing I want to talk about today is the importance of doing more than just saying you love someone because that’s what you’re supposed to do as a Christian. For lack of better words, don’t pretend to love people because it makes you look like a better Christian. Don’t talk about how much you love people in order to elevate your status as a Christian. We have to really love people and it shows in the way we treat them, the way we talk to people, and the way we act towards strangers. Love is genuine, we cannot walk around spreading fake love. When we love someone it’s for the other person, when we pretend to love someone it’s for us, and it comes from a selfish place.

I believe that through this passage, God is telling us how to be true Christians. He showing us what it means to be a true Christian by telling to be authentic in our ways. God can see through the fakeness in all of us, He can tell when we are pretending. We know when we’re pretending, and we have to call ourselves out on it. We have to check ourselves, and check our intentions and make sure that the way we are living is genuine. A lot of times, our motives have a lot to do with how we act and ultimately how we treat each other. We have to ask ourselves why we do things sometimes, what our motives are. Are we doing something for someone because we really love them or because it will make us look or feel good. Yes, love feels good it’s an amazing feeling to love and be loved. But we must make sure that we are not showing love to saying we love someone because we are chasing a feeling. It’s not always about that, sometimes we have to set ourselves aside for the sake of someone else. Sometimes (not all the time) we have to set our feelings aside in honor of someone else.

All this to say, let your love be genuine. Don’t choose the image of a good Christian over the authenticity of a true Christian. Meaning being true to your faith and the word of God is so much more important than an image.

Reflection

1. Have you found yourself trying to put up an image of a good Christian?
2. Have you ever done something for someone because of what you will get out of it?
3. Is your love genuine?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about what it is to be a true Christian, and letting your love be genuine. Have an honest conversation with God. Also be honest with yourself.

I love you, I hope you an amazing Day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 222!

Day 221: Unpacking Romans 12- One Body, Different Functions

Romans 12:3-8

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves,measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

There’s two subjects I want to touch on today, one obviously being, we are all one body and we are all different. We move differently. We work differently, and we function differently. However, through our differences we work together to operate as one body.

We as a people function as the body of Christ. God has called us to different areas has given us different gifts and purposes. Some of us are preachers, some of us doctors, musicians, performers, scientist, etc. Even though we all have different functions we work together as one body. If all of us were the same, how would we make up a body? I love the symbolism of a body, because one part of the body does not work without the other neither do they function the same, but they do not work as a body without each other. The foot is not the same as the hand and the mouth isn’t the same as the eyes but they are all part of one body. They don’t work separated, The foot cannot function on its own, the eyes cannot stand on their own. All of these part come together to make one body. That’s what we are, we are the pieces that come together to form the body of Christ.  The overall point is that we work together as one body. We do that by doing our part within the body of Christ and not trying to take on someone else's job or calling. We must know who we are in Christ in order to help elevate the body of Christ. We are part of why it functions and if we aren’t doing our part than we are messing up more than we think. We may not think we are doing much but without us, the body cannot function correctly.

My next point is, don’t look down on or think you are better than someone because of where you are in Christ. We as a people are one, we are one body, I can’t stress that enough. What I’ve seen in the Christian community far too often and it is some of the reasons we stand so divided. Envy, competition, and arrogance. A body doesn’t function when the eyes are jealous of the leg, or when one part sees itself superior to the next. There should be no competition within the body of Christ, it is not about who saves more souls, or who can bring the most people to church. It’s not about who can quote the most scriptures or any of that. It is about doing what we were sent here to do, living out our God given purpose. It’s about lifting our brothers and sisters up and praying for them to grow and succeed. It will never be about rejoicing in their downfall. We do than far more often than we think.  

When God made us, He made us equal. He loves us equally. We are to love each other the same way, to love our neighbor as ourself. We don’t look down on anyone or think we are better than the next person. We cannot walk around thinking of ourselves higher than what we are. Either we walk in humility by choice or allow God to humble you and the latter isn’t flattering at all.

All this to say, we are one in Christ and nothing should divide us. We are meant to function together as one body. Yes, we are different, but we are also one in the same. It’s pretty mind blowing when you think about it.

Response/Prayer Time

Respond in whatever way you feel led today. Go over the passage we focused on and study the scripture, and have a conversation with God. Pray unity within the body of Christ. Pray for God’s people and pray that God will lead you to where He wants you to be.  

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 222 to continue unpacking Romans 12. Have an awesome day, I love you!

Day 220: Unpacking Romans 12- Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Isaiah 55:7-9

Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

When we become Christians, everything changes about us, from the inside out. They say Christians are more attractive, but that’s not the point. When we become Christians, our lifestyle has to change and in order for that to change our mindset has to change, the way we think about about things and the way we view the world and people has to change. We cannot walk with Christ and still have the mindset of the world, it won’t work. The mind is very powerful, that’s why they used to have billboards and commercials, and posters in the classrooms when we were younger, telling us “the mind is a terrible thing to waste.” As corny as it was, it’s true, a lot of times we are ruled by our thoughts. Some of the greatest inventions and discoveries started as a thought. It also works the other way, many of the biggest crime Lords, and even serial killers started off with a thought. Our minds shape a lot of who we are, How we think says a lot about who we are. If we want to be like Christ we have to think like Christ.

One of the questions I always ask myself is,  ‘Is the glass half empty or half full?’ Just to see where my mind is. When we become a Christian we will almost always view the glass as half full. Meaning with Christ, it’s never over until He says it’s over, and as long as I have breath in my body, it’s not over. Christ has changed the way I view life, love, people, and the world. What I’m getting at here is, if our mind is not renewed our life cannot be renewed. If we are still moving and thinking the same way we did when we were in the world, how are we ever going to grow in Christ. A worldly mindset does not work in a Christian body. It just doesn’t, our thoughts have to be His thoughts. We must think like Christ in order to be like Christ. Move like Christ did and view the world as He did.  

I think when our mind is renewed by Christ we are more in tune with His voice and His will. We  become one with Christ meaning we can hear his voice more clearly, and we can differentiate between His voice and the voice of the enemy or even our voice. Also when we are in tune with Christ it’s almost as if every thought or idea of doing wrong is banished,

All this to say, when we submit our lives to Christ, we must also change our mindset. Allow our minds to be renewed by Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. When we grow our mind grows with us. So when we grow in Christ so our mind will also grow. These things are not separate. I’ll leave you with this scripture.

Matthew 22:37

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Response/ Prayer Time

Take the time to think about what we spoke on today. Respond in whatever way you feel led. There are no questions today, just take the time to have a conversation with God. Ask Him to renew your mind. Have an honest conversation with Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening, be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 221!

Day 215: You're Not A Robot

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

My fear within the Christian community and those of us who have grown up in church is that we have conditioned ourselves to be spiritual robots. Meaning when we read this scripture all we see is, deny. Deny yourself in order to follow Christ. We take this to mean, deny your feelings, deny your impulses, deny who you are as a person because following Christ is now our personality. There’s a few points I want to hit today. First let me start by saying, God changes our ways as a person, He changes who we are by changing how we live. Following Christ does not mean we turn ourselves into robots. In fact it means the exact opposite, we  truly find ourselves when we are found in Christ. When Jesus tells us to deny ourselves here, He is telling us to deny our flesh, turn away from our selfish ways, turn away from the things we want to do that will keep us separated for Him. That’s the part of us we have to deny, the impulse to sin, the fleshly desires. God made us who we are for a reason, the personality we have He gave it to, I do not believe that it is God’s desire to strip us of who we are and force us to be robots. I believe that the idea itself is something man made in order to make us look like better or good Christians. What it does is turn us into spiritual robots. Meaning that being a Christian and following Christ will become nothing more than a routine and obligation. We are made to worship, but many times we confuse worshipping God with living a religious life. Based on rules. When we live by religious rules, we are so focused on the things we cannot do because we serve God. We focus on not doing things in order to stay in “good graces” with God. Which is ridiculous, God’s grace doesn’t run out. Religious rules puts pressure on us to prove our spirituality. When we are in a relationship with God, and when we truly follow Him and love Him this relationship isn’t about what we can’t do. It’s about what we can do, it’s about living with God and enjoying the life He has blessed us with. We are so obsessed with the idea of being a good Christian that we start to lead this robotic lifestyle that God never intended for us to live. If God wanted to be served by robots, He would have made robots. No He gave us a mind, and choices and free will. He gave us the brain to think the capacity to love and the choice choose to serve Him. Don’t deny your humanity. He made us the way we are for a reason. He gave us a personality for a reason. Don’t deny it.

The second point I want to get to is how we have made ourselves emotional robots. When we think about denying ourselves we deny our feelings, we deny how we feel. That is not how we are meant to live, we are human, we have feelings, whether good or bad. It’s what makes us human. God gave us feelings for a reason. Feelings are part of the human anatomy, everything from pain to happiness. We as Christians tend to deny the feelings that in our opinion show we are weak. Even if they do, it shows that we are human and it shows the areas of our life where we need the strength of God. We openly accept the good parts of life sometimes.

Religion has taught us that humility means we don’t get too excited when we succeed, it’s taught us to suppress those excited and proud feelings so we won’t be arrogant or boastful. It’s taught us to deny the feelings that are bad, deny anger and pain. Deny depression, because Christians don’t get depressed or have anxiety deny it because it’s not from God. Denying it does nothing but make it worse. Nowhere in the bible does it say that beings angry, sad, upset, or even depressed is a sin. The sin comes when we act on our anger. When we allow how circumstances to dictate who we are and how we lead our lives, when we allow it to keep us away from God. Being emotional or sensitive is not a sin. We have been taught to be strong and persevere, to pick up our cross and continue walking like Jesus. Jesus persevered yes, but we know that He was in pain, however there was something greater than His pain, and He acknowledged. That doesn’t mean that He acted like the pain didn’t exist, it meant that He was willing to take it in order serve a greater purpose. We see that in the Luke 22 when Jesus prayed at the mount of olives.

Luke 22:42-44

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.  

The scripture says that He was in agony. Agony! So much agony that His sweat hit the ground like great drops of blood. Let me give you the definition of agony; extreme and generally prolonged pain; intense physical or mental suffering. Now some say that Jesus was actually sweating blood. That’s how much agony He was in. Now here is a perfect example of denying yourself, taking up your cross and walking. Jesus says, if it be your will God, take this cup from me but not my will, yours be done. Even though He was in pain, He was willing to deal with it if that’s what God wanted. He didn’t pretend like it wasn’t there, in fact He tried to ease it.  But if He had to go through this in order to fulfill His purpose and fulfill God’s plan than He would do it, and He did. And that’s what it means to deny ourselves.

All this to say, when we deny our feelings because of our faith, we are chasing false strength. Meaning we want to look strong because Christians aren’t weak. We put up a facade like everything is okay when we are dying on the inside. Denying our feelings and who we are in order to serve religion only begets more issues and problems within us. Following Christ is not about looking strong or looking like a good Christian. It is about submitting our life to Christ and living a life that follow His plan and purpose.  Embrace your feelings and embrace who you are. Serve God, not religion.

Reflection

1. Are you familiar with the traits of a spiritual or emotional robot?
2. Have you been living your life like a robot?
3. Take the time to search yourself and ask, am I serving God or religion? Am I living to please God or man?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God what it truly means to deny yourself and pick up your cross.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 216!