The Gospel Is Not Just For You

This post has been burning on my chest for a while and I was putting off writing this but an incident happened where I got so angry that I had to just put words to paper so to speak.

There have been incidents where I've seen the audacity of Christianity, the hatefulness of Christianity and they have made me shake with anger. How dare we as Christians feel so entitled, so holier than thou, to consider ourselves so much above those who we would classify as non-believers. It's such a nasty attitude, absolutely despicable behaviour towards those who we should be more than loving towards.

Especially towards the LGBTQIA+ community, there's this view that because their "gayness" is so visible that for some reason we need to treat them as if their very presence, their very existence is abhorrent to God. That God has recruited us personally to root it out and make it very clear that they have no place in the kingdom of God, that they are going straight to hell.

Oh it's such a horrific viewpoint, goes against the very nature of God. For so many years and still today the Church still doesn't know how to witness to the LGBTQIA+ community, how to include them, how to make them feel loved. Still after years and years, the only answer they feel they have, the only answer they feel is truth is the abhorrent conversion therapy which has brought about so much hurt and pain. Why is it so difficult? Why is it such a challenge to love, to accept individuals part of this community, why is it such a struggle to meet them where they are without the first words coming out of our mouths being a rebuke? One of my answers to this is because many Christians do not interact outside of their own bubbles, it's so easy to rebuke, to slander, to hate those who you have no relationship with. Too much talking and not enough listening to this community that we have hurt.

I've said many times before, that many people feel that God has given them the mantle of "Holy Spirit". I'm here to tell you, he has not. It is not your job to convict, it is not your job to convert. That is the work of the Holy Spirit himself, it is the beauty of the Gospel.

Some "controversy" that happened recently, I don't even want to acknowledge it as "controversy" because it was downright stupidity and dumb outrage. In one of the behind the scenes clips of one of my favourite shows "The Chosen". If you haven't heard of this show before, it is basically a multi-season show about the life of Christ through the eyes of His disciples whilst he was here on Earth. This show has changed my life and the lives of countless others. Free to watch here: https://watch.thechosen.tv/ or you can download the free app from the App Store: The Chosen. Anyways back to what I was saying. In one of their behind the scenes videos during the filming for Season 4, there was a little mini pride flag on one of the camera operator's equipment that featured quickly in the video. This sparked so much outrage amongst the conservative Christian community, many saying "The Chosen is promoting Pride", "The Chosen is flying a pride flag on set". Many of whom were demanding answers from Dallas Jenkins the creator of the show such as "Why would you allow this on set", "Why would you hire this person who is pushing their agenda on set, can't you just hire Christians" and spewing incredible hateful comments towards this particular camera operator who identifies as being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and it was so horrific to see. 

This particular incident made me so angry and just reminded me that the Christian community is so entitled, judgemental and hateful. The fact that there have been many occasions where Christians have been discriminated against in the workplace, they were the same ones demanding that the creator of this tv show, fire this camera operator for literally having a flag on his own camera equipment. To police how his employees should express themselves at the workplace. Dallas Jenkins stood up for this particular camera operator as he should but it just made me so upset that the hate and the undignified audacity had to drive him to make a statement to address the situation. The entitlement of the Christian community to think that this show is for them only, that no one else can be invited to sit at the feet of Jesus unless they are already "saved" or "perfect" or "holy". Then have the audacity to complain as to why we can't reach these communities, why our witnessing efforts are in vain, why nothing is working.

It's quite laughable because it's literally like history repeating itself. It was just like how the Pharisees of the day and the Jewish people of the time expected Jesus to only come and witness and save them. Confused as to why Christ sat with and fellowshipped with unbelievers, outcasts of the day, sinners. Depsite, Christ clearly mentioning many times that he did not come to save the "righteous" but the sinners: "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." [Mark 2:17 NLT]. And guess what, it is not "those people over there" who are the chief of sinners, we are ALL sinners in need of a Saviour. "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth." [1 John 1:8 NLT].

The Gospel is not just for you only, entitled Christians. The Gospel, the Good News of our loving and merciful Saviour is for all. So get off that high horse, this pedestal that you have put yourself on to think that you are better than everyone else because you are already "saved". Everyone is level at the foot of the cross, God came to save us ALL. The Gospel is not for you.

I hope & pray the Christian community is ready to hear, ready to listen, ready to be humble. We need to be more loving and understanding to build community outside of our norm. This is a righteous rebuke because I really want all to be saved and not be shocked that the righteous and loving life we thought we were living, that we thought was pleasing to God, we are standing on judgement day found wanting when God says I don't know you.

"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 

[1 John 4:7-8]

Take My Life and Let it Be

 

There is this beautiful hymn that randomly popped up in my head the other day that I've been humming the melody to myself most recently. The first verse goes:

"Take my life, and let it be. Consecrated, Lord to thee; Take my hands, and let them move. At the impulse of Thy love; At the impulse of Thy love."

It's funny how the brain works. Recently I've been re-reading the book Steps To Christ by Ellen G. White (a book I highly, highly recommend). I read this book whenever I feel the need to get back to to the basics, because sometimes Satan feeds you the lie that God is too far away out of reach and most times you need to be reminded that the devil is a liar.

It's a short, simple book consisting of only 13 chapters, each chapter giving you the tools of how to do the foundational work of walking and growing with Jesus. I've also been following along also with the reading challenge with Pastor David Assherick over on YouTube: SCwithDA if you want to check it out.

I recently finished chapter 8 titled: Growing Up Into Christ which triggered my brain to remember this particular hymn. I think it's one of my new favourite chapters of the whole book. I really have been struggling with trying to return to first love with God. So many distractions in life that have been taking my attention my focus away from the One who deserves it all, the constant cycle of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram & Tik Tok, then next thin you know its 11pm and you haven't even spent time with God. You get to the point where you don't even know where to start, the shame plagues the mind on how do I even approach my Father, how dare I even enter back into his presence after so long.

But God is such a merciful loving Father, who is standing there with open arms, waiting always for us to return back to first love in Him.

Much of the shame and frustration when we fall back into these cycles and habits is that we think in our own strength we can resist temptation, that with enough willpower and mental fortitude if we just think hard enough we can just magically become disciplined again in living right. But the truth is we can't.

Ellen White breaks it down perfectly:

"Many have an idea that they must do some of the work alone. They have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, but. now they seek by their own efforts to live aright. But every such effort must fail. Jesus says, "Without Me ye can do nothing." Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness,-all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by communion with Him, daily, hourly,-by abiding in Him,-that we are to grow in grace." Steps to Christ pg.69.1

We can do nothing by ourselves, this is just the truth of the matter. We will fail and fail each and every time which will eventually lead to discouragement and despair. But we have such a blessed hope in Him who holds this whole world together, He's not a tyrant who berates those that fail but when we ask for help He will always answer.

Starting is so simple:

"Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, "Take me, O lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. This day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ." Steps to Christ pg.70.1

 

May our prayers forever be:

"Take my will, and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne. It shall be Thy royal throne."

Read or listen to Steps To Christ online here 

Discover more about the author of Steps To Christ, Ellen G. White here

Fear Not

 

I've joined in on this 75-day reading challenge that is being led by Pastor David Asscherick in reading Patriarchs & Prophets by Ellen G. White. This book goes through the first half of the old testament providing context to some of the stories we know so well and to the ones we may not know so much about. It's been such an incredible read and has made me fall in love with God and His Word all over again, so I encourage everyone to take part! You can catch up on the challenge on David Asscherick's YouTube channel here or follow him on his Instagram page where he uploads his notes here or follow along with the hashtag: #OTwithDA.

I am quite a bit behind, but I like the pace that I'm going with at the moment. I have just finished reading Chapter 17 of the book which covers Jacob's Flight and Exile after having deceived his father Isaac and his brother Esau into receiving the birthright (a recap that I may cover in another blog post). Jacob's whole story is so heart-wrenching and so beautiful at the same time and you can go back and read the story in Genesis 28-31. But Jacob's story beautifully portrays God's goodness and graciousness despite Jacob's shortcomings and sinful actions, whilst also showing the impact and consequences of our poor decisions; such a beauty for ashes turnaround.

There's this rubric that David Asscherick goes through after each chapter which I feel helps me summarise what I've learnt and put things into better perspective:

Point - "What is the point of this chapter?" "What has it taught you?"

Person - "What has this chapter revealed to you about the person/character of God?"

Prayer - "How would you pray this chapter"

Practice - "How would you practice this chapter? "What practical lessons could you draw from this chapter?"

Promise - "What is God's promise to you through what you've read in this chapter?"

So, to summarise this chapter I start with one word. What is one word that could encapsulate this entire chapter? For me, this would simply be: Fear

Why fear you may ask? When you go back and read through those chapters, the bible tells in great detail how fearful Jacob was when he had to flee for his safety from the wrath of his brother Esau. Not only this, but the deception also caused him to fear and question whether God had turned away from him. Even in the harsh and manipulative treatment from his uncle Laban, the main reason why he didn't leave that toxic environment sooner was because he still had great fear that if he were to leave, that Esau would find him and kill him. This was still the main fear in his heart even after God's reassurance (Jacob's ladder) and even after 20 years.

So in response to the rubric, this is what I took from the chapter:

Point - That our sinful actions have consequences (Proverbs 13:15). To also reveal God's faithfulness to His promise and covenant first made to Abraham carried out and fulfilled through Jacob (Land & Descendants).

Person - This chapter revealed to me that God is who He says He is. Emmanuel: God is WITH us.

Prayer - God, help me to stand firm on your promises and to not live in a constant state of anxiety and fear; despite the chaos that is going on around me. Knowing that you are with me always and will not forsake me.

Practice - Heed only to Godly counsel and don't allow ungodly opinions/advice to lead me astray. Jacob listened to the unwise counsel from his mother Rebekah which ended up causing dire consequences that impacted future generations.

Promise - "What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you." - [Genesis 28:15 NLT]

Want to know where you can read Patriarchs & Prophets by Ellen G. White? I've included some links below :)

Read Patriarchs & Prophets online here

Listen to an Audiobook of Patriarchs & Prophets here

Discover more about the author of Patriarchs and Prophets, Ellen G. White here

We Read To Know That We Are Not Alone

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There's a quote by C.S Lewis that says: "We read to know that we are not alone."

I've been reading the Bible again starting from Acts as I just love Paul's Christian journey. I'm now in Romans, Romans chapter 7 to be specific and reading it has made me fall in love with it all over again.

There is something extremely reassuring when reading that those who you deem to be basically the 'perfect Christian' is struggling just like you.

This is how I feel when reading Romans 7.

To me, after his conversion, Paul was that 'perfect Christian'; he knew God so intimately. His whole life was about pleasing God and doing God's will. Completely selfless and wholly submitted to spreading the gospel and bringing people to Christ.

Knowing this of Paul, it was quite intimidating thinking of how i keep failing at being consistent with having a relationship with God, with praying, with being a good witness to those around me that I became a bit discouraged.

Paul talking about his struggle with sin really humanised him in my mind. Not that he wasn't human but the way he lived his life, his character, his closeness and relationship with God; it felt unattainable. But reading this chapter made me realise that my struggle with sin is not alone.

"And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I wan't to do right but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong but I do it anyway." - Romans 7:18-19 [NLT]

This battle with sin, trying to live righteously; it is exhausting. Failing and failing again, it feels like there is no hope, that there is no progression that is happening in this Christian journey.

But thank God for Jesus!

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 7:24-25 [NLT]

A sermon that I cherish summarises the Christian journey perfectly. It is day by day, moment by moment.

Changing Your Perspective

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Doubt has been something I've struggled with for a long while. I think it stemmed from always being fearful, always being afraid of the unknown...of the things I cannot control. 

I like to be in control. I've always liked knowing the next step. This mindset has affected my relationship with God, with friends/family and even with my boyfriend. It has affected how I even conduct myself, the things I say, the chances I may or may not take. Which is mainly why I don't take many. It's made me very calculative...too calculative. 

Graduating university and looking for jobs, I didn't want to feel disheartened or doubtful. But the doors kept shutting in my face and I felt frustrated and angry. I felt that I was losing control. I was praying and all I felt was silence.

There's this song that I've been rinsing out almost every day. This song was me. It was saying all the things I was thinking and my reassurance was in these words:

"Maybe you're speaking through the silence, maybe its all I need to hear. Give me the patience in this quiet, I need to rest here and wait for you." - Silence by Anthony Evans

This song literally felt as if God was speaking to me. Telling me to stop giving up so easily, to learn patience, to practice faith. To change my perspective.

I told myself in this season of waiting, I have to be okay with the silence. I have to rest in the knowledge and reassurance that God has never failed me. He has never forsaken me. I graduated with a bloody first class honours degree for goodness sake! God is here with me. He always has been and always will. God's timing is not our own, so in waiting I choose to believe. I have to choose to have faith and even when I feel that I don't have the strength to, I have to pray and tell God to work with the mustard seed faith that I have. Even though it may seem small and it may not seem enough, I know that God can still work with it.

I've decided that I'm going to change my perspective. I'm going to change my response to struggles/disappointments and respond with faith.

So in changing my perspective, I'm doing some much needed reflection because I know for a fact that doubt always makes you forget what God has done in the past and also prevents you from thanking God for the little miracles he has done in the present.

In this season of unemployment and waiting. I am grateful and thankful for having the free time to truly seek Him. I've had the time to read and study my bible, to listen to sermons and journal. So I'm claiming Matthew 6:33 and being patient. Waiting in this silence and changing my perspective.

What about you?

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." 

Romans 8:37 [NLT]

What's Your Vision?

Currently, I am unemployed and broke.

 It has been my motto since I've finished my degree at university; but what has surprised me is how I've been dealing with it. Usually I would be controlled by my anxiety and fall into depression but I have been at peace and simply content. Now that is growth! I've felt my relationship with God deepen, I am trusting in Him wholeheartedly and I am learning to be content with the stage that I'm at right now, knowing that God is in control and perhaps that this time of my life is needed.

There was this devotion that I was going through on the YouVersion Bible App called: Visioneering which literally has been such a huge encouragement and help. I most definitely believe that God has been speaking through this devotion as it has just reinforced the promises that God has made to me through His word. It has also allowed me to really use this time in my life to really figure out what I envision for my life; what I want to achieve and what God wants for me.

I don't want to give too much away because I do highly recommend that you go through this devotion for yourself but there were some bits that really stood out for me that I would like to share with you.

"Visioneering requires patience, investigation and planning. Visioneering requires faith in God's ability to work behind the scenes. Confidence that he will orchestrate what he has originated."

"There will be seasons when you feel like you are making little if any progress. In those times it will be easy to get little if any progress. In those times it will be easy to get distracted. This is when you must join with Nehemiah in declaring,

'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down' (Nehemiah 6:3)

Whether your visions are family, ministry or business orientated, they require constant attention. Stay focused."

What an encouragement right! The main points that stood out for me were that when you are trying to envision and plan for your future you really have to practice patience, have faith and believe that God will help and be there every step of the way. Also to have the confidence that God will do what He says He will do!

If you are in this period of your life like me and everything seems so out of reach; confused, frustrated and doubting that what you want will happen. I want you to know that God is able and that He has great things in store if you just commit your plans to Him and believe that He will do what He said He will.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." - Proverbs 16:3 [NIV]

Merzouga

I know these pictures have been a long time coming, I mean I did go to Morocco last year for goodness sake! (Naomi get it together!). Anyways, I have finally uploaded the pictures of my amazing trip to the desert in Morocco and these pictures were taken on the back of a camel trying to balance my Canon EOS M3 in one hand and hold on to the rope in the other. However, I really like how they came out and I'm also glad that I used my 50mm lens to really capture the details also.