Christians, “we need to stop acting like a child of the devil”.

This jumped out at me last night at Bible Study. The last 6 weeks we have been going through the Study “Get out of Your Head” By Jennie Allen which I highly recommend. All I could focus on was that phrase. “We need to stop acting like a child of the devil”.

For years, I lived like a child of the devil. I gave my life to Christ when I was 16 years old but about 2 years later I let one sin go unchecked. I never gave it to God. That sin: bitterness.

 Seems pretty harmless right? That one sin slowly turned into a multitude of sins. Got to a point where I no longer told people I was a Christian. I knew I was living in sin. I was a hypocrite. I became so desensitized to my sin. I tried to run further from God but the beautiful thing is God can run much further than I.

 I was empty. I knew what I was missing but I was so ashamed. I listened to every lie from the devil. “You’re a hypocrite”. “You are blemished”. “Everyone will know you are a fake”. “Your parents will be so disappointed if they knew”.  “You will lose all your friends because you are no longer any fun”.  I think you get the point.

I gave my sin all back to God. The sin that He had already wiped clean on June 14^th, 2006. Slowly and slowly I drowned out the devil. Years later I came clean to my parents and they weren’t disappointed. They rejoiced at my homecoming. My friends are still my friends. My Church has welcomed me with open arms.

Do you know how freeing the last several years have been?! I was exhausted trying to hide my sin. I can tell you right now it is much more grueling living with one foot in the world than it is down on your knees.

Now that you know a little about my back-story, do you know where the bitterness all started from? Church People. I saw what happens when Satan tries to destroy a Church from within. When a Church does not take a disagreement to God. They focus on 1 side of the story and we all know there’s three sides to every story: my side, your side and God’s side. The first two usually get pretty skewed.

 I felt stabbed in the back by my Church family. People I trusted. People I loved. People I confided in. I was hurt. I was mad. I was bitter. How can people who claim to be God-fearing people act like children? How can they act so selfish? I questioned God’s existence because if He is this powerful God and the Church can act this way then He must not be real.

Guys, there are Churches all over the world just like this. We love money. We love power. We mold the Bible to fit our needs. All it takes is one unchecked sin and Satan has a heyday.

James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”. 

This verse has popped up multiple times in the last several weeks. If you are like me then you are probably wondering what on earth is enmity? It means, “The state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something”.  I can tell you right now that it would be impossible to have a great relationship with my husband if there was any enmity between us. Guarantee we would not be married. What makes us think we can have that kind of relationship with God?!

Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”. Replace the word “money” and add “sin”.  Now do not get me wrong, we are a sinful people. We sin EVERY day. The difference is we cannot be actively living in the same sin. The more active we are in that sin it will soon start to consume. We all know what happens with a spark of fire if left unchecked. Sin is no different.

As Christians we should be actively living out Romans 12:2. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.

Church, let’s get it together. We are a Child of the King. Let’s act like it.