I gave my life to Christ for the first time in 1996 and have rededicated my life to Him probably over a half dozen times since then. I even at one time stopped believing altogether because of events that took place but I am thankful for His mercies that are new every morning.
All of this happened because I had not fully come to the place of understanding about my salvation and accepting Jesus' process through ME until very recently after coming upon a YouTube video by Dear Lady Ann preceded only by a desperate cry in prayer. This one video followed by others I have watched and still continue to watch made it necessary for me to come to a place of unlearning religion and relearning Christianity.
The truth is that many of us have allowed the rules and regulations of religion take the place of our Christianity, aka our personal relationships with Christ. I will tell you for free that for years I believed that being a follower of Christ was too difficult and that I would never measure up to the standards that my perception of religion presented for me to be a true Christian who loved God and wanted to honor Him. Like many, I was one leg in (the world) and one leg out because I simply found being a Christian too overwhelming.
Church was only the place I went on Sundays because that's what we did and the Bible was only a book I opened on that day without understanding or being able to relate with what I read. My perception of satan was what the movies had carved in my brain, an ugly demon creature with horns and a tail who wanted to possess my soul. It never crossed my mind that he was more than that. More that made him more dangerous to my salvation than I had ever been able to learn at Sunday service because the enemy doesn't always come as a big scary demon but as something that feels familiar and safe. It is only now after 25 years of being in and out of Christianity that I am unlearning religion and relearning what it means to be a Christian. In other words, relearning that an imperfect me can be used by God for His glory. (1 Peter 2: 4-5).
Church is NOT a building but God's people. Satan is more than the demon with horns but represented in the subtle (and not so subtle) ways I allow sin live in my life. Sin is NOT just using cuss words and fornicating but can also be disobedience or laziness. Christianity is NOT religion but the personal relationship I have with The Father that is represented in my attitude, speech, thoughts and actions. The Bible is not just a book filled with words I don't understand but a guide that helps me navigate this life, my seasons in it and what it is that I am called to do. Words like Anointing, Grace, Favor, Mercy, Kingdom Ambassadorship and Light take on whole new meanings than what I have been accustomed to.
So what is the point of this post today? Many, like me have been struggling with the idea of how to live lives that please Our Maker because we have believed that it is just too hard or that we are inadequate and incapable of doing so. This is one of the agendas of the enemy to deceive us, steal our hearts away from God ( John 10: 10) and keep us from understanding our power as followers and children of God. It is my hope that moving forward, I can shed light as I am also being being led and taught daily about what it REALLY means to unlearn religion and relearn Christianity so we can all walk fully in our assignments here on earth. There's so much to share.
This is by no means a sprint but a journey that I pray we can all go on together so we can be set free from the darkness (aka ignorance) that the enemy would rather have us live in. Come on this Transformation walk with me so we can be effective for God and depopulate the kingdom of darkness.
Excess Love,
Ibogirl
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