My Choice to Trust
I was always considered the good girl amongst my group of friends growing up. I rarely indulged in illegal activities or things that I felt were against my character. Although my mom raised me well with no help, but I still had hidden issues.
The issues that I struggled with felt and still feel so big sometimes. It used to seem like it was easier to continue ignoring it, but, as I am growing older I realize that ignoring my issues cause it to show up in another form. I’ve learned that the issue is only one thing: my lack of trust in God.
Whenever I knowingly sin, I used to find it overwhelmingly embarrassing to face God, people and even myself to deal with it. I tend to ignore it and managed to convince myself that the sin I committed is not something I would do, because it’s against my character. It’s against my character but I did it though, and so I needed to seek God and repent.
I felt like Eve. She hid from God, knowing that He would find her after she sinned. God knows my issue, so why can’t He just take it away? Why do I still need to confess? Why can’t He just magically make me trust Him? If I try trusting Him, will all my other problems go away? What if they don’t, will I have any reason to still trust Him?
I sinned because I did not trust God. I settled because I did not trust God. I’ve dealt with soul ties because I did not trust God.
I don’t think I understood, or trusted, how much God loves me, to be honest. If I trusted God I would not fear what I fear now. If I trusted God, I would not run away from Him when I sinned because I know that He will cleanse me. If I trusted God, I would not be unwilling to pray for a stranger or a friend who is sick or needs salvation. If I trusted God, I would be able to love and be loved unconditionally.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
Psalm 138: 17-18
If I could just focus on this scripture alone, if I could just focus on the precious thoughts that God has for me, there would be no space for self-doubt.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41: 10
If I could just apply this scripture in my life, there would be no space for fear or discouragement.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6-7
If I could grasp the meaning of this scripture, the would be no space for worry.
My lack of trust is not because God has failed me, but it is because I have not comprehended how big God is, so the mediocre things I asked God for do not come to pass because He has far greater plans for my life. I may not see it now, but I have to know and believe that God knows best.
Now when I ask Jesus, “why nothing seems to be going my way?,” He replies,
“You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” John 13:7.
And so all that is left to do is trust.
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The MISFIT: A Charge to (NOT) Fit
“So Father, I thank You and bless You. You are sovereign Lord, and Your precepts, decrees, and Word never change nor fail. You are constant, and You desire for our consistency. I thank You for being so loving, and so forgiving. Right now, Lord I repent for myself and all my brothers and sisters over the world: I repent on the basis of compromise; for greatly this generation of Your children, we’ve been very slack. We’ve accepted many laws; we’ve accepted many decrees; we’ve accepted foolishness; we’ve accepted statements made by our unbelieving counterparts that have become realities to us. God, we’ve claimed Your name and calling, yet have shamed Your Word, through our actions and acceptance of actions of unbelievers. You desire truth and mercy in the secret place, yet it’s often only when we repent for ourselves to You, do we present truth and mercy. God teach us to be like You. Teach us not to withhold truth and mercy. Teach us how to truly follow Your Word, and be like You Christ Jesus. Amen.”
I’m hoping you meant that ‘amen.’ If not now, then I hope by the end of this letter you would. I’m sure you caught the message for this piece already from that prayer and title, but if not, this is clearly and simply about not fitting in—and being very okay with not fitting in.
I’ve told my testimony a number of times, actually, not as much as I probably should though (you can find it in our archives). The thing with my testimony, and who I’ve come to be is: I’ve never actually fit in. I think throughout my pre-college career, I’ve touched with about every social group (cue ‘Stick to the Status Quo’): the ‘nerds,’ the ‘jocks,’ the ‘popular,’ the ‘Africans,’ etc. But I’ve never really found my niche with them. It was because I was not crafted to fit in. From my formation in my mother’s womb, I was created to be a misfit.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
Consecrate(d) [v]: to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity.
The thing with Bible verses, if anyone is in doubt the validity of their relevance today, is that God’s Word remains the same; it remains available; and it remains effective forever.[1] Psalm 33:9 says, “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.” So God’s Word remains, and is effective for us today. I believe that, if it’s in the Word, no matter to whom it’s directed at, or for, it has relevance to us as individuals, as a group, and as the entire body, today.
We were made and created to be consecrated. In my interpretation, we were made to be misfits. This requires of us a number of things; might even require a lot of ‘no’s’ for us, but in contrast the innumerable amount of ‘yes’s’ outweigh those ‘no’s.’ In fact, the ‘yes’s’ are so much greater in opposition to the ‘no’s’ that if we observe one ‘yes’ to its opposing ‘no,’ we’ll see that for whoever chooses to do that ‘no,’ WILL SUFFER opposed to the WILL REJOICE that comes with choosing that ‘yes.’
Here’s an example: say you’re faced with the ‘yes’ of attending a night of evangelism or attending a friend’s birthday celebration (which is likely to dabble in ungodliness, a clear ‘no’); you being a believer, can actually probably attend either one, refrain from doing any ungodliness, if you attend the party, and that’d be it.
However, you being a believer with the call to lead others to Christ (that’s not optional, but mandated)[2] are much better off going evangelizing, simply because your focus is leading others to Jesus. While, it’s very possible you can lead the party attendees to Christ, that’s likely not central in your mind frame, nor anyone else’s there.
It’s also very possible that you being at the party positions you into ungodliness, clearly more so than evangelizing, where people knowing of your choice to follow God, can begin questioning whom your loyalty relies on: Jesus or friends. (And trust me, everyone wants to be loyal to their friends, and wants reciprocated loyalty…even JESUS!) These person(s) might begin to wager salvation as a matter that still condones ungodly living, regardless of you not partaking in ungodly actions.
I mean, going evangelizing, can have its negatives as well, right? You might not win a single soul for Christ; you might get cursed out; worst of all, you might even die. But you’ll be straight because you did your job and didn’t assume a position of compromise and for this, God is proud of you. And you’re now due for some type of reward, according to His Word [3] (we did just accept and establish His Word is true, right?).
Shoot, we’re often even given a third option, and that’s to do nothing. This last option tends to favour one of the previous options, in that it requires for the time spent doing the “yes” or “no” to be occupied with something else. And we all know, “what a man reaps, so he sows” (Galatians 6:7).
The point of that example, hopefully I was clear enough, is that the “yes” benefits will always outweigh the “no” benefits, if there are any. What made it a “no” in the first place was the fact that it conflicted with God’s word that says “what fellowship has light to do with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
The following verse says, “or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” If not examined properly, the verse might seem a little hypocritical. I mean, how can we evangelize to unbelievers, if we’re not around them? Easy, be around them; just don’t accustom yourself to their ways, and their doings. [4] Be set apart. Don’t fit in. Be a MISFIT.
We can save a dying world by being in it, but not doing what it does. We can save our country by being in it, serving in it, but not doing it the way of our fellow countrymen. We can save our schools by being in them, excelling in them, serving in them, but not doing it the way of our peers. We can enjoy ourselves and have the time of our lives by not doing what everyone else does, but doing what we do, with all creativity, inspiration, and grace given to us from God, as to the Lord and not to man.
While recently at IHOP-KC OneThing 2015, in passing, I heard a worship leader say something along the lines of, “We want the world to be sampling and using our songs, not the other way around.” And I couldn’t agree with the individual more. It might even sound cliché, but there’s an abundance of truth there.
All over the Bible, we are charged with being set apart, being different, and having those who’re in the world look unto us and then get directed to the Father, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.
We see this when Job is highlighted as a perfect man, one blameless and upright, who feared God and turned away from evil[5]; when God gives the Israelites, through Moses, the 10 commandments and all those laws in Leviticus to remain set apart from the Canaanites[6]; and we see this when God thoroughly urges and instruct us to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven; Keep your conduct among the unbelievers honorable, so that…they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12)
There’s an evident call to be different, and be different so others may see it, and eventually turn to the Lord because of your difference. Once again, we walk this Christian walk not just for ourselves, but for others to also come to know Jesus. If that’s not what you’re about, my brother, my sister, please evaluate yourself. If your mindset is not about living your life out as an example of Christ while following Christ's’ example, my friend, this Christianity thing you’re doing, isn’t really it.
My simple definition of Christianity is “following Christ.” The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch [7] for simply “following Christ.” Following Christ obviously isn’t just a matter of saying, “Oh, I follow Christ,” but actually doing it—that looks like being a disciple.
And that, I earnestly and prayerfully believe, according to the Word, requires us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and truly follow Jesus [8]. We are also required to deny ungodliness, flee from any appearance of evil, do that which is good in the Lord's sight, walk wisely, and do it all for the glory of the Lord [9].
Doing an ounce of any this will indefinitely require us to say “NO” to so many things, such as particular outings, some meetings, specific type of shows, songs, and even dances, maybe even some manners of dressing, and most significantly, some pleasures [10]. But the rewards of that resounding “YES” that raises from declaring these “NO’s,” I assure you, on account of the Word, are far too glorious and too fulfilling for our minds to grasp.
So, I urge you, I earnestly urge you and myself: Let’s please agree with an ‘AMEN’, that at the very dawn of this year, and for the rest of our lives preceding eternity, to say “NO” to these things that akin to ungodliness, or can even hint to any sense of unrighteousness; but in return, let’s develop the eager habit of saying “YES” to every promise, whether conditional or unconditional that God has in store for His children. I’m positive that by His grace and lovingkindness we won’t regret it [11]. Yes, be a MISFIT! Please do. It’ll benefit you, those around you, and the world so much that you are.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
Shout out to the guys at Social Club for truly carrying and living out this Misfit lifestyle. Also, here’s a shout out to three sisters for allowing me to experience the joy of being a misfit; you know yourselves’.
With love and a glorious Amen,
Jum the Beloved (1:5)
(Note: Under this are footnotes to all the verses I alluded to, please check them out and hold me accountable.)
[1] Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 33:4-9
[2] Matthew 28:19
[3]1 Corinthians 3:7-8; Luke 10:3-11
[4] Romans 12:2
[5] Job 1:1
[6] Exodus 20; Leviticus
[7] Acts 11:26
[8] Matthew 16:24
[9] Titus 2:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Deuteronomy 6:18, Ephesians 5:15, 1 Corinthians 10:31
[10] Isaiah 58:11
[11] Romans 8:18
Your Conviction Is My Conviction
I love people. I love people, a lot. But not enough to inform them that they may be a little off. Sometimes, not enough to share my convictions about a particular matter. And thus, I may compromise.
One of the first things I “learned”—heard, when I first came to Christ, was “your convictions are not my convictions,” and vice versa. It was a statement that I had heard so much, I almost even took it as scripture; you know, maybe Paul in one of the letters to Corinth or something, slipped in:
Thou foolish Corinthians, what has caused you to falter? Know ye not that, that which is burdened on me, is for me alone. And that which is burdened on you, is for you alone? Please, carry and mind your own.
3 Corinthians 1:1 NONE
Honestly, the statement might even have scriptural root (Romans 14:22), but not enough for it to stand as a biblical code
It’s a sad, sad case that one of the most regurgitated bible verse in modern Christendom is John 15:13 “No greater love exist than this, for one to lay down his life for a friend,” yet this act is almost only limited to driving up to upper, Upper-Marlboro to scoop a friend for a function; sharing a little of my chipotle bowl; and eventually taking a minute to pray for someone, who asked you to pray for them some time ago—eh, that’s besides my point. We’re a generation, along with the church in Galatians, that rests on what we do or have done. Don’t get me wrong, going out of my way to do something for a brother or sister in Christ is good, and should be done more often but so should honouring their walks.
Jesus preaches “there is no greater love than this, for a man to lay down his life for a friend,” and goes on to actively live it out. Jesus said to anyone who wanted to be his disciple: deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him. Jesus was so Jesus that He never went without exemplifying, to the extreme, any of the things He taught. Jesus literally had to “deny” Himself [His will and God-being capabilities] (Luke 22:42), “pick up His Cross” (John 19:17), and well—He followed Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1) and the Father (John 5:19), so He paved a path for us to follow. Yet, His desire wasn’t that we’d become
One thing I did take in stride when I came to Christ—actually, this was my first favorite verse: Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Very early on in my Christian walk, I, like many other young believers, adopted an understanding of “dying to yourself.” It’s the expressive statement of what Jesus meant by “deny yourself.” It’s essentially putting away ALL of You for ALL of Him—and expressively, the next believer.
Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”
We are given this notion that, “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about Jesus, and my brothers and sisters in Him.” However, the notion doesn’t always remain in effect, as we passively make the statement, our hearts actively stray from it. We are often about “me, myself, and I...okay, sometimes you, Jesus...ehhh...and maybe once in a while, you too” (*points to you*); we do things that aren’t plainly defined as wrong, but don’t glorify God nor yield good fruit. If that be the case, we have to chop it off like gangrene. (cc: JGivens verse from “Same Team”) No, SERIOUSLY, cut off anything in your life that doesn’t produce good fruit, nor glorify God. (Matthew 7:19).
Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.
When you’ve made the choice to pause from you, and live for Him, you’ll soon realize, that Jesus gave us a very quintessential law in Mark 12:31: “love your neighbor as you love yourself;” His prayer was for us to be as one (John 17), and Paul teaches us that in being one, we must bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). So that leads me to believe that there remains a very elegant focus in the bible: unity amongst the brethren. But why is unity such an issue for us? Why is it such a problem for the world? My proposed answer: we’re not willing give goodly and godly compromise.
Ew. Compromise.
Yes. Compromise. You can perceive that’s almost all Jesus did on Earth; goodly and godly compromise. He compromised Him being God, the Creator of this Universe, to dwell amongst His creation, as one of them. He compromised Him being a righteous, blameless, perfect human being, to die on the cross for us unrighteous, sinful, and imperfect humans. Yep, Jesus compromised a great deal. Aren’t we to do the same? I mean, we do profess “I want to be like You, Jesus,” all day long.
Notice I’ve added “goodly” and “godly” to compromise. Compromise is a word that has polarizing connotations:
Jummy compromised his integrity, as he joined his friends in smoking.
OR
Jummy compromised his pride, as he washed the feet of his friends.
I can, and likely will, bamboozle you with a plethora of scriptures, but you’ve seen enough so far. God desires that we would be one and together glorify Him in that one. But to do so, it requires for us to surrender—compromise—our self-fulfilling will and desires to God, and for the edification of the body. This will then allow us to bear one another’s burden, and fulfill the law of Christ.
It’s easy to point scripture declaring our freedom in Christ. But Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. The convictions we receive from Holy Spirit are often tailored to ourselves personally but ultimately for growth within our spheres of influence. Bill Johnson once said, “Your breakthroughs are not just for yourself, but for the next person.” I believe that principle is the same concerning many of the convictions we have. I’ve personally been convicted of wearing too-skinny pants, listening to particular (most...if not all) secular music, drinking, smoking, partying, watching particular movies and TV shows, etc. Some of the stuff I’ve been convicted of, aren’t necessarily unlawful—but God beckons I follow these convictions.
Matthew 11:15 “Whoever has ears, let him hear.”
If I am to honour God, by following these convictions, I better live them so fully out...that they seem as if they’re written on my flesh. I better live these convictions so fully out, that when I’m offered a drink, in the midst of my Christian brethren, I deny. And if I remain in that company, I better so fully live out these convictions that I explain why. Many of us receive convictions because we’ve struggled with these things or perhaps once tasted and realized “God hasn’t called me into this.”
It might sound killjoy-ish, but sharing my stance on a matter is much better than me compromising what God has paved for me, where I’d stumble and fall short. To me, it’s compromising my cool versus compromising my divine impression from God. One might be the more appealing, but the other, of course, is the most beneficial. But it’s hard. It’s hard to stand for what you’re for and not about, in the company of other believers, who for the most part, are like-minded. I don’t have a definite answer as to how to do so, but I have a couple of friends who do a good job of “suggesting” their convictions, it’s almost rather annoying...but it works.
The opposite, or, corresponding side of that coin is receiving that conviction and honouring it. Swallow that pride! Swallow it! Swallow it! That’s almost all I can say, because it’s so hard! This is the very reason that this dauntingly dauntless piece was crafted: honour one another’s convictions, as if your own. A sister of mine once shared how whenever someone would share their burdens with her, she’d bare them so much, that she began to ache with empathy for that person. She’d adopt that burden, and lift it with that person. Given, all the person is likely looking for, is someone to pray for them. But like Christ, my sister takes it an inch further, and actually aches, mourns, and joys with the person as they together carry that burden.
Jesus, Himself, was so willing to submit, that He even honoured the customs of the Pharisees as shown in Mark 12:15 and Matthew 17:27, just so that they wouldn’t stumble. It’s seldom said, but God bless Simon of Cyrene, who aided our Lord Jesus Christ in carrying His cross (Matthew 27:32). Just as that Simon did, so also should we do: respect, honour, and aid one another’s struggles. God forbid a friend of mine tells me they’ve struggled with drinking before Christ, and I’m found, by them, even looking at liquor. God forbid someone tells me how much they struggle with pornography, and I sit with them to watch a movie that has any inch of sensuality or sexual immorality.
Matthew 18:6 If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
This walk with, for, and after Christ is not easy, and often times isn’t fun. Often times, we are urged via convictions from God, and even from or for our brethren, to do or not do something—those convictions aren’t fun, and may even often seem repetitive and unfulfilling but, I, rather Paul, say this:
Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Recall that these convictions handed to us whether by God or a member of the body are not to hinder or limit us. Nor are they to disengage us from individuality. But rather to align us, in unison, with the standard that God has given us, which is Jesus Christ. If these convictions don’t help me conform into the image of Christ, than taking them on is pointless; but for those which do, how selfish and stupid would it be for me not to uphold them and share them with others? An awesome man of God, Kevin Muchiri says, “Although we are custom made, the things that do not please our Father are not custom but standard, and should be the same for every believer.” So I pray that God softens our hearts, and that we hearken our ears to Him and one another, to hear as the Spirit speaks, knowing that every Word from God is a gift, to be cherished and honoured, and not only heard, but done. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Shalom,
(Jum 1:4)