Church Since Birth

Hey Christians! We all have a testimony. Everyone has a story. Maybe you weren’t an atheist and then a Christian, or living a messy life and then God “picked you up” when you were at your worst. Maybe like me you were raised in the church. I’ve heard many people say “I don’t really have a testimony. I went to church my entire life, made mostly “good” decisions, and here I am today still a Christian.” If that’s you then listen up!

You have a story; one that is filled with the epic grace of Jesus just as much as anyone. Why? Because you are a sinner and Jesus died for YOU. If that’s not an epic of enough story for you, I don’t know what is! I understand that it may not contain as “messy” of stuff, therefore not having a rock bottom moment in your life where everything changed for you. However, maybe for you your “rock bottom” wasn’t a moment. Maybe it was the fact that for years you had Jesus and his word at your finger tips, and yet still something was missing. Maybe that “thing” was Jesus. Is that your story? That’s my story, and it’s still epic and it’s still important and it’s still a testimony.

The problem is that many of us have BELIEVED in Jesus practically since birth; so right away we are assuming that our story has no depth. However, believing in something doesn’t automatically mean that you are fully embracing what it really means to live out what you claim to believe. Belief alone does not equate to real experiences. It’s not just about what you believe that changes you; it’s about how you are living as a result of it. Unfortunately these days, it’s very easy to “believe in” a lot of things but never actually do or experience anything regarding it. A treadmill can sit in your house for 10 years because you “believed in a healthy lifestyle”; but you aren’t going to see changes until you actually start experiencing the exercise. In the same way I think a lot of people think that being a Christian is believing Jesus exists and rose from the dead; when really it’s not about believing anything. It’s about EXPERIENCING Jesus and EMBRACING the resurrection. If you sat in church every Sunday for 20 + years, and yet you still had not experienced Jesus, then you were just as far from him as the atheists who don’t even believe he exists.

Having been in church for 32 years, I know what it’s like to let church (unintentionally at times) tell you what a “Christian” should look like. That was my downfall. That was my very own rock bottom. I clung to it for almost 20 years. The truth is though, now I don’t follow religion or Christianity, I follow Jesus. I’ve been a “believer” for over 20 years; but I became a Christ FOLLOWER slowly over time in only the last 12 years. Jesus entering my life when I thought He was already there is my testimony. I didn’t realize I WASN’T a Christ follower until I actually was one. I stopped living within the LIE that I needed to live a certain way to receive Gods love; and started living in the freedom of Christ, by acknowledging the truth of His grace and the need for relationship with Him.

If you were raised in the church and therefore you struggle to look back and find “your testimony”, know that you aren’t alone and that you DO have a story worth telling. Maybe for you the question isn’t, “when did you become a believer?” The question is, “when did you become a Christ follower?” When in your life were you introduced to not the IDEA of Jesus, but the actual person Jesus? Where do you look? When what you believed started effecting how you experienced Jesus, that is where your testimony is.

{Believers believe that God exists; Christ followers experience Jesus}

Genesis 3

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭3:1‬)

Ok ladies.....

Key phrase - “He said TO THE WOMAN”. I was thinking about that today. Why the woman? For a quick second I thought, “ugh come on Eve, this is not a good look for women ok!” (haha) There were all of two human beings on the earth at that time, and the devil chose the woman to tempt. Did I get defensive as a woman myself for a minute or two as I psycho analyzed this? Yes I did. Then sadly enough I thought to myself, “is it because we are the weaker of the two?” Then I realized, NO. Ladies listen up!!!! This word came to my mind: INFLUENTIAL. The devil chose to tempt Eve not because he knew she was weak, but because he knew she was influential. What did Eve do next? Well in verse 6 she happily shares the fruit from the tree with her husband. It says, “She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, AND HE ATE IT.” Wow Eve! Good job! You convinced your husband to set all of mankind on an entirely new path with you. Hahaha..
Here’s the deal. The world (at the hands of the devil) has been trying to silence women for centuries. I’m sure the devil was pretty proud that day when he realized that all he had to do to wreak havoc was to tempt the woman. When she’s basically like, “here Adam try this”, and he accepts it, the serpent was probably like “Damn woman! Good girl.” I think it was in that moment he realized the potential.

Ladies, I have a secret for you....
You have potential, and the devil knows it. You are capable of changing the course of generational sins in your family, and the devil knows it. You are capable of teaching preaching and proclaiming the name of Jesus, and the devil knows it. You are capable of raising children that will become the next generation of Godly men and women, and the devil knows it. But listen up! You also have the potential to cause much damage and pain if you are tempted and influenced by the world, and the devil knows it. Why? Because like Eve you are influential. If you are a woman reading this, let that sink in. You are not weak. Say that to yourself right now. “I am not weak. I have potential. I can be influential.”

Ladies: The devil is coming for you because he knows what you’re capable of. He came for Eve, and he comes for us. Today it comes in the form of churches preventing women from leading or teaching, or sexism at its finest when in many marriages women are expected to stay silent even when the husband is abusive, or when a woman comes forward about rape the world is quick to victim blame... why? Because the devil wants us and everyone in the world to think we are weak. “It must be our weaknesses that ruins everything” we tell ourselves. Well I’ve got a message for the devil: You can’t have me or my weaknesses. My weaknesses don’t define me. I am defined by Christ and he affirms me to stand up and be a strong woman of God! I want to be clear here though, this is not a personal feminism plug! Men are just as influential, and I have MANY men in my life that I look up to and respect with the highest regard. This is not to diminish men and their roles in the kingdom of God. This is a reminder to all women that we have been targeted SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. Literally. That has to hold some sort of weight! The weight it holds is this...

That day in the garden the devil had a choice, and he chose Eve. She took the bait, and she brought her husband and all of humanity down with her. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me. So please. For the LOVE... don’t take anything from him!!!! And also my encouragement to all women is to not take the calls that God has on your life lightly. The devil also knows that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John‬ ‭4:4‬) He knows that a woman after God is scary stuff. Be the kind of woman that has the devil terrified. Any attack on your life, is because Satan knows your potential.

Eve messed up. We’re all going to mess up. I mess up. But stand firm and hold tight to the truth that was displayed in Genesis 3; the truth that women hold power and influence and Satan knows it. You are not weak. You are influential. So what are you going to stand for? Who are you influencing? Is it God breathed; or lies from the devil?

Oh and repeat after me:
“Not today Satan.” (Repeat daily)

WARNING: This way of living will rock your world. Miracles and healing may occur. Side effects are a deeper knowledge of who Christ is, and a peace that passes all understanding. Keep an eye out for the serpent. Believe nothing he says and take nothing he offers. He’s a liar.