JESUS AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL.

If you’re a Christian & Jesus isn’t at the center of your life, then you’re doing life wrong.
No seriously, I’m not joking.

What is the point then of being a follower of Jesus if He isn’t the one thing driving all you do?

This is a wake-up call kind of statement & question… one I’ve wrestled with in my own walk with the Father.

I had to get real REAL honest with myself (these are questions I reflect on more often than not) … & to be practical these were questions I was pondering :
Were my friends driving me towards Christ?

Was the way I was acting displaying values like Christ?

Did the way I speak reflect the Word of God?

Did the way I view myself & others show that I know what true love is?

Is the way I carry myself pointing to the very fact that I am a believer in Jesus??

I can dance around ALL these questions to get the answer to be “yes.” BUT to put it simply, no. I wasn’t. I did what I wanted to do. How I wanted to do it. My fleshy desires & passions drove my actions & decisions. I claimed to be a Christian, yet I proved to be the opposite of that. I fell into the trap, as so many of us have… of being a typical modern-day Christian; picking & choosing what part of Christianity seems “good for me.” This isn’t how God works. You either believe & follow the Word of God in full OR you don’t.

Yes, I went to church, read my bible. I struggled with conviction in EVERY area of my life. Yet, I basically said to God, “I know better.” Until He stripped me of what I thought I knew, knocked me to my knees, & it was at that moment just half a year ago that I KNEW, my eyes were opened, I needed to repent & change the race I was running & run after my Father.

Yes, that involves doing the hard things LIKE recognizing some friendships are for a season & not forever. Letting go of expectations & lists. Redirecting my thoughts to set my mind on Heavenly things & not worldly things.
Speaking TRUTH over my life when the devil tries to speak shame & guilt. Putting myself out there for the sake of finding a Christ-like community.

Saying YES to the Father & NO to this world. Saying YES to purity & NO to sexual sin or desires. Saying YES to pursuing the Lord’s plans for my life & NO to my plans.

If you’ve gotten this far … I say all this out of a place of love & because I wish so desperately for ALL to know the truth that comes from following Jesus. I also wouldn’t say this if I haven’t walked through the valley myself. The truth is that God RESTORES & REDEEMS. Even if you think you’re too far gone, THINK AGAIN. Stop running away from the one created YOU, designed YOU, & knows YOU better than you know yourself. Surrender it all over to Him because He cares for YOU.