It is time.
Time to get back to the basics of our Christian faith.
What is a Christian? A Christ follower.
Over the years, the Church as a whole (body of believers) has been infiltrated, watered down, not as powerful as it once was, blurred lines with worldly ways in trying to be "relevant", spiritually lazy, apathetic, afraid to offend, passive, and honestly....just simply confusing at times. So much mixture has slid in that we just don't know what's from the world and what's from God anymore.
Okay, so what do WE do about it?
It will take us going back to the basics. First on a personal level, then in our marriages, then in our families, and then finally in our churches.
Here, I’ll give you some pointers:
Go back to your first love - Jesus. Put Him first in your life again. Repent for idolatry (putting anything else above Him), dedicate time each day to spend with Him (it's not religious works, it's called fresh manna - you need spiritual food daily), read your Bible, put on worship music and sing to Him, dance, wave those worship flags, lay down & soak in His presence, take communion. Time with God is always #1. You've got to build this foundation. No one else can do it for you. This is your secret place & God will honor it. He adores you.
Welcome Holy Spirit into your day, and honor Him. (side note: if Holy Spirit is not honored in your church, maybe it's time to find another church) He's the one that Jesus sent after He ascended into heaven, it's who we do life with. Pray in your prayer language ("tongues"), intercede for others, anoint yourself with oil, fast as the Lord leads.
Get discipleship.
Spiritual house clean. Ask Holy Spirit to light up the things in your house that are not pleasing to Him - books, movies, games, decor, souvenirs, clothing, toys, etc. Throw them away and command any demonic that had come in through them to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. Anoint your house with oil.
Strengthen your marriage. Read the Bible & pray together regularly. Make Jesus a priority in your marriage. If your spouse is not a Christian, then pray/fast for them, love on them with the love of Jesus. Ask Holy Spirit how to pray & intercede for them.
Strengthen your family. Do family devotions together, print off "read through your Bible" charts, sing & dance along to fun worship videos, watch learning videos that the kids will love, do Bible memory verses & games, pray over each other, prioritize time together once a week to go over how everyone's week went and share/build relationship.
Find a Holy Spirit filled, real Bible believing, Jesus centered church to attend as a family. Pray for God's leading, use godly wisdom & discernment. Get involved, serve, grow!
Lord, I pray for everyone reading this today. Bless them, open their eyes to Your truth, Your love. Give them the strength to get in the secret place with You daily - to say no to the flesh, the devil, and the distractions. To get up a little earlier, put a "do not disturb" sign on the door, turn the phone off, whatever it takes. Shower them with Your love, Jesus! Bless & multiply the time that they spend with You. Even though it may not always be easy, it is planting spiritual seeds and is so worth it. Spiritually mature Your people, Lord. Give them crisp clear wisdom & discernment to not fall for the mixture that the enemy is seeping in - to kick it out and be healed, strong, and ready to take the land. Knit the marriages & families together. Time for the Body of Christ to be strong again! In Jesus' name, amen.
