Spiritual Makeover

Hello Everyone!!!

I know this is soooo long, but I'm so excited about what happened this weekend that I can't shorten it any more. 

I just got home from my church's spring retreat a few hours ago- it was amazing. I could really feel Holy Spirit moving through us when we were worshiping and praying etc. Our theme this weekend was "spiritual makeover" and how we can be fake on the outside, but eventually our true selves are going to come out. What you see isn't always what you get, but God calls us to be transparent and vulnerable to Him and to everyone else. He wants us to be so filled with Him that we spill out his joy and presence onto other people naturally. When people look into our lives they should be able to see right through our shells to the heart that loves Jesus- the heart that struggles, and sins, and lacks faith sometimes. Being a Christian doesn't mean we have it all together by any means. I think putting up a front just hardens your heart. The less transparent we are to other people, the harder and longer it will take for God to work in our lives. 

We are already transparent to God! When Jesus died on the cross he already knew our sin. He knew the sin of the past, and he knew the sin of the future. He knows how I will sin tomorrow, yet he still died for me. Because of this God calls us righteous when we accept his gift of forgiveness. I am a righteous saint who sins (crazy, right?). I am not a sinner any longer. Just because I did something bad doesn't make me a bad person. God has seen into the future and knows the sins I will commit but He still calls me righteous! Isn't that exciting? Theresa (a youth leader from church) also talked about being disobedient, which was SO convicting for me. God is the one who said that we can be alive. He created us and gave us the ability to live. He's the one who allows our eyes to open in the morning. And what other reason would He let us do that than just for Him? And to show His glory and spread His word and be His hands and feet? So when God asks us to do something and we say no, who do we really think we are? Who are we to tell the Creator of the Universe- the all sovereign and powerful God- that we don't want to do His will? It was really eye-opening for me to realize how powerful God is.

On a similar note, when we pray we need to pray in belief. Hosea 6:3 says "Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." God PROMISES to appear as surely as the sun will rise!! The majority of the time when I pray, I pray halfheartedly. Not really believing that God will show up and work in someone's life- or even in my own. Yet every night I go to sleep believing beyond the shadow of a doubt that the sun will rise in the East the next morning. How do those add up? I'm not saying that it's not okay to have doubts sometimes and to go through the seasons of our faiths. But by praying in belief we can be positive that God will show up- whether it's the way we want Him to or not. 

    One last thing- I was singing a worship song with the group when I looked over and saw one of my close friends sitting down, not really into the worship. I knew that he was having a rough weekend and didn't really want to be on this retreat. The Lord spoke to me and told me to go and pray with him privately... I was almost convinced that it was just "my imagination" and not the Holy Spirit, but I obeyed (thank God I did). He agreed, and I invited the Holy Spirit to move through both of us while we prayed. I spoke healing into his past and present and I asked that God would reach down and touch him and be near to his heart- putting all the pieces back together. I opened my eyes and I saw that my friend was crying because the Spirit was working. So I kept going and the Holy Spirit filled me and I spoke in a language that I didn't know. I have spoken these words before, but this time was different. While I was praying this time God told me that it is a prayer of healing from the Spirit. HOW COOL! Afterward, we sat and cried for a little bit and my friend received the healing that God wanted to give him. Thank you God!!!! 

    In closing, I just want to say that there is nothing you can do that will separate you from the love of Christ. Similarly, there is nothing you can do that will make you more righteous. He is there pursuing you constantly and all He wants from you is a relationship. Try it this week. Talk to God about your problems…share with Him your frustrations and doubts and admit your shortcomings. Tell Him the things that you love and the things that you hate. He wants to be your friend, and once that relationship starts I promise that He will do great things in your life.

If you have a chance, read Psalm 51. 

I love you all! 

- Mya Grace