Please read part 2 if you haven’t already.

11. Whom will you serve?

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Keep it 100’? It simply means be consistent, be honest, be authentic. Don’t be hot one day and then cold the next. Be the same in public and in private. Be the same whether it’s a Friday night or a Sunday morning. The reason I mention this because the same way we desire loyalty and faithfulness from others, we shouldn’t find it strange that the Lord desires the same from us. He doesn’t want us to be a people who will one day serve Him and the next day, serve other idols.

The bible is very clear, you cannot serve two masters. There will always be one that you love more than the other (Matthew 6:24. You won’t experience true intimacy with God until you wholly devote yourself to Him.  When we decide to follow Jesus, we have consciously made the decision to follow him and not look back. Even if others fall away, will you continue to walk with Jesus? Is your conviction strong enough to keep choosing God every day?

And if you’re reading this and you’re sitting in the middle, a day will come where that fence will no longer be there. The charge that Joshua gave to the children of Israel, is the still the same today. Choose this day whom you must serve (Joshua 24:15a).

12. Church hurt is real

The term ‘church hurt’ is when the people who make up the church, hurt you. It may not be a real word, but its effects are real.

I’ve had my fair share of church hurt and what I have found is that I had an expectation (sometimes unbeknownst to me) that wasn’t realistic. Most of the time we have this idea that because we are blood-bought, born-again, bible-believing Christians who love God and love people, we wouldn’t dare hurt one another, right?

Sometimes we hurt each other intentionally, for the most part unintentionally. Yes, we’re saved. Yes, we’re children of God. Yes, we make up the body of Christ. One thing we must remember is that the church is full of broken people. We were broken because of our sin when we accepted Jesus Christ. It doesn’t stop after salvation; we still need to be broken (humble).  Sanctification is a process in which the Holy Spirit does a work in us and the word of God (if we submit to it) transforms our hearts and minds.

I wish I could say that you won’t be offended but I would be lying. One thing that I have learnt from this is to give my grievances to God quickly. Your relationship with God is far too precious to allow anyone or anything to get in the way. We must be vigilant in guarding our hearts because it is those who are pure in heart that will see God (Matt 5:8).

Unforgiveness that is not dealt with will harden your heart and hinder your prayers. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you excuse their behaviour. Instead, it frees you from bondage.

I know some situations are more sensitive than others and forgiveness can be difficult. In that case, please find mature Christians who can walk alongside you in prayer and also give you godly wisdom.

Please don’t allow church hurt to be the reason that you stop following Jesus Christ. Don’t allow it to rob you from future friendships with genuine Christians or gathering with the saints.

13. Obedience to God won’t always be understood by others.

This is a lesson that I’ve learnt in recent years. I used to think that when God asked me to do something, He would confirm it with my brothers and sisters in Christ. While that does happen, just not all the time. Sometimes God gives us an instruction, and it won’t make sense to others. It may even cause them to sow seeds of doubt and possibly create offence.  

I’m reminded of Peter who had this revelation of who Jesus was (Matthew 16:16) but when Jesus spoke to his disciples of what he will have to suffer, the bible tells us that Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him (Matthew 16:22). In Peter’s mind, Jesus was meant to overthrow the government, and they would be his right-hand man. However, Jesus came to die on the cross as a ransom for many.

For some of us, we’re unaware of the expectations of the other person and it can seem as though you are in error. This isn’t to say that we should disregard godly counsel. In humility, listen to what is being said and then take it to the Lord in prayer. Alway remember that obedience to God will always bear fruit in the end.

14. It is possible to worship God in the storm.

It’s easy to worship God when everything is going well or when He answers your prayers. What happens when things don’t happen the way you expected them to, and it seems like God has failed you, abandoned you or doesn’t see you.

In Isaiah 40, the prophet encourages God’s people not to lose hope. He doesn’t comfort them by telling them that everything will be alright. Isaiah knew that they were hurting. What Isaiah does do is comfort them by reminding them of the character of God and how powerful He is.

Our emotions are valid but it’s what you do with them that matters. We have a choice to make. Will we be governed by our emotions or will we be governed by the Holy Spirit. If there’s anything that I’ve learnt is that trials will come to test one thing and one thing only…our obedience to God.

Obedience to God is worship and there will be situations that will make you question if God is faithful. If God is worthy of your worship, your surrender. In the midst of the pain and disappointment, will you look back at all the times where He has been faithful?

One of the ways we can encourage ourselves in the Lord is by reading His word. Rather than isolate yourself, surround yourself with other Christians who can encourage and pray for you. Last, be honest with God. He doesn’t want us to be people who draw near to Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. If your heart is fragile at the moment, I want you to know that you can trust Him with it.

15. He must increase

“He must increase, but I must decrease” – John 3:30.

Every time I read the response of John the Baptist when his disciples were concerned that people were following Jesus, I’m always amazed at his humility and authenticity. It was never about him, but it was about Him. Wherever the Lord has placed us to serve and whatever He has asked us to do with the gifts and talents that He has given us, let us do it diligently and with Christ in mind.

Let our main objective be that Christ is glorified and this requires us to lay down our desires for fame, popularity, accolades and being the “greatest”. True greatness according to Jesus, is by serving others. If the main purpose of us doing what we are doing is for Jesus Christ to be magnified, it shouldn’t matter how many people are following us. What should matter is how many of them are following Jesus Christ?

I’ve still got a long way to go and I’m still learning every single day. I pray that this blessed you.

God bless,
Susan.