THE FENCE
I have struggled a lot with lukewarmness as a Christian. I didn’t really think I was struggling, but I see it now in retrospect. Some days it would feel like I have so much love for Jesus and then a few days later, I would be indifferent, aiming to at least open my bible app before I sleep. Honestly, I wasn’t worried. Like some people ignorantly say about romantic relationships, I thought I had just passed the honeymoon phase with God and this was normal and expected. It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit convicted me of lukewarmness that I began to see how much of an issue it really is.
I remember a time when I fell back into the routine of lukewarmness. While engrossed in the mundane activities of the day, I heard in my heart “If God be God then serve Him”. I was confused at first because that was quite random lol. I knew that thought didn’t come from me so I decided to search it up and see if it was a familiar catchphrase or something. A bible verse came up, so I opened it in my bible to read it in other versions. I love the way The Message version puts it.
“Elijah challenged the people: “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!” …”
1 Kings 18:21 MSG
It felt like a veil was removed from my eyes and over the next few days, I began to see the inconsistencies in my life even more clearly. I saw how I was conveniently using the grace of God as an excuse for the habits I didn’t want to change. I saw how I had adopted certain opinions that were in direct opposition to God and His word. I saw how I would “put God aside” or remain quiet in certain conversations because I didn’t want to seem like a religious fanatic. I saw how I had so many questions about Jesus and doubts about Christianity, yet tiptoed around them during my quiet time so I wouldn’t offend God by questioning Him😂. I was comfortable with treating Jesus like one out of many options at a buffet, pairing Him with whatever school of thought felt good to me at the moment.
God was breaking me out of hypocrisy and ostentatious religion and I knew He was inviting me to be honest with myself and with Him. “If God be God then serve Him”. I later realized quite a list of reasons I had this fluctuation in my walk with God and one of them was because somewhere in the deepest parts of my heart, I still accepted that following Jesus was an option. “A way”. I had not yet understood what He meant when He called Himself THE way.
Friends, the Christian journey is too crucial a commitment to be embarked on halfheartedly. It requires a level of determination, a doggedness even, that is only a fruit of total commitment. My earliest mentor once told me that “the hardest person to fight against is someone for whom winning was not just an alternative but the only way”. God is saying it is time to fully commit. See, until you resolve in your heart that you have no other options and that there is no other way to live on this earth than for Him, you will continuously cheat yourself out of the fullness of what it means to have a relationship with God.
As spooky as this may sound, the devil doesn’t care that you identify as a Christian when filling out forms, wear jewelries with a cross pendant, or sleep with your bible under your pillow. Realistically, he knows he can’t get everyone to become a satanist or “attend meetings in 99 realm” (I’m sorry! I just had to link the video🤣). A more subtle trick he uses is the fence- a point of selective commitment to God. The enemy offers a middle ground of some sort, where we can pick and choose what parts of Jesus we like and switch camps when the truth makes us uncomfortable. It’s a mirage. Such a middle ground doesn’t exist. The foundation of our belief as Christians is that we place ALL our faith in Jesus and recognize that He is the ONLY WAY through which we can be saved. The Bible says that satan masquerades as an angel of light so it is no surprise that he tries to get us as believers to compromise. One compromise here, one compromise there, and he pokes holes in our convictions.
The crux of the matter is that as Christians we must abhor the idea of having any mindset or ideology that is in contradiction to God’s word. We must guard our convictions jealously and be discerning enough to know when we are beginning to entertain counterfeits.
What is holding you back from going all in for Jesus? That was not a rhetorical question. Really think about it, don’t just glance through. we just talked about this!😂 Be committed enough to put effort into your growth. Are you scared of not fitting in? Are you addicted to the validation of people? do you have doubts about Jesus and the Christian faith? Unlike what you might believe, God loves your curiosity! He’s not offended by it. He understands you have questions, and His heart aches to answer them.
When you uncover these hindrances, talk to Him about it. As Christians, we have the privilege of fellowship with God. We speak to Him and He speaks right back! We have direct access to God! What an honor! Take advantage of this access and table those barriers before Him in prayer. It is in moments of vulnerability and honesty that intimacy with God is strengthened. You don’t have to put on a front with Jesus. You can be real with Him.
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