Life With a Side of God

The straight and narrow is a bumpy road, it's long and at times lonely, the weather gets rough and the terrain difficult to maneuver, and you're not always sure where it's taking you. There are however, other aspects of this road that are far more deserving of acknowledgement, for if the description above bore the only characteristics of the path I would have chosen a different one a long time ago.
When water has been scarce for some time, when your legs begin to collapse and your eyes start to fail, there is an invisible force that upholds and sustains you; it pushes you on over the hill, and once you descend, the rain comes and falls on your face all while watering the seeds that died in the dry season. The fresh water then nourishes the land you've been living in, reviving once more those seeds you laboriously planted. An oasis appears, flowers and beautiful green grass sprout from the ground and strong oaks rise up providing shade from the scorching heat, because even in the cracked and dry places the sun is not omnipotent.

Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds....

There are trials that you will face whether you are a Christian or not; they are just the nice little surprises that life throws at you... they're simply known as, "life trials".
They happen all the time and certainly test our patience, gentleness and self-control. These are everyday situations that happen to and around us, both as a reaction and/or by mere chance, and it is within our power to respond with a humble heart or to dwell on and sometimes (depending on the circumstance) escalate them.

Then, there are the trials that come with the Christian package; these trials can come in many different forms, as can the former, however the difference is, these are deliberate and aimed at drawing us closer to God and developing us into someone who is more fruitful.
John 15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.This type of trial comes in different seasons and targets different areas of our lives. God will use different methods for teaching us what He wants us to learn in these times and he will also only test those who are ready for the challenge.
Among these more "specific" trials is the desert season, a.k.a the "silent season". This is a time when God seems distant, you feel alone and as though you can't find or feel him.
Job went through it when his world literally fell apart, God did not speak a word until he decided it was the right time.
 And David described it perfectly in Psalm 63, "My soul thirsts for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
Nothing can satisfy in this time; you deeply desire to soak in his presence but "soaking" implies moister and this season is dry and without any source of water. Your senses are seemingly dead, you can't feel God, he is a million miles away. But truly, this is all part of the "pruning" process.
What will you do when you don't have your emotions backing you? What will you do when you can't feel him? Will you give up and go after something easier? Will you look for something else to satisfy your need? No, you must press on towards the goal.

I have been going through the said season which I was oblivious to at first; I was angry and confused for a little while, thinking that I had done something to cause this silence and it also seemed that everything I had set my heart on and planned to do had fallen through, time and again.
"Where are you God?" Was the theme of my thoughts, but then I shared what was happening with two women of Godly council and they encouraged and informed me that this was quite normal.
I then understood and turned my thoughts from, "how could you?" to, "thank you!" For it states in scripture that God disciplines those He loves.
But all of this to preface and lead to the fact that God revealed to me in my difficulty, how few persevere through their own. But whats more, how few are even faced with such a trial.
That's really what this post is centered on, not trials or temptations, but the steps leading to them.

It's all or nothing, lukewarm is not an option

God wont put you through a trial in which he is silent and "far away," if you've never known what it is to hear his voice and to feel his presence in the first place. If you've never grown to love the sound of his voice, or to yearn for him throughout your day, or sought to spend your time with him; if you have never known or loved him, then he won't take you through a trial in which love for him is the one thing being tested and expected to get you through; it would utterly slip past your attention. This trial is both evidence of a higher degree of faith and love in Christ and a means of proving it as genuine.

This is not a trial to be faced by those who know of God, but rather, it is for those who know him and are known by him.
So, I write this to the professing Christians, those who have been trapped by complacency, who have been saved for a time and have yet to seek him out further than the Gospel which induced them into binding themselves to Christ in the first place. It is not time that draws you closer to him, but action.

James 6 
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God,

The majority of Christians have been caught up into the lie of lukewarm Christianity which teaches, - through lack of teaching - that life with God on the side is acceptable. But the truth is, it is absolutely not O.K.. God very seriously says he will spit those who are neither hot nor cold out of his mouth!
How do you define a lukewarm Christian? A lukewarm Christian is someone who eagerly claims the title of 'Christian' but still has a tight hold on the world, he/she has accepted the label but not the life and commitment of a Christian. Revelation 3 gives a clear definition.

Revelation 3
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

It is time to move forward in your walk, it is time to take action.
God is looking for people who will lay down on the alter every ambition of their own and say, "'here am I oh Lord, send me!'" He is looking for those who have made it their mission to hate their life in the earth and love their life in Christ; he is looking for those who are willing and seeking to let go of the world and take hold of Christ completely.
Take a moment to examine yourself; you will know in yourself whether you have taken the proper steps to draw near to God. You will know if you have come to a place where if the Lord withdrew the perception of his presence it would hurt.

Luke 16:13
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

John 12:25
25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Know God

Matthew 7
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

I am afraid that a great deal of Christians will be faced with this reality on the day of judgement. But, it doesn't have to be that way if you do the will of God, which is to love him as the first and greatest commandment instructs.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength" 
Deuteronomy 6:5

If you truthfully want to wholly give up your half in, half out lifestyle, below are some instructions on being set on fire for God.
If you don't have a deep hunger and thirst for Christ right now, that's ok, it doesn't always start that way. It may be curiosity, or even the desire not to be rejected on the day of judgement that compels you to pick up the Bible, that's OK. Just do it, and while you're doing it cry out, "give me passion, give me holy fear, give me love for you God!" Do it again and again and again, let that passion grow! Don't stop after only one try, nothing changes with merely one attempt.
Proverbs 8:34 says, "blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway."
You cannot do things only when your emotions are engaged, Christianity takes a high degree of self-discipline, seek him out everyday and ask him to give you self-control to do these things when you have no desire to do them. Ask him to give you strength.
I pray that you would become disciplined in your walk, that settling for a shallow relationship would be inconceivable to you, I pray that Jesus be the center, and not merely an aspect of your life, but that he would become your life.

Do not be afraid of trials, as James said it, "consider it pure joy!" It is a joy and an honor to go through a trial. When you know the reason for the trial and the one who is putting you through it, you can embrace it with joy, you will run into it with thanksgiving.

To the ones going through difficulties now, and to the ones who are asking themselves, why on earth would I want to put myself through that? I say this, it is infinitely worth it.


Alyssia Lee