Christ over Culture

Convictions 

While I was in church on Sunday this quote was said “lukewarm Christianity has become so normal that Biblical Christianity seems radical” Shane Pruitt. 

This stuck with me! Just the day before I was speaking with two of my friends about what it means actually to live for Christ. Seriously how do we as Christians look different from the world?

I look around and I see how Christians blend in with society so much, when we’re called to stand out. I look at my own life and see how I blend in with the world in areas that God would never be a part of. 

One area that I’ve been hearing God call me from is watching shows and movies even videos with curse words in them. This is how our conversations go every time He reminds me….

Me: Uhm God? You know every show, movie, and video has curse words in it? It’s not like I say these words I’m just watching something.

God: Would you watch it if I were there? 

Me:……sighs

God: My Spirit is in you so why would you feel comfortable doing it because I’m not physically there? 

Me: God You just don’t get it! 

See but the thing is, I know God gets it! I know He wants what’s best for me. I know his purpose for me is to live a holy and acceptable life. I just love my desires more than His will for me. 

I feel like every time we choose what’s comfortable or normal to us instead of what’s pleasing to God we tell Him, “I choose my pleasure over Your purpose.”

I’m not saying I have it together this is a conviction I’ve been struggling with for over a year and still haven’t overcome, I was literally watching the show “Scandal” a few weeks ago! I know God wasn’t anywhere in the midst of that! 

What I’m trying to say is that we serve a God who desires to be intimate with us 24/7. Who desires to spend time with us and be glorified in everything that we do. Even with us knowing this we still choose our pleasures and comforts because giving up something so simple as a show or a movie is “too much” or unnecessary. 

I think we sometimes believe that being a radical Christian is too much of a sacrifice. But should we desire to be in places that God would never be in? 

It may be a movie, song, video, party, TikTok trends, outfit, slang, thought, or even look…if God isn’t going to be glorified should we be a part of it? 

I honestly don’t know what it would take to be a radical Christian but if I want to find out I have to quit denying my convictions and actually obey God. Every time we deny that conviction or that nudging we silence the voice of God in our lives. 

My encouragement to you and to me is that we choose to obey God’s voice even when it’s hard! I pray that we can live lives radically on fire for Jesus and not think it’s “extreme” or as my country says “super spiritual”. I pray we actually want to protect our eyes and ears knowing that our hearts can be easily influenced by what we see and hear! I really pray that we don’t live another week with hearts withheld from Jesus but instead with hearts fully surrendered to Him.