Walking in Authenticity

What the world needs is authentic Christians that walk in a humble, transparent dependence on God. In the past i have had well intentioned Christians try to tell me that we need to only verbalize our victories and  not speak about our failures and pain.  I have been told that we need to "positively confess" what we want to see going on in our lives--and not the reality (if that reality is painful).  I understand the belief in positive confession but anyone reading the Psalms can see the struggles, doubts, sadness and questioning that David went through in walking out his relationship with God.  Yet, in the midst of hardship and grief he didn't pretend that everything was OK.  Instead he verbalized his trust in God despite his circumstances. How can those around us going through hardship feel like they can even relate to Christians (and subsequently Christianity) when every Christian they meet is working so hard to keep the mask on? Personally I've been through joyful times but I've also been through suffering and pain in life. Throughout everything though my loving Heavenly Father held me securely in the palm of his hand. We need more believers to be bold enough when facing hardship to say "my life is a mess, I'm broken and grieving--yet despite what I see, I chose to trust God knowing that he loves me and is faithful."  Being a Christian doesn't mean that we will never face trauma or pain. It simply means that we have hope in the fact that God loves us, He will never leave us, and He will bring blessing out of the adversity.  If we aren't transparent with our struggles--we will never be relatable to a lost and hurting world

Our Amazing God

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   The amazing thing about having a relationship with God is how he's always there for us whether we "feel" his presence or not. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we can now approach God directly. I'm so glad I can walk through life with the confidence of always knowing that my loving heavenly father holds me securely in his hands. Nothing ever takes him by surprise or catches him unaware. Most ...importantly, he has this amazing ability to take life situations and circumstances that seem impossible and eventually bring blessings out of trauma. This morning if you're facing hardship or life seems out-of-control--share your heart with your heavenly father. He loves you, he earnestly wants to hear from you, and most importantly he is our source of help and refuge.