The Opposite of Authentic

 

Authenticity is the common thread for all the worship leaders I have come in contact with. What does being authentic mean to you? Merriam Webster defines it as: a means of undisputed origin or genuine.  How are we to going to be able to speak of real relationship, with a real God if we are in a fake relationship with him? How will we lead others if we aren’t even following the same things? God desires ALL of us. This Sunday are you going to sing, “I surrender some, Oh I surrender some, Only part of me to Jesus, Oh I surrender some?” Ok. I realize most people will never openly admit they are holding back an area of their life, but are they being real with God? For any relationship to thrive it must be authentic.  We must be authentic in our relationship with God!

You can’t fake a relationship with God. Sure, you can make everyone else think that you are spiritual by sporting religious apparel and even boasting about your faith, but eventually you’ll the truth will surface. There will come a time when you’re tempted or disaster occurs.  If you are faking it to make it your faith will not be strong enough to help you stand up in the face of adversity. The older I get the more I see this to be true in my own life. I have an intense need to spend more time with God every single day and to be more honest with Him about my struggles. I have become utterly dependent upon His grace. If for some reason I miss a day of confession, and reading my Bible, I just feel “out of sorts”.  Think about how you feel if you make it to work without that first cup of coffee and then times that by a thousand.

I haven’t always desired authenticity with God. It’s embarrassing to admit, but in years past I would go a few days without praying and without reading my Bible. But when it came to letting God steer my decision-making process, or needing Him to help me refrain from sinful habits, I had very little power to do so. I would allow my duty to the Marine Corps or my obligations to fatherhood/husband hood to swallow me whole. When this happens I lose sight of how to have a relationship that matters.   There are 3 signs of a fake relationship with God: 1. How you see people will be different. Without a real relationship you can't love people like God loves people. 2. You begin finding reasons not to go to church or spend time with others who are going to church. Don't abandon ship and its leaders. If you are reading this SPEND some time praying for your team, small group leaders, and your friends who are going through this. 3. You will be fruitless.  (Gal 5:22-23) Walking with God means your life will produce these things! You won't have to fight to produce this. It just happens according to the relationship!

Thankfully I woke up and saw the light.  Along the way I made a conscious decision to be more disciplined about spending designated time with God, daily. That discipline has produced fruit in my life. It has provided me with the ability to hear from God more clearly and to let His Spirit lead me.

I’m not sure how often you spend time with God, how much you read your Bible, pray, and listen to Him, but I want to encourage you to be very honest with yourself and make an assessment. Ask yourself the question, “Am I keeping it real or just faking it?” Maybe God is leading you to exit this website and either head over to http://churchofthehighlands.com/bible or open up your hard copy Bible and spend some time reading His Word and listening to His voice.