Why Christians Are Miserable & How to Find Out if You Already Are

Welcome back to another Christ centered & saturated blog post! Its the first post of 2019 and I am excited to actually be posting something.

This post was inspired by a fellow believer that posted their own novel length caption, beckoning in their new year. It wasn’t the length of their caption or skirt (<– a joke) that caught me off guard & irritated me; it was, rather, the content. This individual who could be very well reading this post ( I dunno what they do on their free time), spoke the most negative, sorrowful, wack attempt of humility, word over their ENTIRE year! Like, it just started!

Their caption basically said that they were expecting more disappointment and every terrible plot line to a pity party story, all the while allowing the goodness of the Lord to offset the ‘terribleness’ they spoke into their new year.

It’s a lot of face palm content.

Not only did this individual set themselves up for a cycle of their previous year, what made me more upset was there was a multitude of believers applauding this negative word— like in agreement!!

I don’t know what’s gotten into the body of Christ but it seems as if we’ve begun to glorify insecure people rather than actual confident Christ-like people for the sake of ‘relatability’.

This has got to go!

This trend has set us up for a life of cycles and bondage! However, seeing as this happens to be the majority rule of mainstream Christianity, I want to show you all exactly how to successfully become a miserable Christian:

(Read with an introspective attitude: )

According to the Church of Mainstream Nonsense, we are expected to live a life valleys & mountain tops, and defeats & wins, and off days & on days. A life of prayers sprung up to God with no guarantee that He would or could answer any of them because we’re just that faith driven.

—Or something like that.

I mean, why would we expect to live a life of victory with an unbeatable God who has a record of consecutive wins against the foul devil— whose authority and power has been stripped by the Son of God—?

Why would we EVER expect to be victorious in all & every aspect of life with a God that is for us, as is 2/3 of Heaven that Satan could not pull down with him? That’s all silly faith talk.

No. We’re human and are to expect to live a human life of misery, back to back defeat, sermons that help us cope with defeat by insisting that it is ‘A-okay’ and that God’s not scared of it.

—Or something like that.

well we we’re too broken and human to ever dare to achieve such a deep walk with God that visibly represents our Heavenly position next to Christ on the throne, so we’ll just soak in His love and mercy, with the help of worship instrumentals, for right now.

— If God, by his mercy and grace, decides to look past our ‘unworthiness’ and bless us with answering our 5 minute prayers, and self ministering filled songs of pleading worship then this shock of a turn of events will be celebrated for a good five minutes before everything settles back to normal. We don’t want to jinx our misery for joy!

After all, to appreciate that mountain top, we need to go through the valley!

This is the toxic thinking that has consumed the Church and constantly continues to disguise itself as humility and servitude and praise. This is the action and position the Church has decided to “boldly” take as they enter the throne room of God Almighty.

It’s pretty pathetic, if you ask me.

But you didn’t.

It’s all just a whole bunch of flesh activity with a dash of God, to me.

This ideology of lack even affects the very image by which we behold God!

You don’t even have to go far down the ladder of faith to hear the ‘yes, no or wait’ spiel regarding prayers.

What’s this? You ask.

You know, whenever we pray to God Almighty, The Ancient of Days, (& most important to be noted) Jehovah Jireh, we can expect to get the three solid answers of ‘yes, no & wait’.

Personally, I have never received an answer from God like that, but seeing as drawing insight from a personal walk with God holds ZERO profit, I’ll just say that the Word of God quite literally disagrees with this concept.

But I guess we’ll all just throw away these verses, huh?

We obviously see that God answers our prayers so that our joy may be full! (also a scripture) But the way Christians are carrying on is as if we’re trying to decipher God through the lens of humanity without ever transcending into the ways of the Spirit and letting Him show Himself to us by His active word.

We have been glorifying lack and confusion and doubt for the claim of vulnerability!

Where is the faith?

Where is the part where we ask God to help us grow to be like Him? Where does God come into play in the midst of our lives? Have we really compromised the active, empowering, transforming power of the Living Word of God for a feel-better devotional?

«What in this mindset and way of living that required the Word of God to tell me to enter boldly in His throne & would help me be bold?»

Please rest on that question.

I think one way I’ve seen miserable Christians function is by seeing them think they have to carry their problems, and bear that burden to do a service unto the suffering that Christ went through for us on His way to the cross AND on the cross.

I’ve seen Christians’ joy, fight, life, peace and so on, become sucked out of them because they have allowed life to be an untouchable entity, even for God, that cannot be altered and only has to be roughed through.

I just want to remind everybody that problems were not promised, persecution was (2 Timothy 3, Luke 21, Matthew 10). Don’t mistake your personal problems that could easily be fixed through prayer, fasting, intercession and/or divine intervention, for a service to God.

“It is expected to be challenged; it is unscriptural to be defeated”- Jonathan Shuttlesworth

According to Matthew 17:27-30, we’ve been commanded to not carry burdens the Lord gladly said he was willing to bear. ***

Half of the stuff some Christians say today, I don’t even agree with or relate to! I don’t even relate to the “we all struggle with something statement!” It’s not like I’m lying! Or trying to lie! I just know that sin has been defeated! I know that I am dead to sin! So why would there be a struggle from something that lives no more!?

I can’t relate to the ‘sometimes God has to take you through a valley to appreciate the mountains!’ or the ‘You would never have learned the things in the mountains unless God had taken you through a valley’ dogmas!

Not when I have learned that you get to skip through the hard part if you just obey God!

I’m actually doing pretty great!

I have actually avoided most of the process people have to go through to heal and be restored because I kept myself in the ways and will of God! There’s nothing to learn but that obedience saves you!

& I didn’t need a valley to learn that!

After all, Obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15)

Somebody should post this. This is a generational wordddd

Now, one major default mode I see Christians fall into is this false humility that really is low self esteem with a side of identity crisis. This entire lifestyle of ‘God I’m filthy. You’re better than me because I’m nothing’ is completely counterproductive! No one grows from that!

I’m so grateful we serve a God that knows the state of flesh and decides to cover His children in the new name, blood & authority that is Jesus’. Im grateful that our sins are no longer just covered through atonement, but are remitted through Jesus Christ’s blood!

I’m grateful that I don’t need to feel worthless, when I’ve been bought! Away with all the insecurity; I know the cost Jesus paid to be with me!

So please stop feeling justified by declaring your worthlessness.

It doesn’t please God!

Let’s not fall into false humility and completely debase all that Jesus has done for us.

You are not supposed to be broken, not when He has made you Whole by faith!

You are not supposed to be incomplete, not when He beckons us into perfection and completion (Matthew 5:48, James 1:4)!

You are not supposed to live some emotionally unstable rollercoaster of a life of not knowing what’s next and what to do, NOT WHILE THE LORD IS YOUR KEEPER, YOUR DIRECTOR AND YOUR SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND JOY AND PEACE!

I really had to hit the caps lock on that one

Stop having yourself a pity party and start to gird yourself with the confidence, boldness and maturity that even David put on himself when he faced Goliath!

You will never do anything GREAT for God if you cant even think you handle His great works being done through you. You will only be some devotional led, sappy, pitiful Christian that blames their unbalanced life on the concept of seasons. As if the Word of God didn’t say that we would be fruitful in every season (Psalm 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8).

I mean, COME ON!

It’s crazy! it’s like some Christians think they have to beat themselves up for God to feel bigger.

Like He needs our help to feel bigger!

I will worship the Lord, not to help out His self esteem, but to declare out of my mouth, my soul’s cry of worship and awe to the Lord!

—What my spirit is saying.

—What I feel deep down on the inside towards the Lord.

My worship is not for anything else but to worship the Lord. It will only minister to HIM & Him alone. Amen!

Get out of this weakened mindset and let God help you to transcend into His mind with revelations that build your character and your faith for His glory. Amen & amen!

So, I pray that Christians would rise to the knowledge of who Christ is so we can know who we are in Christ. If Christ be the one who lives & not I, let us represent Him well.

I encourage you all to get in your Word and allow the Lord to reveal to you who He is, this year!

I know, that I know, that I know that the body of Christ will be grand.

I just dont want any of us to miss out.

Therefore, with all of this said, if you still want to be a miserable Christian, do the literal opposite of the Word of God here commands and advises and follow the trend of sappy K-Love Christianity!

Continue to walk in an emotion led ‘faith’, marked by emotional wrecking encounters from God. Continue your life of self ministry for your owns elf that you only carry as far as your ‘amen’s and ‘that’s good’s.

Continue to never learn to be better than a book of Acts Christian, live in a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees and to be consumed with the rectifying Word of God that will launch you to the next level.

Please continue to let your biggest problems be soothed with songs and 1 minute Instagram devotionals. Please continue to handle the things of the Lord with little care because He so ‘knows your heart’. Please continue to deprive your spirit man for the wants of the flesh.

Continue to rob the body of Christ of walking in your full potential for the burden of conviction weighs to heavy on your comfortability.

Continue to pattern your ways only by men and women of God, rather than God and His word. Continue to seek only what others seek. Continue to let God be expressed only through cute graphic tees and never by the word of your testimonies.

Continue to never sacrifice anything so that the lamb may receive the reward of His suffering. Continue to modify your life in the faith by your abilities and free time, instead of by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Continue to let your mouth speak death and doubt and depression instead of life, faith and joy.

Continue to let your walk with Christ be weighed and hinged on the World and approval of Man & not God alone.

Continue to live from goosebump to goosebump moments.

At least your seasons will be predictable & you won’t have to use faith to get to and through them.

At least you’ll look cute in the merchandise of that one famous Christian band.

At least your vision board will be covered with cute little scriptures & Insta posts and stories with photos of you reading the Word.

At least people will know you are a Christian and not Christ in you.

At least your faith will never be stretched.

At least you wont have to go over any mountains to stay where you are.

At least you won’t ever have to uncomfortable ever again in your life.

So go ahead and live that lifestyle. It’ll be the easiest thing to do. It’ll also be the worst thing you could ever do to not only you, but your seed.

I pray this helps you to do something new, though. I pray this post awakens you and challenged you to walk in faith on the things of the Lord. I pray this post helps you see that grand testimonies dont come out of a routine but fervent amounts of acts of faith. Please don’t settle. You’re way too important.

So, be blessed & mighty on this Earth.

— Chriso

The Pursuit of Matrimony in the Bride of Christ

It doesn’t take a seasoned Christian to see that marriage is on the minds of Millennials. I mean it seems like the moment one steps out of elementary to the JV or middle school youth group the very concept of PURITY, MARRIAGE AND GOD’S IDEAL VISION OF INTIMACY is just bombarded into your face.

I do get the necessity of it. I do get why that age range holds such a pertinent demand on purity. Kids are venturing further into the world, experiencing hormones and are growing up. They need to be taught about the “adult stuff” the right way instead of the perverse way the world teaches and, quite frankly, invades upon the kids.

Do I wish innocence carried through everyone’s childhood and was still healthily stewarded when children were finally taught about mature topics at an appropriate age? YES. That would’ve saved me so much trauma in the public school system. so. much. trauma. I obviously know this isn’t the case but we’re already here and know we have to acknowledge the big topic at hand:

Marriage.

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.” – the good ol’ Proverbs 18:22

My question stands to be why are we so marriage oriented? SO focused on it as if this is the grand prize, the goal, the ultimate. I thought it was just some joke that adults in their mid 20’s said (like a lot) but once I found myself launched into the real world or rather the ministry world, which you’ll find can be in a bubble at times, it seemed like my bottom line objective was to find a spouse! The sad part was, that was everyone else’s objective too! So the young adult Christianity world all of a sudden has transformed into some marriage-hungry shark tank filled with violently impatient go-getters. Yay youth!

Coming into the ‘young adult’ age range and atmospheres, I have seen the most disdainful behaviors of active advocates of seeking men AND women! I mean, people crossing borders, morals, standards, and limits for people they merely find easy on the eyes! Forget the fact that some of these people haven’t even spoken a word to the pursued one. You put young adults in one room for a week conference and I swear it’s like a singles meet, which by the way isn’t horrible as long as that’s not your primary goal. I’m basically saying I don’t want some guy to get in the way of my worship and God encounters because I don’t want him to see me look like a total crying mess because of the Lord.

Now I have seen these following behaviors:

• people try to prophecy (or rather prophe-lie) their crushes and interests onto other people as that person’s true spouse. I guess they think this is humility and sacrifice?
• guys try to order an interest/girlfriend to pick their future and find a way to make the girls’ lives bend to their own life direction.
  • you may wonder why this is a problem for me: BECAUSE THEY AREN’T MARRIED! THEY AREN’T BOUND TO EACH OTHER! THIS IS A CONVERSATION FOR MARRIED PEOPLE.
• people fight over their desired children count
  • even though they’re not even: MARRIED— or even engaged… or dating!

true story^

• guys aggressively pursuing a girl under the guise of marriage even though the girl hasn’t even batted an eye at them.
• guys try to plan their entire life, & I mean detailed, with a female that doesn’t even care for them.
  • This goes for the opposite sex as well cause girls be crazy like that.
• families find a way get close to a family they want their child to marry into.
  • It’s super cringe-worthy.
• Mothers try to pursue their dream daughter in laws’ hearts for their son.
• People use the “God said you’re my wife/husband” introduction.
  • Keyword: introduction.
• People try to pursue individuals that are already involved w/ another individual because of their delusion.

Point: I have seen a lot. I walk around church settings in actual dread that one hopeful and seeking man would assume that he has find-eth me as his good thing.

Do I believe that the Lord tells people who their spouse is? Absolutely. As a matter of fact I’m looking forward to when it will be my time but the young church is giving me a pretty good reason to rely on discernment and wisdom like never before. I believe the Lord reveals stuff like that to two people on whom exactly they are to marry. It’s a wonderful thing— to be found. I think it’s sweet and shows what a romantic the Lord is but there are some real church creeps out in these foyers. Keep a close watch, people.

 

I don’t know when this “transition” began for me. B.C shark tank days was blissful—worry had no room in any situation where I found myself around a male. Now, it feels like I can’t go anywhere without my potential ‘the one’ rating machine activating. I don’t think that’s completely wrong but when did this start to be a priority that I had to bring it along in every interaction?  I once had the thought:

What if I functioned like I wasn’t ever going to get married? Would that enhance my walk with the Lord and allow me to not hold myself back under the self-presumed gaze of males?

Paul did allude that it was better to be single than married. Maybe he saw a room full of believers not fully letting themselves go into their potential because of some girl named Jessica. Think about it. You’re called to singleness and in a conference full of young adults and don’t have to think about what Jeffery might be thinking over the snot violently coming out from your nose because your focus is all on GOD! Wouldn’t that just be the most freeing feeling ever?!

I’m just gonna take a wild guess and presume that we’re maybe supposed to let ourselves over to the Lord in that level of completeness knowing full well this Jeffrey is indeed watching and just not caring!

Iconic, the Lord is iconic.

I still don’t know whether the reason I began to think as I did was because of the way Purity classes in my middle school youth group informed me on the Godly vision of what marriage is supposed to be like or because of the avid rom-com movies I actually enjoyed but I started to become aware and began to seriously meditate on the topic of marriage at a young age. It’s cute when you’re seven; it’s worrisome when you’re 14. Thank God that his hand and my parents’ hand kept me from even thinking about being a child bride or anything extreme but a lot of the girls around had already created their future husband lists. I didn’t create mine until I was 17. What did this mean? It meant that I had surpassed some childish daydream and had begun to think seriously on a fairly serious matter. Is this bad? No.

So what makes this whole thing so awful?

I feel like the Body of Christ has found a flesh-like way to pursue this. We all know the running joke on why Christians get married young but I feel like marriage in the church is in danger to become cheapened to that and to just have someone to have & to hold. Have we forgotten that marriage is a spiritual investment that shapes one’s legacy, generation, lifestyle, and walks with God? WHO you marry isn’t some cute Instagram post. I feel like we all know that though. I love that the body of Christ has this desire to receive the person the Lord has ordained for them but I want to do it right. I don’t want to be looking at every person through the lens of ‘pursuit worthy or not’. I don’t want to be looking so romantically hard that I miss a platonic moment. Side note: I can’t wait for the friends and loved ones God is going to place in my life.

 

I think we all know how we get our future spouse. We just got to keep being faithful to God and through the steps He’s ordered for us to walk through, He will bring the right person along at the perfect timing! I think the wait makes this so ‘insufferable’. I get it, not all of us want a Christa Smith testimony but I’d rather wait to see the everlasting goodness of the Lord in the area of marriage than see the temporary goodness of my own efforts, ya know?

I don’t want to screw this up. I only have one chance and I just want to get this right. Will one little blog post change the Body of Christ? Probably not but I’m excited to see what will happen when I act like I’m never going to be married and skip this weird scanning the room game and just seek the Lord. In that, I will find my rewards & I believe one will be in marriage, just not now. You don’t know how happy I am to know that it’s just not right now.

Godspeed to my young adults and happy findings.

-Chriso.