When I started out in church, I dressed like a guy, spoke rudely and improper, I was rude and bitter, I was very displeasing. Did I know this? Yes, but I didn't think it was something to worry about. During this time, I don't remember anyone coming up to me and saying, "Graciele, you dress bad, you're not pleasant, you're this or that, you need to change, to dress up more." Instead they would come up to me and say, "Graciele, you are special and beautiful, God chose you, you are important for Him." And that's how I started changing and the reason I'm here today.
What am I trying to say with this? Nobody tried to convince me, that I was in the wrong, that I needed to change, but instead, people gave me what I needed, they reminded me that I was important for God, the One who convinced me that I needed to convert, stop speaking rudely and dress better was the Holy Spirit.
I was observing today that many of us have annoyed people of God, trying to persuade them, insisting for them to change, to give their lives to God, specially the youth. It's an out of the ordinary pressure that influences many to take decisions based on this insistence and later on the regret it and go back into the world because it wasn't God the one who convinced them but, the servant of God.
And this also happens with us, people in general who do the Work of God. They try to convince that you have to be a certain way and every time your colleague sees you they keep reminding you, insisting until you do as they say.
I want you to understand that it's not wrong to give advice, teach, help, but the one who convinces is the Holy Spirit, and the one who decides to do this is each one of us, don't confuse these things.
We have lost many people because of these attitudes, they have left God because they can't handle the pressure of those servants of God (they feel suffocated). Be very careful with the way you've treated people and even your friends. Your behavior can damage your image, and make people stay away from you and God. Don't try to do God's job, work with Him.
Note: People come from the world into the church burdened and the ones who are in church have gone through several trials... so why try to impose more burdens on them with this attitude?
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment..." John 16:7-8
To be continued...
Hello Mrs Graciele
ReplyDeleteI wouldnt have thought this will be the first atitude..Something for me to avoid Thank you.Im not one to put pressure on others but I am trying my hardest to avoid the way I speak in certain way which might comes across as if im being rude,even if my intention is good.This is something i'll definately be putting into practice.Chantel
If I'm to be honest I wouldn't have thought of this at all! Many times our intention is to help but we push the person away and then say that they are proud. But it's US who push them away. Now I know that I must not try to do the Holy Spirit's work.
ReplyDeleteWow.......
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first started to convert and take Jesus seriously, no one told me to stop stop doing what I used to do, but through coming to the services and youth group meetings the Holy Spirit convicted me of all the wrong I was doing and I was able to stop everything to be totally free, why? Because I was doing everything for the Holy Spirit not to please men. And sometimes in trying to help we end up destroying because we simply forget to understand that the work we do is from the Holy Spirit not men.
That is true; sometime we trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit. I love helping other i will let the Holy Spirit lead me. It just reminded me when i started coming to church. It was the Work of the holy spirit that change me not Man.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mrs Graciele
This is something we have to bare in mind all the time.
ReplyDeleteWhen i first came to the church no one forced me to do anything, the Holy Spirit was the one guiding me on how to dress etc. I was never once put down because of these things.
So when it comes to others we shouldn't do the same, they need encouragement not negative words, even those that have been in the church for years and never seem to change, we still need to boost them up to keep fighting.
Thank God for those people of God who knew how to deal properly with you because the wrong word could have had you out of the church... As you said its the Holy Spirit that convinces and it also says in the Bible that we are the workers, we are the ones who will sow the seeds but God is the one who brings the increase... Thank you for this
ReplyDeleteI really loved this post.. I know people who have left because of this or made really big mistakes be ayes if exactly. I can say I can also applies to when we evangelise before u used to invite and invite and invite the same people because I really wanted them to come but it was like I was trying to peursuade them to come. God showed me this is not trusting in Him. Somewhere in the Bible I think in Romans it says something along these lines; we sow but It's God who brings the increase. When I stopped doing this and started trusting in God He surprised me and those people came to me asking to come to church. It was God who convinced them.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of times that i have seen this and it even happened to me at a point and it was hard to take and i totally agree when God showed me the right thing to do, i believe it was the best way.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I was literally just flicking through your blog and I came across this and what you said hit me! You are right; its not about convincing others that they need to change but by letting God show them that. This has helped me so much more than you will ever know and I thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteThis is something I have started doing. Many times I am told to rebuke the girls in the youth groupbe tough on them but I am not because such a way will make them leave. As I took a different approach, those wanted to leave are now staying.
ReplyDeleteThis is very strong Mrs.Graciele, and so true;there is no point in us trying to go ahead of God, assuming that we are doing His work in this way, by pointing out people's wrongs in such way that actually shows us judging them and consequently putting them down by making them feel uncomfortable around us...I must confess that I have found myself in this situation a few times whilst being a youth leader in the vyg...thinking that I was actually helping them..... I did however realise from experience that if God isn't the one using me to say certain things, then they will all be just plain empty words that will obviously bear no fruits whatsoever....
ReplyDeleteI remember when I started the church I use to love my tight skinny jeans because I felt sexy in them. I remember a girls meeting we had and the assistant kept pointing out the way we dress is bad. Actually around that time there were many girls meeting and I "changed" drastically, meaning that I chucked away all sexy clothes and tried to dress like other people. The sad thing is I never changed inside, it was just outside. And because I thought I was in the right I tried to make others change to by my words. Oh gosh I regret many things I've said and totally understand and agree with what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me. Thank God.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless You.
Hi Mrs Graciele
ReplyDeleteit's very true what you said.
Sometimes we do put so much pressure on those who are not born of God to change. One thing we can't do is force them because to will leave and i seen this happen to many people who i knew in the church.
When i was in church and helpers of God use to tell me i need to change,it made more eager to not change because i felt forced . There was always this one girl in the church who told me that i was important, that God called me to do something that has never been done before in his work and ever since that day i began to change for the Holy Spirit not for the sake of others .