Let's Be Honest

Hebrews 4:13

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

I was looking through my Bible and thinking about what to write and I came across this verse which was highlighted. I think at times, we as Christians, feel the pressure to be perfect, to put on a good face for others, yet there is one person that we can not hide from; and that is the Lord.

Even though I came to the Lord when I was really young, I didn’t start seriously walking with the Lord until after college. Since I knew the Lord and His Word and didn’t follow His will, it was hard for me to admit my short comings to myself and to God. You ever notice how when you backslide and then come to church that the Word that comes forth always seems directed to you and your situation? Well this seemed to always happen to me. Every time I came to church I felt like my pastor had been watching my version of The Truman Show (Jim Carrey movie where his life is tapped for everyone to see but he doesn’t realize that his life is a show). Then the alter call; oh that alter call. I had such a hard time with the alter call. I felt like the alter call was so public and I didn’t want for anyone to know that I was struggling. If I couldn’t admit that I had problems to the Lord and myself, how could I ever admit it in front of a large congregation? As far as I was concerned, the alter was something that I decided would just be at my seat. That seat represented a safe place where I was invisible, a place where if I stayed there, people would assume that my walk with God was right where it was supposed to be. And although I knew I heard the Lord tell me that I needed to be at the alter, I convinced myself otherwise.

One Sunday, the pastor spoke about the Holy Spirit and it spoke so deep to my heart that I could not stop crying. I had always wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit and I knew that I was lacking that personal experience with God. And just like clock work that alter call came and just like times past, I weighed my options. Then the pastor said, “If you are worried about your dignity, just let it go. If you have a choice between your deliverance and your dignity, choose your deliverance; you can always get your dignity back.” That was all I needed. I got up from my seat and went straight to that alter and my life has never been the same!

That alter, which used to represent a sort of shame to me, now represented a safe place where I can run to God and say here I am. Flaws and all, take me and change me. I am not perfect, but oh Lord, your work in me will prove perfect! We can hide all we want, but we will never be able to hide from God. He sees what we do in secret and what we do in the open. I don’t have to give an account to anyone except the Lord and at some point you have to be honest with yourself and God! We can’t hide anything from him. I can say that there is no one better to be vulnerable with than the Lord.

The alter is just an example, other things might be sitting in a prayer group and not being honest about what you need prayer about; another could be your testimony. You can fool everyone, but you can’t fool God. So let’s learn to be honest with ourselves. I am not saying to go run and tell all your business, but what I am saying is that we need to keep everything real with the Lord and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a wonderful thing to have other saints pray with you and stand with you. A few extra people praying with you can never hurt. When we are open and honest our lives, ministries and testimonies will never be compromised but will show the extent of God’s grace and mercy towards us. Let’s all just be honest.

Praying for the Out Pouring of the Holy Spirit for He Tells Us Things To Come

JOHN 16:13 NKJ: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

As we focus on God’s mercy and praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we should realize exactly what we are praying for. The Holy Spirit is many things to us; a Helper, Comforter, Teacher, Guide and so much more. Throughout this month, I hope to explore the many roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. For this particular blog, I want to explore the Holy Spirit’s role as a “Teacher of things to come”.


I am sure that there is no need to remind you that we are living in troubled times. Our God is so merciful that He will not lead us into these troubled times without knowledge. Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”, and our Father in heaven does not want us to be destroyed by the impending fear and anti-Christ spirit. That is why Jesus told His church that He would send us a Helper, He will give us the knowledge to get us through the times to come.


The Holy Spirit will reveal to God’s people everything that is in His heart to share with us. I am not sure if God will reveal everything, but I am sure that He will reveal some things. The Holy Spirit moves and communicates to us in various ways.


1. Visions/Dreams: Often times the Holy Spirit will give us visions of what is to come. The Bible says in Acts 2:17, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams". This is a promise from God; I surely believe that this is one major way that the Lord will reveal many things to His people in these last days. This is going to happen. it is inevitable, so we must prepare ourselves to receive this gift from the Holy Spirit. We should not fear, but rejoice for the Lord will pour out His Spirit as He has promised and we should be humbled and honored that He has chosen to give us a glimpse of His plan and will. Remember, we were all born for such a time as this.


2. A Word: The Bible is filled with prophecies and mentions of the end times. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the living Bible. The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance a scripture that has to do with the coming times. He will also speak to your heart the things to come. It is important to read and meditate on God’s Word. Take the time to read and spend time with the Lord and the Holy Spirit will reveal many things to you. Once it is revealed, you should not stop there, you should pray that the Holy Spirit will give you a deeper understanding, and make sure to share what has been revealed to you to the Body of Christ.


3. The Church: I find comfort in the unity of the church. I am strengthened and reassured when I find that multiple pastors around the world are sharing the same message. When the Holy Spirit imparts knowledge on the leaders of our churches and they begin to share the same knowledge and heart of God, it reinforces what God is communicating to His people. Therefore, it is important to spend time with members of the body of Christ. If you are in a church that seems dry, I implore you to seek for a church that is saturated in the Spirit of the All Mighty God! Do not sleep! Watch! Lest ye fall into temptation! Jesus said this many times to His disciples and I think it is more than worth repeating.


As we pray for the out pour of the Holy Spirit, let us remember that He will communicate to us in various ways. Let us be vigilant and watch and make sure that our hearts, eyes and ears are receptive to the Will of God and the knowledge He will impart to us. And in all things, remember that we are VICTORIOUS!!!! So do not fear, but rejoice that the Lord is going to fulfill His promises to us and that we are worthy to receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit!