I am not a fan of religion. It’s too much work and exhausting. There is already enough work to do in general in life. To me, religion is just a list of dos and don’ts, and it causes me to feel caged in and trapped.
I grew up going to a Baptist church, and I realized at a young age my need for God. When I asked Jesus into my heart, I had an encounter with Him. Prior to asking Jesus for into my heart, it was like I was in a dark dirty hole in the ground and didn’t know it. After asking Jesus into my heart, He pulled me out of the dark dirty hole to a place that was clean and white all around.I had so much peace, joy, and was super happy.
I was in church almost every time the doors were open, and growing up I had always heard Christianity was about a relationship with God. However, I didn’t really understand what that looked like on a daily basis. I remember reading my Bible at 12 years old and thinking, “I know there is more to this. I must be missing something.”
In college, I was not content. I was trying to find my worth and fulfillment in my performance, guys, and keeping up this perfect image. It got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore, and I reached an all time low. God met me in that place and became really real to me. He proved to me that He would never leave me and that His love was unconditional. That no matter what I did or didn’t do, God would Always love me and be there for me. That’s when I really fell in love with the Lord. I encountered Love in it’s purest form and was captured by It.
Ever since then, I have been on a journey of knowing God, who is Love, more.
The Bible articulates and describes people who had encounters and a personal relationship with God. Literally, the opposite of religion is a relationship with Him. I really just want to know God and others to know Him too, personally, not intellectually or from a distance. If God doesn’t meet with me at church or if going to church does not lead me to God, then there’s no point in me going, in my opinion.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
I want to encourage you to let nothing keep you from pursuing God. Not your sin, imperfections, failures, thoughts, nothing. God is soo worth pursuing.
____________________________________________________________________
Quick ministry update:
Ministry is going really well in Mokhotlong, Lesotho. When I first got to Mokhotlong, I told God that I did not come to Lesotho to not see His Spirit move. I got the opportunity to preach at the hospital this past Wednesday. Prior to preaching, God told me just to speak from my heart. So I poured out my heart to a small room full of patients and gave them as much information as I could in the 10 minutes I had. God so showed up and pretty much the whole room accepted Jesus, which was probably around 20 people. I was shocked. It took me a second to start praying, because I was so shocked when so many people raised their hands. I am still processing the experience and am struggling to find words to describe the experience and how it touched my heart. I am so thankful I get to be a part of what God is doing here.
The same afternoon some of us went back to the hospital, and nine more people accepted Jesus!
We’ve now seen forty plus people accept Jesus since we’ve been in Lesotho!!!
Thank you for your prayers.
God bless you.
Love,
Amanda
