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Psalm 136

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  • Are you a lukewarm Christian?

    Are you a lukewarm Christian?

    In Revelation 3:16–17, Jesus tells the church at Laodicea that they are lukewarm – neither cold nor hot. It’s a metaphor describing the condition of their spiritual walk, and it comes with consequences that are as clear as they are unsettling: God will spit them out of His mouth.

    But what does it actually mean to be a lukewarm Christian, and why is it so serious that it warrants rejection by God?

    It comes down to one thing: doing things man’s way instead of God’s way.

    Lukewarmness is self-satisfied faith. Comfortable faith. Faith that has learned how to look Christian without depending on Christ.

    That’s why verse 17 matters so much:

    “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

    Only two years ago I pretty much lived with my head inside a box of Christian truth avoidance. Time and time again I was confronted by Jesus about the sin in my life, yet I tried to drown it in excuses, self-pity and dismissive behaviour. Until Jesus made it very clear to me the path I was going down. It was never a path I wanted to take but unintentionally, I allowed the enemy to take root. What pains me most is that I never truly understood what lukewarm faith meant until only a few months ago.

    Even though Jesus revealed to John the lukewarm faith of the church of Laeodicea, this speaks volumes for the average Christian today.

    Many Christians are comfortable believing in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit but worship, pray, and praise God on their own terms, not His. They pray when they feel up to it, they go to church as and when they have time, they read the Bible when they have a spare few minutes or do not do any of these things at all. Because they stopped making room in their lives for Jesus. They would rather fill their time with earthly things.

    We forget that faith isn’t something we customise. It’s something we have to surrender to. It’s not religion but a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

    A lukewarm Christian may still go to church, know their Bible and speak eloquently in prayer, but without true faith and relationship with God, these things are empty.

    God does not reject lukewarm people because He hates them. He rejects lukewarm religion because it lies – it lies to God and lukewarm Christians lie to themselves in the process too.

    Lukewarm faith is dangerous because it numbs conviction, resists repentance and it replaces trust with pride and self-idolatry. To be lukewarm is to profess faith without surrender, practice religion without reliance on God and live comfortably without obedience to Him. And it’s serious because Christianity without Christ at the center of it isn’t Christianity at all.

    Lukewarm faith says, “I believe in God, but I’ll decide how far that goes.”

    True faith says, “I believe in God, and I will lay everything down to pick up my cross and follow Jesus.”

    So, are you a lukewarm Christian? Or are you a fully surrendered to Christ?

    “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

    Matthew 16:24-28 NIV

  • Having a Prayer life

    During difficult seasons or circumstances, it can be hard to find the right words to lift up to God in prayer. Sometimes we feel that He sees and hears everything, so why even bother? Fear, worry, and relying on only ourselves often get in the way, leaving us feeling lost as they crowd out a clear mind and steady thoughts.

    “Lord, I just want you to be near”.

    Sometimes that is all that needs to be said. God certainly doesn’t require perfect words, but admittedly I have longed for the right words to express what is on my heart.

    In moments of need, the words have sometimes failed to come. Early in my spiritual journey, one of the most challenging things for me was praying. I struggled not only with how to pray, but with what to ask. My needs weren’t always obvious in the moment, and some days simply felt heavier than others. On those days, more often than not, I would not pray at all or only utter a few words. Until I learned that in times like these, Romans 8:26-27 promises that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and prays through us when we cannot.

    I have learned that there are times for intense prayer and connection with God, there are times for lighter conversations (like telling God about my day and the things that made me laugh) Other times I find myself just sitting in silence, listening to God’s voice, finding peace, rest and comfort in His presence. I have learned that prayer without faith and trust is empty but that prayer in true faith, trust and believing in God’s timing carries a lot of weight.

    I take a lot of motivation through the stories of Abraham, Moses, David – and so many of our ancestors who trusted God’s promises. They have gone through many trials before God’s promises were fulfilled. I take so much from the story of Job and how much God mould and strengthens with trials in our faith, to not turn to ourselves and relying on ourselves, but in turning to God who is the greatest source of comfort and love.

    God doesn’t want mighty words, He wants a genuine heart longing for closeness with Him. He wants to hear from us and have a relationship with His children. He is patient and kind and willing to forgive our sins through repentance.

    The most beautiful thing about prayer for me is knowing that I can talk to God any time and in every moment, because He lives within me.

  • Freedom for Worship

    Why do we want to be set free to serve the Lord? The word serve also means to worship. The goal of freedom in the Lord is not freedom for its own sake, but freedom for worship.

    The anger of the people of Israel toward Moses and Aaron, claiming that their lives had been disrupted, lives that were defined by slavery, causes us to reflect on our current times. When Pharaoh said, in effect, “If you have time to worship, then you have time to think about your God,” his response was simple: “Then I’ll give you more work.”

    In this modern day and age, we have become the Pharaohs of our own lives. We make ourselves so busy, packing our days and silencing our minds. We convince ourselves that we have no time to think about God because we are “too busy.” But in reality, we do this to ourselves.

    We become slaves to an unmanageable pace of life—so much so that even the thought of slowing down feels impossible. We adopt a mindset that says we must always keep going, leaving little to no space to spend time with God. In doing so, we place ourselves back into bondage.

    If there is one thing revealed to us through the story of Moses, it is this: God does not free His people so they can do more work. He frees them so they can worship Him. We are created and designed to worship and to connect with God.

    Scripture reminds us of this truth:

    “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

    Stillness is not laziness; it is an act of trust. Worship requires space. Let us find the time to worship—not by adding another task to our schedule, but by releasing our need to always be productive. May we stop being our own slave drivers and allow ourselves to be still, resting in the freedom God has given us, and knowing that He alone is God.