Embrace Podcast

Does God calm my storm even if I caused it?

Saying that we will take off our mask is much easier than actually doing it. How do we not only take off our masks, but keep them off and fully grasp how much Jesus loves who we really are?

Sometimes we wear masks because we don't want God to see who we really are. But the truth is, in Jesus, God not only sees us, but He also delights in us and approves of us. Good news, right? The world may love your mask, but God doesn't. God loves you. And He sees you as you are.

We all tend to wear masks in our lives. Whether it's out of pride, to prove how great we are, or out of shame, to cover up perceived flaws, masks have become part of who we are. But what if we didn't have to put on a mask everyday? What if God already sees us for who we are and loves us anyway? What if He saw us behind the mask all along?

Church can be weird. Ever felt awkward and uncomfortable at church? Doubted that the Bible could be relevant today? Felt judged & didn't want a bunch of religious people to tell you how to change? Thought that all your pastor wanted from you was money? These are the elephants in the room, some of the reasons why church may not be the place we want to be on Sunday.

On that first Palm Sunday, people lay their coats down as Jesus rode past them. This was everything they had, they were giving it all to Jesus. Jesus may not ride down the street on a donkey this Sunday, but we're still called to give our everything to him, to lay down our lives. Because when we lay down everything before Jesus, we find everything in him.

The tricky thing about influence is that we may never see its impact. Moses, one of the most influential people in the Bible, never saw the promised land. But does that mean we should stop trying to influence others for Jesus? No. Instead, we are called to chase faithfulness that lasts, not influence that fades.

The power of influence is so much greater than we think. It doesn't just happen by mistake. To have true influence we need to be intentional with our actions.

Moses' story is one of influence: standing up to Pharaoh, freeing the Israelites from Egypt, leading his people into battle. But though Moses lived a life of remarkable influence, that influence wouldn't have been possible without people by his side holding him up. We too have influence. But when we're tired, when we're restless, when we're needing to step out spiritually, who is holding us up?