One perception that people about followers of Christ is that they are AGAINST people. This should never be perceived about Followers of Christ because God is FOR people. The only way people will know God is FOR them is if followers of Christ are know for that too.

One perception that people have of Christ-followers is that they are judgmental. The reason we are perceived as being judgmental is because so often we are being judgmental. To embody the kindness of God, that has the potential to lead people to faith in Jesus, we must walk in the fulness of grace AND truth.

People who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, and He like them too, but do people like his followers? One perception is that followers of Jesus are hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another and acts like they aren’t. The best way to change the perception of being a hypocrite is by not being one.

People who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, and He like them too, but do people like his followers? Many people who would say they’re not followers of Christ perceive His followers is unlikable. To change this perspective we must think differently, not about what your positions are but about where you are standing. You don’t have to compromise what you believe to impact people for Jesus, but you do need to change your approach by thinking differently about where you are standing and saying YES to the relationship.

Where we believe God is leading us in 2023 and beyond

Many people have endured something severe, some kind of trial, some kind of abuse or some kind of heartbreak that has caused trauma. Trauma is often not fair because you weren’t responsible for what happened to you, but you are left to deal with it. Until you heal your hurt, your hurt is going to continue hold you hostage. You may not be responsible for your trauma but pursuing God for healing is your responsibility.

The struggle with mental health is real and anxiety is one of the most common struggles, two out of three people said they were anxious or extremely anxious. People have anxious thoughts over uncertainty of the future, jobs, our financial future, and relationships among others. The way that we can cure anxious thoughts is by replacing them with thoughts of gratitude.

Depression is one of the most common mental health struggles, in fact, many studies are now saying that depression is the #1 Mental Health struggle in the world today. It is ok to not be ok but don’t be not okay alone. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of wisdom. Depression is closely related to toxic thought process call rumination, which is repetitively dwelling on negative thoughts and feelings. To break the cycle, you must focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely admirable and whatever is praiseworthy think about these things.  

Mental health is not a static, meaning you can be healthy for a long time then something circumstantial changes and your mental wellbeing is under attack. We will all deal with mental health issues at some point in our life. A root cause of for so many of our mental health struggles is thoughts and feelings of hopelessness. Thoughts of despair characterized by a belief that things will never get better will get us all at point and time. As followers of Christ, we must trust in the certainty that God will fulfill all his promises in His time and way.  We do this by starting our day with hope, worshipping until hope find us and by being still and knowing hope. When we do this, we can rest in the promises of God.  

Christmas is a reminder that God came to be with us, wants to be with us, and can be with us.