Fake Follower

The speaker begins by saying a prayer asking for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge for the listeners. They then address the topic of being a true follower of Christ, stating that many people are only partially committed and don't fully understand the meaning of following Christ. The speaker shares their own experience of realizing they were living a lie and emphasizes the need to surrender one's life to God fully. They discuss the importance of seeking God's kingdom and righteousness and the blessings that come from fully committing to Him. The speaker encourages listeners to take steps towards a deeper relationship with God, such as prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to sermons. They conclude by urging listeners to stop being fake followers and to immerse themselves fully in God's love. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Father, I come to you through your Son, Jesus Christ, and I lift up each and every person listening. I ask that you open their ears, their hearts, and their minds, Lord, that you give them the wisdom, the understanding, and knowledge that they need through your word. Father, I want to glorify you and praise you and thank you because through you, all things are possible. And for that, I am grateful. I pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen. Hey there, it's Anna with God's Podcast. In today's episode, I'm going to be a little blunt, a little harsh. You might be hurt by what I say. You might even get mad at me, upset with me, maybe not even want to listen anymore. Or just maybe you might have an epiphany moment, an eye opener. I am sorry if you're going to get mad and upset, but I do not care because this needs to be said. This needs to be heard, and it needs to be understood. So I'm going to ask you my first question. Are you a false Christian? Are you a half-in, half-out follower of Christ? Listen, friend, believe me when I say I was. It took me so long to realize this. I was not mature, not seasoned enough to understand I was living a lie. The biggest problem I have seen and encountered is what the true meaning it is to be a follower of Christ. To be honest, I feel like it is society's fault, but it is also up to us to get the true meaning and understanding for ourselves and to do the research for ourselves. Because in our society, we have been brought up to not be fully committed to our faith. But showing up on Sundays for an hour or two to listen to a preacher who fully is not emerged in Christ himself, and after you leave church, you go back to your old ways the rest of the week. That is not a true follower of Christ. Christ is supposed to be with you each and every day. Christ is supposed to be in all things, not just two hours on Sunday. The list could go on and on and on, but another that sticks out to me is this, it's just for community status, a name, a belonging, whatever it may be. Listen, I have been there. I have gone through those motions. I have always thought I was a true follower of Christ. And maybe you have too, but I was not truly following Christ. I was one foot in, one foot out follower. Thinking by going to church and saying a prayer, I was saved. But over the years as I took following God seriously, I found out what it truly meant to follow Christ. You have to surrender your life to him. To pursue God, to lay your life down for him, to truly love him and know him. Surrendering your whole life to him with both feet in, leaving behind your old ways, your old lifestyle, your old friends that are not on the same journey, the same path, that no longer serve your new life in Christ. Just because I was praying and reading his word and said I was a Christian, I thought I was saved. But it clearly says in the Bible to surrender your life and pick up your cross and leave your old life behind. It wasn't until I truly understood the assignment God revealed to me as I was living a lie. I was living a half-life follower of Christ and a half-life still in the way of the enemy. God does not want lukewarm followers, for he will spit you out just like the Bible says. He wants you fully in, submerged up to the top of your head so all you breathe is him. Listen, he didn't tell his disciples, I'll wait for you. You go ahead and go to that burial. He didn't say, go ahead and say bye to your parents. I'll wait right here for you. No, he said, come now for the dead will bury themselves. Whoever wants to follow me must deny themselves and take up their cross to follow me. He didn't say you tie up all your loose ends. He said, drop everything and come as you are and follow me. As the years went by and the surrender to Christ grew deeper and deeper, I realized God's assignment and purpose for me here on this side of heaven. When God gives you a new set of eyes, a new heart, new ears, a new mouth, you realize what his verse means in Matthew 6, 33, which says, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. He will give you more than you can ever imagine, more than you can ever ask for. He will give you joy. He will give you peace. He will give you patience. He will give you calm and the acceptance all by saying yes to God, picking up my cross and surrendering my life to him completely, leaving old ways of thinking for God's new wisdom of understanding what to ask for, what to pray for, and what my purpose is for in his kingdom. And what the enemy had me chained to, bond to, stuck to was now broken off. I am no longer a fake follower as I once was, but have planted both feet in and have fully submerged all the way to the top of my head to breathe him all in. All because I gave my life to Jesus. He showed me things I never could have imagined. I encourage you, my brothers and sisters to do the same thing. Take baby steps as it can be overwhelming. Start by praying, talking to God, ask him to show up in your life. Start reading his word, not to just understand it as you never will fully till you meet him face to face, but to accept his words as truth and then try out different sermons, either in person or online. Beautiful thing about today is you can see and watch anything online. I know I'm calling you out, but stop being a fake follower of Christ and truly surrender and pick up your cross so you can emerge yourself in the most incredible love story you will ever experience. So until next time, friends, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope you share it with someone in need because we all need God each and every day. We are going to continue to fail. We are going to continue to fall and we are going to continue to sin because we will never be like Jesus. But God's beauty is he gives us a new chance each and every day to be more like Jesus, to ask for forgiveness and to continue in relationship with him. So I encourage you to share this episode with someone else. I appreciate each of you coming and listening to each new episode. So until next time, friend, keep bibling, keep spreading God's word and submerge yourself fully in God and stop being a fake follower of Christ. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Until next time. Father, I come before you and I lift up each and every person listening through your son, Jesus Christ. And I ask whatever they may be going through, whatever burdens they have on their shoulders, whatever season that they may be in, Father, that you heal them, you answer their prayers. You lift those burdens off their shoulders, that they may lay them at your feet, that you may carry them through this season and that you may bless them abundantly. Father, I thank you. I thank you for everything because without you, I would be nothing. I love you. And I pray all of this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. With another that sticks out to me is this.