Hand Him Your Worst

For the sake of not looking as pitiful as our situations may be, most believers--especially those who are well-acquainted with church culture--have mastered the art of disguise.  Oh yes, we go to great lengths to mask the struggles with which we grapple, the insecurities secretly tormenting us, even the consequences of the mistakes we've made.  Because GOD forbid the saints see how jacked up we REALLY are!  So we say, "I've got to give the LORD my best..."  And all the while we are hiding our worst, and for what?!

Recently, a dear woman of GOD by the name of Evangelist Cynthia Diggs shared on her Facebook timeline, "We are so busy trying to give Jesus our best but our best without Him still isn't good enough. He actually wants our worst so He can make it better!"  What an encouraging Word for this modern day church!  There are too many people of faith NOT receiving better because they remain hung up on trying to publicly present a version of themselves that is not only inconsistent with their present reality but one that actually hinders them from truly experiencing life more abundantly.

As Evangelist Diggs continued in her status update, she referenced Mark 3:1-5 where Messiah healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath.  It angered Yeshua Jesus to see people in the synagogue so caught up in THEIR OWN agendas that it was just accepted for the afflicted to remain bound.  There was no mercy, no compassion--just hardness of heart from the very people whose lives should be the very embodiment of Yahweh's loving-kindness.  The behavior of this people evidenced a culture of worship that was very much counterproductive to the restoration of that which was withered to a state in which it was made fully functional.

Like the man with the withered hand, today there are MANY souls sitting in sanctuaries suffering with spiritually impaired mobility. And because the church's agenda has become so far removed from restoring people to a fully functional state, the withered learn via the church's malfunctioned culture of worship how to religiously attend services in their disguised conditions.  Let's go further and say that those who espouse this malfunctioned culture even deem the work of healing as unlawful in their assemblies.  After all, how dare the order of service be interrupted?! NO!!!  How dare the withered go ignored?!  How dare the internal issues of the spiritually impaired go disguised?!  How dare the demand for healing be marginalized to accommodate the hard-hearted?!

It's time for us to hand GOD our worst!  Let's put an end to all this religious masquerading and boldly bring to the throne of grace what MUST be made better.  That's what the altar is for!  Real restoration happens when people are given opportunities to expose their worst.  And the lack of maturity in the Body of Christ is to blame for atmospheres not being created for the withered to hand the Savior their worst.  We can not--in any way--allow ourselves to be deceived another moment concerning this matter: we're NOT at our best until we've handed GOD our worst.  We can't preach, teach, sing, dance, pray, shout, cook, or serve well enough to avoid handing over to Him what only He can make better.  It's time to stop managing in our own strength what the power of GOD is more than capable of working out of us.  Yes, it's indeed a stretch; but restoration is worth it.