Faking it??

[SpiritPsalmist]

Faking it, is to pretend to be something or feel something we are not. However, lifting our hands to the Lord and worshipping Him out of obedience has nothing to do with us and our feeling's. It's all about Him.

Paul tell's us to "rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice". This is a command, not a suggestion. I believe that if we are feeling yucky and hurting and confused there is nothing better for the flesh to do than to raise the hands and praise Him because He's worthy and He's promised to care for us, and He keeps His promises.

 

[J.A.I]

Well, God deserves the glory now matter HOW we're feeling. When I have a bad week, I still praise Him. I may not be all into it, but regardless of Jai, GOD still gets and deserves all the praise and glory.

 

[Ariel]

Just because some people favour a different style of worship, doesn't mean that they're twisted

You misunderstood. The problem I saw during that worship service through the Spirit was not a problem with the position of their body, but the state of their heart. They were offended, and refused to worship. THEY WERE NOT WORSHIPPING AT ALL. They were twisted and dark, and they left the same way.

I believe that if they had at least tried to worship--at least tried to reach out to God--that even if they had left their arms in that same position, the Holy Spirit would have touched them.

This vision had quite an effect on me. Something the Holy Spirit told me afterwards is something I still mull over. He said that most people come to church not really ready to worship. There is sin on our souls, so many burdens, and so much darkness. He said that if we would come to church already filled with His presence, having already been touched by Him before we get to church, we would see revival. We would see the fires of revival!

 

[Cookie-Monsta]

WOW! That's exciting!

 

[Cookie-Monsta]

Well thanks you guys!! All your posts have helped me sort some stuff out in my head!

Keep worshipping God, people! I certainly will!!

 

[allieisme]

I still dont understand the point of faking anything..Dont people want to feel the presence of God in their church, home ect where ever the praising is going on..Dont they want to actually feel the presence of the Lord?
I know when we have praise and worship every sunday its awesome to see all the people worshipping together, and you can tell we are all having a good time, and we or at least I can always feel the presence of God.
Its amazing!

 

[Deb4given]

I still dont understand the point of faking anything..Dont people want to feel the presence of God in their church, home ect where ever the praising is going on..Dont they want to actually feel the presence of the Lord?
I know when we have praise and worship every sunday its awesome to see all the people worshipping together, and you can tell we are all having a good time, and we or at least I can always feel the presence of God.
Its amazing!

Of course they do, the OP is commenting on the people that *pretend* to worship God but all along aren't really doing it in their hearts and they continue on living a not so productive Christian life. kwim?

 

[allieisme]

Well Then I Guess They Will Miss The Blessings That God Has To Offer

 

[Deb4given]

Well Then I Guess They Will Miss The Blessings That God Has To Offer

You're so right! God is so Awesome and wonderful!

 

[chris320]

I think about this a lot. We have some students that come week after week to our college ministry group and really seem to praise and worship the Lord fully but then go back and drink and party and sleep with their boyfriends the rest of the week.
Makes me wonder..."why?"

Why?

The lusts of the flesh are overriding their committment to God. These kind of people are truly faking it. They have one foot in the world and one foot in Church. They want the power of God in their lives, but are unwilling to put forth the effort to live the set apart life of holiness it takes to get that power. I was in this group for awhile. You sense the power of God in the meetings, which is what draws you to church in the first place. But, because of the lusts of your flesh you turn back to the world as soon as you leave the service, and are looking forward to going back so you can sense that power again.

There is a better way, though. By living in holiness and prayer I now commune with God on a daily basis and walk in the presence and power of God that I only used to sense back then.

-Chris320

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I went to work today. I did not feel like it. Does that mean I did not really work? Will my boss not pay me because I came to work, did what was expected, but did not mean it. I did it, but you could say I was faking it?
Overcoming one's flesh and obeying the command of God is just as real. He said praise Him. I hope nobody is suggesting we only obey God if we feel like it. The reality is in the obediance not in the feeling. Feeling is sensual. Obediance is real.
Obeying only when you feel like it is faking it.

 

[Crystal_Dawn]

I think, too, that if we show our joy in Christ even when the going is tough, we show ourselves victorious. People that try to live life without God tend to become easily discouraged when the storms of life arise. It is ok for us to have hard times in life. It is how we handle ourselves in the midst of those storms that gives a testimony to others. I have no problem sharing my tough times with new believers and non-believers but I do not dwell on them and I proceed without worry or fret. I don't see that as faking it...I see that as walking in faith.

 

[Mary_Magdalene]

a very personal story (i love the internet) ......

a year ago i had a baby and fell into a deep postpartum depression-ended up suicidal in the er.

could not feel G-d at all-anywhere. no matter how much i prayed for His presence. i literally cried tears on a friends sholder-i could not feel Him at all! Where was He??

Let me tell you-i spent 8 hours a day, for about 4 days straight, up in my bedroom while my mom watched my kids (couldnt be around them). the whole time i prayed and sang His praises. during this time i could not feel Him or sense Him or nor did i think He was with me BUT...i knew before the depression hit me that He was always there-always faithful-always loving and always worthy, more than worthy, of my praise. Thats why i continued to pray and sing. i felt like i was praying and singing to nobody BUT i kept reminding myself of His past faithfullness to me!

(oh, im much better now)

 

[Cookie-Monsta]

When I posted the thread I meant that ppl give off the idea that they are fired up for God and things are going fine so if you walk into a church you think being christian is always easy and everyones enjoying it all the time. Then you might find out that not many of those people were feeling anything and I would think 'What was it for then? They were just pretending.' But now I agree that you should worship because God tells us to not coz we feel like it It's hard tho.

 

[Jim B]

Good points!

Imagine you are a non christian and u go into a church and everyone is dancing around hands in the air singing and looking like they are enjoying every moment. You think to yourself - that looks good! so you go back nxt week and they're the same. You talk to them and find their way of life sounds good and easy (because christians do normally seem to give the good points) and you decide to become a christian. You are now one of the church and you find it's not always so happy clappy as it looked.

Wouldn't you feel cheated?

I'm not saying its wrong I just struggle with the idea of pretending.

And I pretend too sometimes so I'm not to judge anyone!

You know, Cookie, you just pointed out one of the main reasons why new believers grow quickly discouraged with the faith. We sell them on the idea of what’s in it for them, rather than what’s in it for Him.

For many years in my college days, I would attend churches – Baptist, Catholic, SDA, AG, and more – because I was trying to find peace in my heart and find a fire escape from hell. I was saved in a Baptist church (OSAS), and it didn’t take; I was baptized in a Church of Christ, and it lasted for a while, but it didn’t take either; I went to a Pentecostal church and went through the motions (lots of motion), but nothing happened. I was in it only for what I could get out of it.

The morning I finally did surrender my life was when I was taking communion on the first Sunday in February 1964 (I remember everything about that morning) and it finally dawned on me that Christianity was not about me, it was about Jesus Christ; not what He would do for me, but what He has already done and only then what I could do for Him.

I think if we will spend our efforts trying to persuade the world of who Jesus is and how much He suffered in our place and of how worthy He is, we will do more to insure their complete salvation than just trying to sell them on what they can get out of it for themselves. Feelings-based faith always leads to discouragement and disillusionment. Jesus-based faith will never disappoint.

Max Lucado is right: it’s not about me. It’s about Him (and others).

So I think this “fake it until you make” approach to being Charismatic and belonging to the Group is - ummm!, well, okay, I’ll just say it - ludicrous!! If these experiences we profess to be true are, in facxt, real, we do not have to fake it. “Fake” means pretense, hypocrisy, two-faced, insincere, counterfeit, sham, deceit, phony, bogus, forged, make-believe, imitation, false, artificial, spurious, mock ……… Not exactly Christian virtues.

Hey, I realize the pressure is on the non-participant in a highly-charged Charismatic service, to do like everyone else is doing (been there, done that). But it doesn’t matter what others think – it only matters what He thinks! And I really don’t think he wants you to be phony.

If believers think “fake” is how Christians should behave, I would invite them to look up the word “genuine.” Be yourself, just be all you can be for Him.

Jim
\o/

 

[Cookie-Monsta]

Well said! I think (now) that worshipping even if you're struggling is good but pretending nothing's wrong is misleading. I was brought up (probably not on purpose) looking for feelings so it's hard to stop that.

The other problem with faking it is that celebraties often seem to pretend their lives are amazingly wonderful because theyre famous but then some of them commit suicide so they're obviously faking it.
So if people come to christianity looking for everything to be perfect because of what they see christians acting like and then find it's not that easy they might lose hope and think nothings good and everyone's faking it like celebraties. (Even though being a christian's good they might not see that coz they're looking for the wrong goodness)

 

[LeeS]

and it finally dawned on me that Christianity was not about me, it was about Jesus Christ; not what He would do for me, but what He has already done and only then what I could do for Him.

How right you are on this statement Jim B. There has been many a time when God has led me out of my place of self-centeredness and self-pity by saying, "it's not about you, it's about ME".

I'm not down-playing daily life struggles at all, yet if I'm always "being real", and making everyone around me misrable, and all I can see in every situation is my own issues and problems, then my attention is in the wrong place. It's only by keeping my eyes on His face that I am able to walk in the light of it and not blinded to what is going on around me but see so well that I'm not concerned because I see that I'm in His hands.

Walking as such may be percieved by some as faking it, however, it's what He said to do, therefore, it's more real than our personal human issues will ever be.