Are you a Chameleon Christian?

 

Psalm 31:19-20 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 

Last night, I read this passage and stopped short. I've read it a million times but never really broke it down and thought carefully on it! (I know I'm not the only one here. ;) 

 

How great is God's goodness, which he has laid up for them that fear him, and trust in him before the sons of men. How many of us truly fear God and trust in Him, so much so that it's evident to the lost that we come in contact with? In other words, are you a Christian at home and at church, but once you enter the workplace suddenly all traces of your faith melt into the background? A "Chameleon Christian" as some have so aptly put it? Food for thought. 

 

A few days ago I stood near two of my coworkers who were having a discussion, and since we were in the Staff only area, the filters came off their mouths. The language that they used saddened me so deeply, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh--what they were saying was evidence of the depravity of their hearts. (Note: I am not passing judgement on them, God's Word has already done that. I am simply stating the fact that the lost cannot do the things of God, because they are not His children.) 

 

This verse made me think, though--should I have stood by passively, or should I perhaps have stood up and said something? I don't know exactly what the best course of action would have been in this situation--after all, the conversation did not include me. But I'm trying to think here...is it enough for me to merely NOT join in the ungodly conversations and actions that go on around me? I have had people tell me before, "Oh, you are doing great, the lost will notice and realize there is something different about you." Hmm...this sounds an awful lot like so-called "Lifestyle evangelism" to me. Something I wholeheartedly disagree with. Proverbs 29:24 says, "Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not." The person who hears cursing, and doesn't protest it is described as hating his own soul. Who could hate their own soul?? 

 

In the verses at the top, it says, "Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." In the secret of God's presence. In a pavilion. Those sound like peaceful and truly pleasant places to be! What is the biggest fear that stops us from stepping out more boldly in living out our faith? My guess would be fear of man. For me, that's what it is. I think things like, "They are going to think I'm a nutcase if I mention the goodness of God in this difficult situation!" or "I don't want them to think I'm being super annoying by asking them to please watch their language AGAIN." (Even though I don't think any one of my lost friends would mind if I did ask them this). Wow. How much am I fearing and trusting God before the sons of men? Not nearly as much as I should be, I fear. :( And yet why do I fear this when I have God's promise that He is enough, that I can hide in Him, and that He will protect me when I obey Him?

 

God promises great blessings and goodness to those who apply this. It says He has wrought great goodness...that means He specifically planned out these rewards. How much of His special gifts am I missing out on?? I heard a quote somewhere (I think it was from Mark Cahill), that says, "Never let your fear of man trump your love for God." I liked it so much I lettered it out and hung it in my room. But is that all it is--a hanging on the wall? Am I letting my fear of man overrule my love for God and my desire to follow His commands? I would encourage you to think on this with me as we go throughout this weekend--are we living boldly and passionately for Christ all through our lives? Or just in the parts where we won't face any ridicule or weird looks?

Mykaela 

Fun Post: Summer Special Tag!

My goodness, guys! I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything...time has gone so fast and there has been so much going on! Today I have a super fun tag that I compiled from several different sources. I thought it would be fun to start a tag that some of my blogger friends might want to do during the summer months. ;) These are just kind of random get-to-know-me questions. :) Hope you all enjoy! 


1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?

I have had sooo many nicknames. :P Currently it would probably be "Markala", a spinoff of a previous nickname, "Kala". ;)

2. What's a weird habit of yours?

I obsessively cross the fourth and fifth fingers on my left hand when I play, or even think of playing, racquetball. Please don't ask me why, because that is a question I have ZERO answer to. It's like my brain has associated that hand position with racquetball, and I have no way of disassociating it! ;P Also, I sometimes mouth the last few words of my sentences after I finish saying them? Not sure why on that either. XD

3. Do you have any strange phobias?
Yes. I am terrified of things in the water that are a tiny bit above and a lot below the surface. E.g., icebergs and those nets with the orange floaters on top and a huge net below the water. SO SCARY. (This is most likely totally irrational, something carried over from a childhood terror of some kind. ;P) Also, I'm a bit paranoid around fire. I've gotten better in recent years, but it still really freaks me out when my siblings are around a fireplace or a campfire. :(

4. What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
Haha, oh dear. ;P There are a lot of these ones. "Misty" by Errol Garner is one of them, as well as lots of Disney songs. ;)

5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Being patronized. Like when people assume I am super ignorant about something or whatever. Maybe I am, but don't just assume it and treat me like I'm dumb!!!! ;P

6. What's one of your nervous habits?
I bounce my leg a LOT. :D Sometimes I won't realize I'm doing it until I suddenly notice that my leg is sore/shaky from bouncing it so long, and I wonder how many people I have unconsciously driven to the brink of insanity. ;P

7. What's a YouTuber that almost always makes you laugh?
Brian Hull. He does impressions, and he is so utterly happy and sweet, he always brings a smile to my face. :) Also, Studio C is a massive favorite of mine! ;)

8. What was your first stuffed animal, and what was it's name?
I had WAY too many stuffed animals to know what my first one was. There was Ewe (pronounced "You-ee" ;) the lamb, Aslan the lion, Chocolate the bear, and Pat the Bunny. I had an extremely large circle of animal friends, and we had a lot of fun together. :D

9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
I don't go to Starbucks that often because of how expensive it is, but my universal coffee shop order is typically a 16 oz. hot breve, usually with an extra shot. (3 shots total)

10. Do you have any weird body skills?
I have flexible fingers...and I can curl my tongue.... yeah, I don't really have anything. ;D

11. What's your favorite comfort food that's bad but you eat it anyways?
Probably ice cream.

12. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
"Brother George Washington!!!" I get weird looks every time. Which is annoying, because when I say this I'm usually already frustrated. :'D

13. What did you used to wear that you would never wear now?
 I've always been pretty concious of my style, so there isn't actually that much that's changed! There were a few denim skirts I probably wouldn't wear now due to the frumpiness factor, but for the most part my style is the same as when I was younger.

14. What did you want to be when you were young?
A dolphin trainer. Yup. (Hence the picture at the top of this post. ;)

15. How tall are you?
I am 5'8". I feel kind of tall compared to most of my friends, but I like this height. I do wish my arms were a bit shorter though, because I cannot wear long sleeves. They are never, ever long enough!

16. Fun bonus: What are 5 ways to win your heart/become a great friend?

• Go on spontaneous adventures with me.
• Give my favorite music a chance...it means a lot to me. :)
• Make me coffee.
• Understand how passionate I am and let me talk sometimes without belittling my (most likely crazy) ideas or thoughts. Put up with my emotional side. :)
• Play games with me. 

 

Wow, I really enjoyed that! I would like to tag my dear friend Kimberly, over at Peculiar on Purpose, as well as Halee from Writer Ramblings and Things. Also, Sarah from Dreams in Alaska, and Grace from Grace Notes blog. This is just an open tag, so if I didn't link to you, but you want to do it, go right ahead! Just link back to me and leave a comment if you do, because I'd love to see your answers to some of these fun questions. :) Feel free to answer some in the comments too! If you aren't able or don't wish to participate, NO worries! Thanks so much guys, and have a great week. :) Love,

Mykaela

The Meditation of The Heart

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." ~Psalm 19:14

The words we speak begin in the heart,

whether pure, or full of hate.

The heart is deceitful, prideful and vain,

and difficult to change.

Without the power of The Holy Ghost,

It's vain to hope for good,

For from the heart the mouth will speak,

'Tis written in God's Word.

Who can know the ways of the heart?

No wisdom of earth can reveal them--

The scars a bitter heart can cause,

Only God above can heal them.

Oh, be careful what you allow in your heart,

Believer, pray for wisdom!

Meditate and speak on things that are pure--

Seek ye first the kingdom.

Only God looks on the heart,

He sees the hidden thoughts.

He knows the secret motives,

Whether intentions are good, or not.

May those hidden thoughts be clean,

before the words are spoken.

For by words that come from a heart that's wrong,

A spirit can be broken.

~Anonymous