"Well, she must not be a real Christian then"

"Well, she must not be a real Christian then"

Roughly, ten years ago, I started the healing process from word of faith teachings. I can tell you, healing did not come overnight. Honestly, healing took years.

During this time, not only had I prayed, no, actually begged that God reveal His truth and only His truth, but I prayed that He would clearly reveal the word of faith teachings with which I'd grown up for what they truly were.

And, during this time, a young woman in our church (a non word of faith church) was brutally raped and left for dead.

This young woman had given her life to the Lord only months before this horrific event. Within a couple weeks of being raped, she was back in church sharing her story of how God saved her life.

The bruises were still clearly visible around her neck where the rapist had tried to strangle her. And, yet, she was praising God for her life and using this unspeakable horror to reach out to others.

I shared her story with my sister, a sister who is as word of faith as it gets. And, after sharing this young lady's story and how she was placing her trust in God all the while, my sister said,

"Well, she must not be a real Christian then."

See, with the theology with which we grew up, bad things don't happen to Christians. Essentially, if you stay within the word of faith guidelines, you are bullet proof.

I know, I know, many people, after reading this are thinking of the apostles or, perhaps, the last verses of Hebrews 11:

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

I can only tell you that at that moment, I gave praise for a young woman who went through something no woman should ever have to endure and who was able to use it for God's glory. At that moment, I realized the difference between the 'theology of me' and true Christianity.

Growing Up With the Bakkers

Often, when asked about my childhood, I tell people I grew up with the Bakkers.

You know, Jim and TammyFaye?

And, often, people look at me with that Oh My expression and a nod because then they understand mine was a different childhood.

See, I grew up with a mother enveloped in the word of faith movement. Only I didn't know there was a name for our religion then. I just always thought of our faith as true Christianity and, as taught, didn't really believe that anybody in any other church truly knew the Lord.

I grew up with a Super Apostle and, as a result, my story is one of a falling away from the church, rebellion and, ultimately, redemption.

My blog posts over the coming days may seem random. Yes, they may jump from topic to topic. Nevertheless, these posts will be from the heart.

The one thought with which I'd like to leave you is pray for truth.