Do you remember the TV show, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’? Personally I never watched it, but I do remember the name!
The title is really interesting to me because it shows us that what we think might not always be in harmony with what is true.
Well, what if there were a game show that put people who claimed to know Jesus to the test? Almost like a Christian Olympics. I wonder what events there would be… tracts? Bible trivia? Church attendance? And who would the judges be? Your Pastor? Lecrae? Joel Osteen? Kanye? And even if we decided on the judging panel, how would they evaluate the genuineness of the contestants’ claims to Christianity?
Knowing, teaching, and preaching of the Bible is great, but it is behaviour that is indicative of beliefs, not the mere acknowledgement of facts or ability to recite scripture.
Scientific research says that a massive 95% of the human brain is subconscious (memories, emotions, and habits on autopilot), which explains why what we claim to believe may not always align with our behaviours. We have to consciously make an effort to make our actions align with our beliefs.
James 5:16 in the Message Translation says: “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.”
Here, James highlights the importance of the Christian community in relation to being authentic and living in ways that reflect our faith. Sometimes the voice of God can get dampened during times of temptation and we need people to help us to reframe our subconscious so that our behaviour aligns with our faith. These people can amplify what God is saying concerning our circumstances and encourage us in how we should react to our situations. As it is said in Hebrew 10:25 (MSG), we need to be “spurring each other on” in order to live in a way that reflects the beliefs we hold in our heart.
So if you haven’t already… surround yourself with Christian friends to spur you on!
