Tag Archives: overcoming distractions

Faith, Intimacy

Stop Playing Church and Return to the Lord

In His mercy, God allows us to live with free will, even when our choices grieve Him. For many of us, this free will leads to “playing church”—going through the motions of faith without truly seeking God’s presence. We attend services, recite prayers, and check religious boxes, but our hearts remain far from Him. This shallow faith breaks God’s heart, yet He waits patiently, calling us to return to Him wholeheartedly. Let us finally stop playing church and seek His presence anew.

The Bible warns us about hollow worship: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me” (Matthew 15:8, AMP). Playing church might make us feel comfortable, but it keeps us from the fullness of God’s power and purpose in our lives. The Enemy is perfectly content to see us busy with religious activity, so long as we remain spiritually ineffective.

But the moment we stop playing church and truly seek God, everything changes. When we move beyond rituals and engage in intimate, heartfelt prayer, when we genuinely repent and surrender our distractions and sins, we become vessels for God’s power. It is in this surrender that the Enemy takes notice—because a church that prays, seeks God’s face, and loves others as Christ does becomes a threat to his kingdom.

The Danger of a Shallow Faith

Playing church keeps us stuck in a cycle of empty actions. We feel busy and religious but lack the intimacy with God that transforms our hearts. Jesus reminds us, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21, AMP). Faith is not about appearances; it’s about obedience, love, and surrender. To stop playing church, we must align our hearts with God’s will and seek true intimacy with Him.

This shallow faith is often sustained by distractions and comfortable sins—the things we turn to instead of God. Whether it’s entertainment, pride, or apathy, these idols dull our spiritual hunger. God calls us to strip away these barriers and return to Him fully.

True Faith Requires Wholehearted Devotion

The Lord does not want us to settle for religious routine. He desires relationship. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, AMP). True faith is an all-consuming pursuit of God. It means surrendering our favorite distractions, abandoning our comfortable sins, and seeking Him with an undivided heart. When we stop simply playing church, we embark on a true journey of faith.

This is not easy. It requires sacrifice and humility. But when we set aside our excuses and truly press into God, we experience His presence in ways we never imagined. Revival begins when the people of God stop playing church and start living as the body of Christ—praying fervently, loving sacrificially, and sharing His gospel boldly.

A Call to Stop Playing Church

Beloved, now is the time to stop playing church, and start living out our faith genuinely. God is calling us to lay down our idols, distractions, and sins and return to Him. Imagine a church where believers gather, not out of obligation, but out of a deep hunger for God’s presence. Imagine spontaneous prayer meetings, where hearts cry out to the Lord without concern for schedules or distractions. Imagine a church so on fire for God that the lost are drawn to Him through our love and witness.

This is what God desires for His people. This is what He calls us to.

Prayer:

Father, we confess that we have often gone through the motions of faith without truly seeking You. Forgive us for playing church, for being distracted by our comforts, and for clinging to sins that hinder our walk with You. We lay these things at the cross and ask You to cleanse us. Ignite in us a hunger for Your presence and a desire to live in obedience to Your will. Teach us to seek You with all our hearts and to bring Your love to the world around us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

See Also

Apostolic Prophetic

Pressing Towards Glory

Beloved elders, chosen and called by God, hear the word of the Lord spoken over you today. You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and countless others—who ran their race in unwavering faith, never doubting the faithfulness of the One who called them. They stand as silent witnesses, testifying to God’s goodness and urging you to take hold of the inheritance of faith that has been entrusted to you. As they pressed forward in faith, so too are you called to press on, unwavering and undistracted, toward the upward call of Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord declares over you today: Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set before you, looking only to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:1-2, AMP). The hour is urgent, and the call is clear—press in, draw near, and let nothing of this world hinder the mighty work God is doing through you. For the Lord is with you, and His Spirit is upon you; He is calling you deeper, summoning you to walk the path of purity and power, to fix your eyes solely on Him, and to bring His glory to the earth through unshakable faith and obedience.

This is a holy calling, not for the faint of heart. Yet you are not alone; the Lord Himself is your strength and shield. As Moses forsook the treasures of Egypt for the promise of God, so too you are called to reject the fleeting allure of the world and to embrace the treasures of heaven. Like Abraham, who stepped out in faith not knowing where he was going, so too you are called to trust in God’s guidance, moving forward in faith even in the face of uncertainty. For He who calls you is faithful, and He will fulfill His promises.

The Word of the Lord speaks to you today, saying: Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose] (1 Corinthians 15:58, AMP). The Lord sees your faithfulness and delights in your heart of surrender. He is not blind to your sacrifices; He is not deaf to your prayers. Every step of obedience, every act of love, every moment of faith—these are the offerings that please Him, and they are building a legacy of glory that will resound in eternity.

Rise up, elders of the church, for the Spirit of the Lord is upon you! He has anointed you, appointed you, and strengthened you to lead His people into deeper communion with Him. The world will not understand your calling, for it is a holy calling, set apart for His glory. Do not be swayed by the opinions of man, nor distracted by the cares of this life. As Noah built the ark in reverence and obedience, though the world mocked him, so too you must be unwavering in your obedience to God, confident that He is faithful to fulfill every word He has spoken.

Press on, beloved, toward the prize set before you, for Jesus Himself is your reward, your strength, and your crown. This is the high calling—to know Him, to walk with Him, to serve Him with a pure and undivided heart. As the Apostle Paul proclaimed, “I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, AMP), so too let this be your proclamation. Press on, not as one uncertain, but as one whose eyes are set on the Author and Perfecter of your faith.

Today, I declare over you: the God of all grace, who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10, AMP). As you press forward in faith, He will lift you up, sustaining you by His Spirit, equipping you for every good work, and carrying you from glory to glory. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Stand firm, beloved elders, for the Spirit of God is upon you, and His Word is alive within you. Take hold of this mantle with holy reverence, casting aside every weight, pressing on with endurance, and keeping your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus. For He is your hope, your peace, your joy, and your victory. And on the day He returns, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades, and you will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Amen and amen.

See Also