Today’s post is a continuation from yesterday’s guest post from my friend, Paige Spencer. It should all give us hope to know there are amazing, God-focused young people like Paige out there.  My love ~ Candy 

I know that when a bride is preparing herself everyone that knows her wants to hear about how she’s preparing herself for that special day and for that special guy. In the church’s case, we should be talking about how we are preparing for our special Guy to come, keeping in mind what our role as the church is, and Oh what a day that will be! Even though this may seem like a rabbit hole I promise this is all coming together. Like I said, growing up in the church I’ve seen what fake religion, seeker-friendly, keep everyone happy kind of services look like and this is what caused me to question whether God was real. It wasn’t because I didn’t have faith in Him, didn’t trust Him, or didn’t see evidence of Him in my own life but because I saw how others weren’t responding the way I thought they would to such an Almighty God. I thought, “Well maybe I’m making all this stuff up and coincidences happen more than I thought they did.” 
I allowed everyone around me to shape the way I viewed God and because of that I had developed a skewed, very shallow view of who God might be. I have great parents, I admire and respect they way they’ve raised my sisters and I and they’ve always taught me that Jesus loves me and how I should base my decisions off of that and not on their occupation as ministers but the enemy still tried to come and thwart what they were trying to instill in me as a child. It wasn’t until I experienced the love of God for myself that I was finally able to answer that haunting question once and for all. 

Is God real? Absolutely one hundred percent yes. 

I’ve never been so sure of something in my life. I’ve now made the decision to not allow other people to shape my view of God and even limit what He can do for me. If you don’t believe that there is a God or are stuck questioning whether He exists, I could tell you countless stories of how He’s worked in my life, my family’s life, and even the life of others I know but I wouldn’t expect any of that to change your view at all because I know for a fact that I didn’t believe any of it until I experienced Him myself. 
I want to be the first to apologize to you if you have been hurt by someone in the church and say if you aren’t experiencing love from someone in the church then that is not God. To the drunks, prostitutes, homosexuals, bisexuals, addicts, rejects, and anyone else I’m sorry we have not been the extension of God’s love that we need to be. Jesus was sent to this earth to love, God is the one who holds the title of Judge, but we are an extension of Jesus and all He did was love. Hate and judgment has done nothing but bring dissension in what’s supposed to be a body that works together and we’ve allowed the biggest deceiver of them all to come in and lead away people one by one. I’m here to say that in order to see the church back in order we must experience the love of the Father, have faith that the Bible is complete Truth, and love those who think differently than you. Listen before you speak your mind. Look at others through a different perspective. Love those who seem to be least lovable. 
One by one we can make a difference if we choose to be an extension of Jesus instead of seeking the spotlight of the world. 

A 2012 Amarillo High graduate, Paige currently attends Christ For the Nations Institute in Dallas, Tx. An intercessory worshipper, faithful friend and encourager, Paige longs to see an awakening in her generation and desires the nations… But she is above all a worshipper and lover of her King.