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The “Unknown God” Revealed

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By Geneva Mooney

Sometime in 2003, I accepted Jesus into my life, but my heart was not following Him yet. I was broken and I still am. I first needed to invite Him into my journey of life, then I had to learn to walk with Him, as we all do. It was a journey through the desert, a journey to fight, a journey to trust, and a journey to love as He first loved us. This is a journey with Him by my side, no matter how dark or joyous.

Like many others, this journey is redemptive and continues to be. As I walk more closely with my Father, I’ve learned to love Him and desire to do what is right through His Word and Holy Spirit (“If you love me, you will obey me” [John 14:15, NIV]). But it has not always been that way, because I loved myself and my emotions more. We can be conformed to this world, the thinking of this world and the judgments of this world, and not even know it.

In 2003, I also made a decision out of fear—fear of being judged by my parents and judged by Christians. At the time I was conformed to this world, but now as I walk with my Creator I am continuing to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” [Romans 12:2a]; “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” [2 Corinthians 10:5]). Today, through repentance and obedience, my Father has made me whole again.

In that moment of fear and brokenness, 18 years ago, when Jean and I were not yet married but living together, I chose to have an abortion. My healing journey then began several years ago when I chose to be open and honest with my parents and ask for their forgiveness. I then had to go to my Heavenly Father and ask Him for forgiveness, as I had judged my parents and did not honor them at the time of my decision because in my childhood, I decided in my heart that they were unsafe and not worth honoring. I also needed to ask my Heavenly Father to forgive me for sacrificing my own child out of fear, judgment, and shame.

I then forgave Christians (my fellow brothers and sisters) and asked my Father to forgive me for harboring judgments against them for being unsafe and not loving me where I was at, a sinner. I had to dismantle the lies, judgments, and vows that were seared into my heart and mind. This journey of sin in my heart and mind has taken years to build and years to dismantle, because it was only several weeks ago that I realized I had judged Christians 18 years ago.

We can’t overcome anything until we know Jesus. And until we know Jesus, we will create “unknown gods” to fill His void. That unknown god for me at the time was fear, judgment, and shame. I have had many other unknown gods that have needed to be dismantled and destroyed with the help of my wonderful, loving Father, through His Word and the Holy Spirit. I know I will yet have other unknown gods that will need to be dismantled as He directs me and guides me, but I can sit on my Father’s lap and soak up His love for me, and I do not have to do anything to deserve it. I just need to climb on His lap in truth, trust, and love for Him and His life for me.

While most of our unknown gods are actually false gods or idols, Scripture tells us about one unknown god who revealed truth and love and beauty to those who sought him. In Acts 17, Paul noted that amid all their detestable idols and false gods, the Athenians had set up an altar with the inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. In verse 23, Paul told the Athenians, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” Then he began to teach them about Jesus and His Father! As the unknown god became known to these Athenians, they began to abandon and dismantle their idols and false gods.

Any idol or unknown god will always require a sacrifice. Our Father in Heaven only asks us to be living sacrifices (“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” [Romans 12:1]). I believe through the sin in our hearts we build altars to unknown gods that block our view of our Father’s loving lap. When we are willing to take our sins to Jesus‘s feet on the cross and lay them there, we can be forgiven. God becomes known, and unknown gods can be torn down.

What is taking the place of our Father? What lies are we believing, or vows or judgments are we harboring that keep us from loving well and from sitting on our Father’s lap and soaking up His perfect love for us? What unknown gods are blocking you from seeing and experiencing the love of our FATHER, the one true God, and His Son Jesus Christ?

If you’ve had an abortion, you are pregnant and scared, or if this topic upsets you, know that the emotions are real, and you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Jesus is right there with you—and I would be delighted to walk along your side, as well.

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Being Thankful

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by Geneva Mooney

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17, NIV)

Thankfulness begins in our heart. What our mind, mouth and actions speak our heart says first: A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). When life goes well it can be easy to respond out of thankfulness and in agreement with others, but what happens when life does not go well? When there are challenging circumstances or disagreements that rise up within us, how do you respond? Do you respond with a thankful heart full of grace and love; a heart full of unforgiveness, judgment and condemnation; or a heart full of anxiety and fear? When faced with a wound or hurt do you easily forgive, or do you hold onto that hurt like a child’s security blanket that has been weathered to the point of disrepair? It is not what happens to us that matters, it is how we respond in our hearts, because our words and actions are an expression of our heart. The heart is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23), and the Lord sees the heart.

The Lord is clear in His word on how we are to respond: Love! Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). But what if it is hard to love others when we are faced with those challenges and conflicts? First, we have a mighty Father who wants to do this in us. He wants to be a part of our brokenness, for us to be willing to look deep into our hearts with Him for the unforgiveness and judgments we may have in our hearts from childhood to today. Why?

Because if we do not forgive, we are not forgiven. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). Forgiveness is not excusing the offense, forgetting, denying the hurt or anger, or trusting the offender. Forgiveness is remitting the punishment or canceling the debt – a work of God’s grace in our lives.

We should also bring past and present judgments to an end, because we are judged in the same way if we don’t. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1-2). Have you ever wondered why you might be just like your mother or father, in a negative way? Could it be judgment? Just in case you were not sure what judgment is, it’s a sinful reaction to hurt – condemning those who hurt us about what they have done and about who they are.

The good news? We have a big God who wants to partner with us and heal us from the inside out. He wants to heal our hearts so our mourning can turn into joy (Jeremiah 31:13), so we can embrace the life He has given us and be thankful for our lives even in the midst of pain. Our Father cannot violate free will, but He is there weeping with you, angry for you. His heart breaks over you. What was intended for evil He wants to use for good, but we must be willing to go into the deep places of our hearts, invite Him in and address those wounds.

We are all sinners in desperate need of a Savior who died on the Cross and was resurrected after three days for all humanity. Let’s take our unforgiveness, judgments and hurts to the Cross, reckoning them dead so that we can have new life. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12: 4). All suffering is meaningful when it is met with love and the resisting of sin.

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Who’s Reigning in Your Life, and What Fruit Are You Producing?

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By Geneva Mooney

What does God want you to surrender? What is He asking you to do? What does He want you to say YES to? What is biblical?

  • Is it Jesus?
  • Is it being baptized?
  • Is it having a sabbath?
  • Is it coming to church or coming to church regularly?
  • Is it becoming a member of your church body?
  • Is it raising your hands during worship?
  • Is it serving within the church or serving more?
  • Is it getting involved with a Bible study or a community group?
  • Is it loving someone who’s unlovable?
  • Is it sharing your story?
  • Is it being quiet and listening?
  • Is it being bold and speaking up?
  • Is it learning how to receive or to give?
  • Is it mentoring someone, or being mentored in the faith?
  • Is it trusting in Him during a hard season?

Is it … what is it for you?

Better yet, what control is He asking you to surrender?

  • Yourself?
  • Your time?
  • Your money/finances?
  • Your spouse?
  • Your children?
  • Your reputation?
  • Your emotions?
  • Your fears and doubts?

He wants our hearts to lean toward His heart and desires, not the desires of this world. He wants us to have freedom, but in order to receive that freedom, we have to choose His ways. We have to learn to trust Him and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Every “yes” is a stepping stone to Him, a step closer to His blessings and a step closer to His covering for our lives … a step toward freedom. Freedom is not easy, and it’s not for the fainthearted. It’s a fight to persevere to get out of the prison and bondage we create for ourselves (2 Timothy 2:26). If our fear, doubt, and selfishness are getting in the way, He gently disciplines us. The more we ignore Him calling us to serve and praise Him full heartedly, the more difficult things can get. He loves us, and only He knows what is best for us — we do not.

I remember surrendering my memory, my husband, my children, my time, my reputation, my choices, my emotions, my fears, and my doubt to build up trust in my Heavenly Father. He has changed me and my family (go ahead and ask me my story sometime). The more I have changed, the more peace and joy I have received, and the more peaceful my home has become, no matter the circumstance.

My choices weren’t easy; it was the hardest thing I have ever done. War is ugly and spiritual warfare is real, and we will always face opposition in our choices. We can choose to serve and praise our Lord, or to serve ourselves. Are we going to be a prisoner of war, or will we be a warrior? We have choices.

Are we moving one choice closer to who our Heavenly Father is, or a step closer to who he is not and the bondage it comes with (Proverbs 1:30–31)?  Which father are you choosing to be like: a Heavenly Father with the fruit of the spirit or the father of lies with the fruit of our flesh? One Father loves us, and the other loves our destruction and demise. One grows great and bountiful fruit within us (Galatians 5:22–23), and the other grows rotting and deformed fruit (Galatians 5:19–21). We have but two choices: to persevere with what He is calling us to do or to give up, do nothing, and/or run. One is serving Him, the other is rebellion. Our choices reflect whom we are serving and which fruit we will produce.

I took on this ministry knowing I was expecting a child. I didn’t do it because I wanted to or because it was easy; I did it to say “yes” to my Lord and trust Him. Please say “yes” to serving in this church body, and persevere. These are some of the areas you can serve in:

  • 2:52 Kids – every six weeks to twice a month
  • Awana – every Wednesday evening from September to May, following the Puyallup school district’s schedule
  • Usher Team – every Sunday for a month, every third month
  • Worship Team – about every three weeks
  • Hospitality Team – once a month to every other week
  • Coffee Crew – once a month
  • Joining or leading a community group
  • VBS – once a year during the summer
  • Interceding with the Prayer Chain
  • Mowing Elim’s ever-growing lawn – seasonal
  • Work Day to beautify the grounds – seasonal

As you can see, there are many opportunities to serve at Elim, and it’s better to have an abundance of volunteers than too few. Don’t take on a lot; take on a little and build from there. You can serve as little or as much as you want. Try different areas to see what you’re gifted at — the hidden talent God has always seen in you may surprise you. What area are you going to start serving in and saying “yes” to?

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