Is your faith delusional?

Are you a follower of Jesus?

That's the question Kyle Idleman leads with in not a fan. I finished this book in the fall of last year (I highly recommend it) and was forced to take a personal inventory of my life and really think about what it means to be a follower.

It's more than just calling myself a Christian, or a even a minister for that matter. Being a follower is being sold out for God.

Is it weird that I have a favorite body wash? Well, I do. And, unfortunately it has been discontinued. I like to use Old Spice Game Day Body Wash.

About two years ago, I ran out and went to buy another bottle only to realize I couldn't find it. As I continued to look, sometimes I would find the label on store shelves, but there was not a single bottle available. It was sold out. And, because it was discontinued that meant they weren't getting any more. Do you realize the implications of a product being sold out. That means it's all gone. There is none left. I would even ask an employee if I was missing something or if they had more in the back to no avail. The bottles were all gone.

Let's translate that to our faith. If you are sold out for God that means you are holding nothing back. Everything you have you give to him. When we become followers of God, he intends for us to be sold out. Jesus makes that clear in Luke 9:23 when he says, "if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself..."

I really like the way Kyle puts it on page 106 of not a fan.

Have you thought about your faith in those terms? You can say you are a Christian. You can go to church on Sunday and have a bumper sticker on your car. But, are you living out what you say you believe. If not, perhaps you are delusional.

These are hard words. For me, it's a work in progress. I find areas of my life that I am holding back from God. Some of my thoughts and actions don't always reflect my belief. Fortunately, I serve a God of grace and find healing through Jesus Christ as I strive to live out my faith. My goal is to be sold out to him, "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12).