Katy Perry, I See Jesus in You!

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of hearing Paul Manwaring speak in Atlanta.  He posed a thought provoking question, "If you've been born for such a time as this; what time is it?"

His message had many points, but he made one statement, in particular, I just can not get away from and it is this:  "If we (the Church) remain silent, people will find relief from somewhere else."

For the last several years I've been on a journey of discovering the heart of Papa God.  I've said it before on this blog, I think His heart has been grossly misunderstood by His children.  We then have turned around and mis-represented His heart to the world...the world who so desperately needs to know the unconditional love of the Father.

Through this journey, I have learned to challenge the status quo as defined by the Church.  Just because I've heard something taught for years and through multiple sources doesn't mean I take it as truth anymore.  I have become a student of Holy Spirit, viewing the Word through the lens of Jesus.   I now look at the Word of God looking for Jesus and He is in every word, both Old Testament and New and I must say, He is BEAUTIFUL!

If your my Facebook friend you may know I recently posted a link to one of Katy Perry's new songs, "Unconditionally."  I hear the heart of Papa in it and I know that although Katy is very confused about many things, this song was inspired by Holy Spirit.  It is full of truth.  So, I bought her latest album on iTunes.

Some of the songs I automatically hit skip, because quite honestly they are full of sexual innuendo and just don't make me feel good.  Not judging anyone who listens to them; they're just not for me:)

There are three songs which have my attention on this album and I want to focus on one of them in this post.  This post is going to be lengthy, hope you stay with me.

The name of the song is "It Takes Two."  Let's take a look at the lyrics:

"Is Mercury in retrograde or is that the excuse I've always made
'cause I wanna blame you,
But I can only blame myself

Yeah, it's easy to throw you under the bus
I'll call you crazy, while I'm filling my cup
I say these things to hurt you
But I only hurt myself

Oh, I can only take responsibility for me
It takes two, two sides to every story
Not just you
I can't keep ignoring
I admit half of it, I'm not that innocent, oh yeah

It take two, two sides to every story
Not just me
You can't keep ignoring
But let me be first baby to say "I'm sorry"

I face my demons, yeah, I paid my dues
I had to grow up, I wish you could too
I wanted to save you, but I can only save myself

Oh, I can only be the changing one to see
Yeah, I can see

I point my finger but it does me no good
I look in the mirror & it tells me truth
Why all these lessons always learned the hard way
Is it too late to change"

Ok, here is where my opinion is probably going to be different than most.  I don't know Katy, but I have a sense she is a believer in Jesus.  I think she bought into lies that led her down a path of destruction and poor choices.  What I see in some of her songs is a young woman coming back to what is true and who she really is, a much loved daughter of Father God.

Is her life messy?  No doubt.  Has she bought into the Hollywood scene and fast life that comes with it?  I think that is obvious.  Unlike most of us, she doesn't have the luxury of anonymity.  Her journey is out there for all the world to see.  Instead of looking at what Katy is not, I choose to look at her how heaven sees her.

If I want to see Christians bashing other Christians, current pop stars, entertainers and even ministers of the Gospel, I don't have to go any further than Facebook.  I think it's time we look at those who have influence in a different light.  Instead of bashing them and saying they are going to burn in Hell, why don't we choose to see them as Father God sees them, because my Bible tells me He loves them!  And, gasp, dare I say it, pray for them?

Let me tie this back into my opening quote from Paul.  Our children and our teenagers are looking.  They are seeking and unless they are living in a cave (good luck with that, btw) they are most likely looking to Hollywood for their direction.  Looking at what will make them acceptable among their peers and even looking for counsel through song lyrics (yeah, that's scary, isn't it?)

"If we (the Church) remain silent, people will find relief from somewhere else."  Silent about what?  Silent about the goodness of God, redemption, forgiveness, life, to name a few.  Oh, Christians are plenty vocal, but it's time we use our voice to speak and impart LIFE!

I want to dissect the above lyrics a little.  I'm not going to go into each line, but a few that stand out to me.

"I wanna blame you, but I can only blame myself."  Katy, how about we don't blame anybody?  Instead why don't we take responsibility for our words & actions and clean up our messes?

"I say these things to hurt you, but I only hurt myself."  This is truth.  When we hold onto unforgiveness, hate and bitterness, they eat away at our souls.  They weigh us down, not the one we harbor the feelings toward.

"Oh, I can only take responsibility for me."  Truth!  Truth!  Truth!  On your very best day, you have control of you.  You can not take responsibility for anyone else, unless you want to be co-dependent, which I don't suggest at all.

"But let me be first baby to say "I'm sorry."  Good advice.  I often tell engaged couples that is the best marriage advice I have to give them.  Say you're sorry even when it's not your fault!

"I wanted to save you, but I can only save myself."  Yes, you only have the power to save yourself by choosing to believe in what Jesus did for you.  You don't have the power to fix or save anyone else, but you can show them Jesus by your words and actions, making Him lovely to those who need Him.

"Is it too late to change?"  NEVER!  You, reading this that believe it's too late for you, let me be the one to share with you, it's NEVER too late with Jesus.  And, you get bonus, because He promises to use what was meant for your harm to your good.  Want proof of that?  Go read Romans 8:28.

Bottom line, the Katy Perrys of this world are influencing our children, we can either criticize and turn up our religious noses; or we can believe for her return.  Like the father in the Prodigal Son, I want to throw her a party!

Hmmm...Miley, you are next!

The Gospel of Grace has radically changed me.  I hope to share more about that with you soon...in the meantime, I encourage you to look for Jesus everywhere...He's not limited to the pages of the Book and this is just one more reason, My Soul Sings!