Building Up or Tearing Down

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” - James 5:16

Mary Hinkle, author of the blog Pilgrim Preaching: Keeping Company with Biblical Texts and the People Who Hear and Preach Them, says, “Is there any congregation in the whole Christian church on earth that you don’t have to leave when you are having a problem that you can’t hide.” This is a sad commentary that I pray isn’t true. We as humans all encounter problems, struggles, bad choices, and basically sin in our lives. The body of Christ is put together for a reason. God knew that there would be times when we would struggle and being alone in a struggle is very lonely. Leaving a support system, such as the church, I would think would be more detrimental to the person suffering. The importance of showing compassion and mercy to a hurting person and surrounding them in prayer is where healing will begin.

We need to choose if we will be a builder of the body of Christ or a demolisher. If you have been in the demolishing role before, ask for forgiveness…it is freely given, then turn away from that practice and become a builder. Christ is counting on you to be a part of a supportive body of believers ready to pray and love as Christ where needed.


Prayer: The body of Christ is such a precious gift that you have given us. I pray that I may not look at it as the world looks at it. I pray that I may represent you in every situation giving you all glory. Amen


Faith Tip: Do you need support from the body of Christ? Find someone you trust and share your hurt or struggle. You don’t need to carry your burden alone.


Written by Kathy Bruins