There are things in the Christian world that a believer can “smoke” – pretending to know, faking expertise in. Like general knowledge of the Bible, general knowledge of God’s natures and attributes.

A little closer to home for me as a youth leader would be “smoking” Bible study lessons and worship sessions at Children’s church on Sunday mornings.

“This ain’t that important lah. It’s not like I don’t usually prepare – it’s just this one time.” Such are the excuses I give to validate my behaviour.

Thankfully, despite my human weakness, God’s been faithful – mighty to save.

But there is only so much one can “smoke”. It’s one thing to pretend to know stuff – I did a lot of that in polytechnic, and for the most part my peers and lecturers were impressed at how much I knew about what I actually didn’t know much about.

But in relationships, there is only so much you can “smoke”.

You can’t quantify a relationship. A relationship is something you have to experience, emotionally and spiritually. Knowledge without the experience is incomplete – hearing a description of a relationship barely scratches the surface of what it really is.

You know it as soon as you start to hearing someone talking about God. A person who claims to be a believer needs to tap into how much he knows about the Good Good Father.

A relationship is something you have to experience, emotionally and spiritually. Knowledge without the experience is incomplete.

This believer isn’t speaking out of knowledge; he’s speaking out of the experience of his relationship with God.

Sure, he could “smoke” a picture of who God is and what a Christian should be like. It could give the world a very skewed, even wrong idea of what the Church is.

But ultimately, there is an absolute template for understanding God: it’s the Word that He has spoken, that seals the truth, and disposes of the falsehoods. 

In June, a session where I led youth worship set really helped my ever-stubborn, prone-to-wander heart see the truth in this, and face up to the fact that you can’t “smoke” God.

I faced quite the learning curve technically and spiritually. From leading in one song in a set, to having to pray over, plan, prepare, liaise with musicians and singers, having to tune into God, and having to consider all technicalities – all while leading the people gathered to worship.

It forced me to want to know: What’s on the Father’s heart for His people?

I had to connect with Him first, before I would be able or even allowed to facilitate an atmosphere where people come into His presence. I had to be sold out for Him, before I could call for others to do the same. I had to rid myself of all distractions to be able to hear Him speak clearly – something that I’ve been very stubborn about in my current season.

It called for me to dig deep in my relationship with God. And there’s no “smoking” that.