Sub-Total: $0.00
Miley Cyrus.
Just reading that name probably summoned an influx of images to mind that I will refrain from describing.
Like most of America, I always loved to watch Hannah Montana with my daughters when they were younger. Â Miley was such a sweet, wholesome role model for young girls, with a great sense of humor and a knack for making people laugh. I know she was just playing a role, but even in the media and what we saw of her real self, her heart seemed to be in the right place. Yet now, I’m not so sure.
Last week on Twitter I came across an article someone had written about Miley Cyrus which led me to visit her Twitter page for the first time out of curiosity. Â Miley had posted a few comments recently, some laced with unlady like words and some including a few photos. Photos that were blocked by my computer due to being rated as inappropriate.
Just as I was about to leave her page, I noticed something Miley had retweeted. It was a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt which read “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” It seemed that Miley interpreted this quote to mean that our actions and behaviors, no matter how crude or wrong they may be, are justified as long as we feel they are right in our hearts.
This got me to thinking. Can we trust our hearts to guide us, when our hearts aren’t in the right place? When our hearts are being help captive by greed, pride, popularity, money, lust, drugs or alcohol? Â When our hearts are broken over private circumstances in our lives? When our hearts are poisoned by images or practices of porn and immodesty? When our hearts are in a place of desiring all the things that the world offers, and none of the things that really matter?
Can we trust our hearts to lead us when our hearts are far from God? Â The honest and only answer – is NO.
Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  Apart from God, our heart’s are sick, and sick hearts cannot make good choices.
Although this quote was noble advice, we can’t always count on it to be true. When our hearts are not with God, they are being guided by forces other than God. Forces that can’t be trusted.
Miley’s dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, did an interview back in 2009 on beliefnet.com, a Christian website, and shared how faith was an important part of his life. Â His grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher and his dad was in a gospel quartet. Billy Ray said he was basically born into the church and thankful for that, and that his daughter shared his faith.
When asked if it was hard for he and Miley to stick to their beliefs in Hollywood, Billy Ray replied “No doubt it’s harder here. In Franklin, Tennessee where we’re from, there’s a lot of faith around, a lot of light. A lot of people have read the Bible. [Faith is] part of your life, part of the community. And you know what? [With] all due respect, in this world, it’s just hard to find a lot of light here in Hollywood.”
He went to say, “Even with that show (Doc), the harder we worked to represent the light and be positive, the more the forces of evil and darkness would come in to try to put out that light.  So you can imagine being Miley right now, let alone me, you just gotta know that what the dark side wouldn’t give to put out that light and that positive hope and love and bring down anyone.” Â
“Can you imagine how much joy it would bring to the devil to see Miley just do something really stupid and all these kids around the world that she’s represented such a positive force to just taint it with something stupid and ruin it? There’s a lot of forces that would like to see that happen.”
Unfortunately, now they have. Â Billy Ray is talking here about spiritual warfare, and in recent years, Miley (like all of us) has been under attack. The target of dark forces who want her to be a bad example, who want her life to stay messed up (her words) and who want her to continue to be an interesting celebrity, not an inspirational one. Forces that want to put out her light once and for all.
Based on Billy Ray’s own words which seem to now be a prediction of things to come, it appears that the temptations of our culture and the greed for money and fame have slowly led Miley out of God’s light and into the dark shadows of where her faith used to be. Although God knows her heart, her choices serve as evidence that her heart may not be in the right place. She has strayed from the young girl who once thanked Jesus publicly for her awards and opportunities, to a young woman who has gradually surrendered to the toxic addiction of money and fame.
But despite all the swirling and harsh criticism, God is not judging her, just waiting for her return. He still loves Miley and has great plans for her life, just as He does for each of us. Â God alone has given her an amazing platform which could be used for great things, including sharing the gospel with millions of people. My prayer is that one day she will look up to a permanently sovereign God for purpose and fulfillment, instead of looking around to temporary fans and celebrity status which are as fleeting as the wind.
I so admired Billy Ray’s statement in this beliefnet article where he said “…and I still pray the same prayer…that God will give us the wisdom and the vision and the ability to see the things we’re supposed to see, to do the things we’re supposed to do, to sing the songs we’re supposed to sing, to be the people we’re supposed to be.”  We are all called to pray for our children like this.  However recently, with regards to his daughter’s shocking VMA performance, he stated that he would have done the same thing if he had been her.
As a mom, with a daughter about the same age as Miley, I admire Billy Ray for publicly stating his  unconditional love and support for his child. But as a Christian, I can’t help but wish he would help nudge his daughter towards God, instead of condoning and promoting behavior that is against everything his own faith is grounded on.  I can’t help but wish he would profess that although he loves his daughter dearly, he would be going against his beliefs to support her choices and actions.
But despite that, I still admire Billy Ray for his faith and his willingness to stand up for Jesus. In fact, just this weekend, when asked on Twitter if he believed in Jesus,  he tweeted  Billy Ray Cyrus ‏@billyraycyrus “Yes I believe in Jesus. I believe He is the son of God and he lived and died for us.”  Amen! You can bet your bottom dollar that Jesus was glorified! Billy Ray Cyrus has 1,543,395 followers  – all of whom just heard about the saving grace of Jesus upon reading his one little tweet.
But what would send an even stronger message for Christ is if Miley herself would take some steps towards the Light and publicly profess her faith. Â If she would humbly admit that maybe her choices have not been the best lately, but that her heart has been convicted by God and is now telling her to change. Or maybe that she has just been distracted with problems, and that fame and fortune temporarily caused her to get off track. All that would be understandable, it happens to the best of us. Â Nobody is immune to the forces of darkness. Â But when people see God’s light shining in a life transformed and changed as a result of His grace, lives are changed forever.
What a powerful mouthpiece for Jesus Miley could be if she chose to humbly admit that she made some mistakes, but has decided to turn from all that and be who God called her to be, not who the world tries to convince her she should be. She could still be rich and famous, but her riches would go far deeper than her bank account.
Lastly, in the article mentioned above, Billy Ray stated this, “That’s why she was named Destiny Hope before she was born. Because I was positive that there was a voice telling me that it was her destiny to bring hope to the world.”
And she still can, if she chooses to let her past mistakes become her platform for purpose for Jesus. She can bring hope, or she can bring darkness. Â She can show the world what true redemption and change really is, or she can continue to walk farther from God.
Those are choices we all have to make, whether we are regular working class people, or celebrities at the top of our game. We were all created with a desire for God’s love and a longing for divine purpose that really means something, but we’ll never discover that until our hearts are right with Him.
Today, I want to invite you to join me in praying for Miley. She is one of God’s beloved royal daughters, and she needs our prayers.
Prayers for God to reach her heart in an amazing way and change her life. For Him to open her eyes to see how she could use her celebrity status to impact hearts all over the world for Jesus, rather than leading them astray. Prayers for her to remember how it felt to be a positive, dearly loved role model by women of all ages, and not just the latest negative media gossip. Prayers for her father to help her grow spiritually and to have the strength and courage to stand up for what’s right. Â Prayers for God to give her wisdom, vision and ability to see and do what God wants her to see and do, and be the person she was put on this earth to be.
Let’s pray that God will bring her heart back to Him, so that she will stop relying on her own heart for guidance, and begin relying on His.
Mrs. Roosevelt was right about one thing – we will always be criticized for something. But being criticized for our faith is a whole lot better than the alternative.
Will you leave a prayer for her Miley? Let’s storm the gates of heaven on her behalf. God thinks she is worth it. I do too.
If you’re receiving this post in email, CLICK HERE to leave your comment/prayer for Miley.
To help spread the word and get the prayer chain going, copy and paste the below social media statements and share!
TWITTER:  Join the prayer chain for @MileyCyrus at my blog https://ow.ly/oHoOw Retweet & get your friends involved too! @traciewmiles #prayformiley
FACEBOOK: Join the prayer chain for Miley Cyrus at Tracie Miles blog https://ow.ly/oHoOw  then share post this to get your friends involved too!  #prayformiley
23 Comments
Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.
Subscribe to Tracie’s Blog
Receive the Living Unbroken Battle Plan Workbook for free if you subscribe to Tracie’s blog today!
Tracie's Books
That is the best article I have seen in the last few weeks regarding Miley. It is sooo sad to see her so far off track and obviously surrounded by people who won’t speak up for her soul. I pray that somehow her or her dad reads this article and let’s go of their pride long enough to realize it is time to return to God. This world is so full of ugliness…. it would be a beautiful thing for her and other celebrities to use their position in society to effect the masses in a positive way. Lord, I pray that Miley and other “stars” will pull away from the greed and fame to realize there time here is short and they need to make the most of it. Amen.
I saw what Miley was doing and thought as my dad would have stated. Is this a Christian and is this the way a Christian should act? I do pray for her and her family. I pray that she can be the same light as some of the other child actors and actresses such as Lisa Whelchel, Kirk Cameron and his sister Candace. They have discovered that God is walking with them and they have a Godly influence on the people around them. Same with Miley. She has so many young people looking up to her and that she could be a beacon to them showing them Jesus. Lord, I pray for Miley to return to you. Humble her and make her aware of who you are. Be with her and her family. Bring her back into your loving arms. Hold her close and keep her. In your name, Amen.
Good article. Praying for Miley.Justin Bieber is another influencial celebrity that was raised in a Christian home that has appeared to have lost his way. So hard for these young people to remain grounded in the face of fame. Satan lives it.
Miley you are dearly loved of God and He does have great plans for you. Lean on God for guidance because He can be trusted to do what is best for His beloved child! You are in my prayers.
Thanks so much Tracie. It is so easy for the world, ourselves included, to be judgmental when someone is clearly struggling. Taking the high road and praying for that person is a much more appropriate response.
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV
I will pray for Miley
I was once a young girl who was on fire for Jesus, but allowed the world to penetrate my heart. I was lost and wondering, doing everything I was grown enough to do! Although I did what I wanted, I was still miserable. It wasn’t until I turned back to God that I was made whole. I pray this for Miley, too.
Father God, I come to you with a bowed head and humble heart. I’m praying that Miley will turn back to you and use her status to spread Your Word and love. Father, let her know that you are waiting for her and that you still love her. Help her to realize that although she made mistake, all is forgiven in You! I pray for her family, Lord. I pray they will keep their eyes on you and not allow satan to give them twisted thoughts. I ask these blessing in Your Son Jesus’ name. Amen.
We all are tempted by the devil, at some point, in our lives. I pray that good can come out of this serious situation. Everyone deserves another chance in this world because nobody living in our world is without sin. I pray that Miley’s family will intervene and show her the way back to Jesus. I pray that she will be lead by the light and will not only take care of her spiritual self, but her human self as well. I know she is still in God’s presence, but your article put it the best, her heart is not in the right place.
I am praying for Miley!
Heavenly father, I lift Miley up to you. Bless her heart, change her ways, bring her back into your arms. Only you know what she truly believes. Only you know what is in her heart. Humble her to you Lord. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Lord, we come to you on behalf of our dear sister Destiny Hope Cyrus. You have given her such beauty and such a platform to be a shining light. She has honored the faith You gave her in the past, but, recently, has walked in darkness. Romans 3:23-24 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” We all struggle, and You love us unconditionally.
Move in the hearts of Miley and her family to help her to return to her first love–she will never feel whole or stisfied until she does.
Thank You for your grace and mercy available for all Your children.
In the powerful, beautiful Name of Jesus
AMEN
Lord,
We know that You love each of your children dearly, even when we go down the wrong path. I lift up Miley to You, Lord. Please open her eyes to reveal to her the darkness she is under. Spark that passion in her heart for You and for spreading Your light. Help her to remember that she can use her celebrity status in such a positive way that reflects You and Your love. Please help Billy Ray remember that he can love his daughter unconditionally, and yet not approve of her misguided actions. Lead him in helping his daughter find the true path for her life – Your path. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord Jesus, Open up the eyes of Miley’s heart today, please remove the blindness of the enemy and let her meet you Jesus today. In your name we pray Amen
Thank you for this article! Will try to share it on FB.
Prayer for Miley: : Lord Jesus, please intervene in this young woman’s life and heart drawing her back to you and to making choices that would glorify You. Amen.”
I have tears in my eyes over all the beautiful prayers for Miley. Keep em coming ladies!
Yes I’ll be happy to pray for her. As a parent of young adult children our children will make mistakes and may have to find their way back to that relationship that they used to have with God. I pray that this will happen for my own children everyday. You don’t stop loving them when they make really bad choices but you as a Christian parent have to love them through it.
This is a beautiful article written with love for a young woman. I pray that Miley Turns back to God and her faith, and will be a light in this world. Amen
I guess I choose not to judge someone. I am not around Miley, so have no clue whether too say she does or doesn’t follow God. For all I know, she attends church daily. Yes I’m a mom of 2 young children, one being a girl. I teach them there’s good & there’s bad. Keep in mind it’s music. Then I teach her right from wrong, but can’t say I’ve judged her for it or felt she needed “leaf back to Christ”.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please watch over Miley and open the eyes of her heart. Teach her how to be a better example and role model for our young people- especially our girls.
In Jesus’ glorious name,
Amen
Father I join in with prayers for Miley…may you draw her back to you. You make everything new.
Such a positive response to such a negative media whirlwind! As many were horrified at Miley’s antics the last few weeks, it was easy to judge, condemn and become overly pious. But through your words, we are reminded to view a professing Christian through the loving eyes of Jesus and as he looked upon another woman with sin and asked who will cast the first stone, we are reminded of his unlimited forgiveness. I too will choose to pray for Miley and try not to cast too many condemnation stones. I am a card carrying sinner who has been forgiven. Thanks Tracie!
Father, I lift Miley and all of the young celebrities up to you. Draw them to you so that they can bring hope and joy to a generation that has so many difficult choices to make. Send someone to their lives that they may see your love.
Tracie, thank you for a beautiful post.
Heavenly Father, I ask you today to help Miley Cyrus to be able to hear your still small voice. Open her spiritual ears when she is in bed, traveling to work, anytime she is alone and thinking. Help her to be able to hear what your Spirit is saying to her. Remind her who she really is and what your plans are for her. Then God please give her the courage to make the changes she needs to make in her life. Allow her the grace to be all that you have called her to be without the concern for what others think about her. Help her to have the peace that passes all understanding that only you offer. We know that it is not too late for her and that we should not judge where she is with God. We know God that you are all powerful and are fully able to straighten out the mess in her life. Thank you for caring about all of us and we thank you for being so very good that when we each fall, you are compassionate and are able to lift us up. We appreciate your grace that is all sufficient and we trust you to bring her to a place of peace and contentment in Jesus Name. Amen.
Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!