Jen Lilley: 'I Would Rather Not be an Actor and Be in God's Will' (GLM #168)

She is an actress best known for her TV roles including her portrayal of Maxie Jones on the ABC soap opera "General Hospital" from 2011 to 2012. In 2013, she joined the cast of "Days of Our Lives" as Theresa Donovan, and starred in "The Book of Esther" portraying the biblical character. Her other film and television credits include "Revelation Road," "Crossing Streets," "Criminal Minds," and "iCarly" among others. 

In an interview with the Christian Post, she spoke about leaving "General Hospital" and how her faith in God guides her to make the right decisions. About leaving General Hospital, she said, "It was definitely a really scary and challenging experience...[However] At the end of the day we know that our battle is not against flesh and blood. You have to hold your head high and have grace.... I'm actually really excited to be off of 'General Hospital' because I know God orders my steps, and this only means He has a new adventure for me. I pursue God on a daily basis, I'm not stepping into oblivion. 

On turning down a role in a major motion picture, she said, "I remember reading the script and being like, 'I can't do this as a Christian for a lot of reasons. One being that it is a horror movie. I like psychological thrillers but when it's demonic, there's no uplifting message. The first person (in the script) to die was a child. I'm a huge advocate of children's rights. They kept saying God is dead, God doesn't exist. I would rather not be an actor and be in God's will."

As a child, she witnessed her mother pray for Jesus to heal her brother from a debilitating disease while he was still in her womb. Though he was delivered still-born and had stopped breathing for a few minutes, she maintains that her mother's prayers and laying hands on him brought him back to life...