Recently I had an interesting conversation with someone who’d read my book; in fact it had such a powerful effect on him that he actually read it twice. He remembered exact pages that certain things that I mentioned were recorded and he was querying me on a host of them.
He mentioned one passage where I was in the hospital and I’d just read in the Bible in Phil. 4:13 that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. I was a miserable meth addict at the time, and I thought that statement was nothing but a damnable lie and evidence that the Bible was untrue. I didn’t think it was at all possible to overcome meth addiction, much less change my life from being a homeless, hardened, criminal, sociopath.
The doctors had told me that I was incapable of love and didn’t have a conscience. Further they told me that it was incurable and there was no medication available to treat it and that I would remain an aggressively violent, bitter, hardened loner. I was even told there was a chance that I might end up being a serial killer.
When I read that passage in the Bible I angrily buzzed for my nurse, and when she responded I told her to get that Bible out of my room it was full of lies.
My nurse friend was incensed by my comments and reminded me in no uncertain terms that Jesus was God and could do anything He wanted. She told me he cured lepers, made the blind see, walked on water, fed five thousand, and raised Lazarus from the dead and that if He could do all that, He could change my sorry tail, (and she didn’t use the term “tail”).
What she said was perfectly logical and after mulling it over I accepted Christ as my Savior that very day.
The guy who’d read my book asked me if that was “the major moment” in my life, and I answered that I felt that it was in fact the “tipping point” of my life, but after thinking about it I wish I would have elaborated more and mentioned to him that actually I had two tipping points.
One was certainly the day that I accepted Christ as my Savior, but the other occurred many years later, (20 in fact), when I at long last completely surrendered my life to Christ.
Huh?
How can someone accept Christ as their Savior without surrendering?
I’d surrendered my life to a point, but I didn’t fully surrender. When you are a non-Christian you don’t really think about sin because God’s laws have not been revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. Once we accept Christ as our Savior the Bible states that He indwells us and it is at that point He teaches us righteousness and convicts us of our sins. Doing things we used to not think twice about, become cause for great concern and inner reflection to the new Christian. In effect He becomes our conscience. Accepting Christ as your Savior does not mean you suddenly lead a perfect life; it means that we are forgiven our sins by what Christ did on the cross.
With me it was a long, difficult, hard-headed process to learn what God would have me to do, and/or completely give up my former ways and do the things God wanted me to do, much less to fully put my trust in anyone other than myself. I surrendered certain aspects of my life, but not everything. As a result I could not ever fully enjoy peace or joy, and I certainly did not participate in God’s rest.
I firmly believe that had I died at that point in my life I would have entered heaven because of my solid belief in Jesus, but my reluctance in fully surrendering my life to Him prevented me from enjoying my relationship with God to its full extent in this life.
I think many people are at this stage in their lives.
Indeed much of my life was spent following Jesus for a while and then backsliding, (sometimes even coming dangerously close to returning to the abyss). I would find myself in a mess and come limping and whimpering back to God and like the prodigal son He would welcome me and dust me off and get me straight again, and then when things improved, I would be swayed by the lusts of the world again, turn my back on Him again, and spiral out of control again.
Shortly after I founded our software company in 1992 and things were looking about as bad as one can imagine and odds were not good that my fledgling little company might survive, I’d finally reached a point where I was tired of the fight and ready to fully surrender to God and put my life into His capable hands and just accept the fact that whatever would be – would be!
I told my wife not to worry about anything, that something would turn up, and of course it did. Not only did something turn up, but God showered blessings upon us that to this day still boggle my imagination and exceed my wildest dreams.
There is a famous song sung by Frank Sinatra and later Elvis, “I did it my way”. Part of the lyrics state, “Regrets I have a few – But then again, too few to mention – I did it my way.
As for me I have regrets; however I do want to mention one of them, I regret not fully surrendering to God earlier in my life and trying my utmost to do it HIS way instead of “my way”.
My friends peace, joy, and love are ours for the asking, provided we choose to reach that point whereby we fully and finally surrender to God and quit trying to do things:
“My way“.
This means you cannot live like the devil during the week and like a saint on Sundays. It means to fully surrender your life and try your utmost to do what God wants you to do with your life every single minute of every hour and every day. Listen to the Holy spirit and He will let you know what He wants you to do.
My life readily demonstrates that anything is possible with God, but I will assure you that had I not fully surrendered to Him and put my entire trust and faith in Him, it would not be what it is . Riches, family, friends, and all other things including my very life on this planet can and will be taken from me, but the love of God is not among them. God’s love will remain forever.
Think about this over the holidays as you work on your goals for next year. Are you tired of fighting life and butting your head against a brick wall? Fully surrender to God and quit worrying about this life and its insolvable problems. Believe in Him and fully put your entire life and trust into His capable hands.
It will be the best move of your life.
Phil. 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.