I was trying to think back to the days when I did not believe in order to try and understand why others don’t believe. I’m not just talking about singularly believing in God, but also in believing that life and things in general would turn out good for me.
At one point I did not believe that I would live to see thirty and didn’t care if I did; in fact I preferred it that way. God changed that thinking for me, but how?
Hmmm . . . The big difference is that without God there was no hope. When I surrendered my life to Him it became quite the different story and all things became possible and I was filled with hope.
A lady wrote me the other day who was incarcerated in a harsh women’s prison. Like so many people I’ve met behind the walls she seemed to be very intelligent, but her entire life had been wasted in pursuing drugs and engaging in crime in order to buy them.
Though she professed her faith in God she had not taken advantage of what He has to offer. She told me that she “had enjoyed just about as much success as she had allowed God to give her” and that wasn’t much. She openly admitted that it was her fault and she did not blame God for her situation or shortcomings.
I wrote back and told her that coming to the realization that God is not the problem, but rather the solution to the ills of all of society was the key first step to full recovery. Jesus alone offers HOPE and without it, we cannot achieve even a semblance of peace, joy, or real love in our lives. She needs to surrender to Him but as we all are aware therein is the problem . . .
So why don’t we embrace God, (even when we know that is the best course of action)? Some look to government to resolve the mind-bending issues in our nation and the world; we look to sedatives and psychiatrists to calm our spirits; we try alcohol, sex, power, fame, building careers, achieving great things, and making more and more money to try and find comfort, but we come up empty and those things just seem to make things worse because when we fulfill some or all of them, there is no satisfaction.
The Bible states that apart from God there is no hope and there will be no peace, joy, or pure love and yet that axiom is ignored as we try to resolve things on our own.
One day I got sick and tired of being sick and tired and I surrendered my life to God and I’m not just talking about reciting the “Sinner’s prayer”; I’m talking about getting down on my knees and acknowledging to God that I couldn’t do it on my own and I ended up asking Him to TAKE OVER my life, (ALL OF IT!). I admitted that I had not managed things well on my own and I was miserable. Note that this was many years after I asked Jesus to save me and prayed that Sinner’s Prayer. You see there is a vast difference in acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and in asking him to completely take over our lives.
I was talking to a couple of really hard case gang banger inmates in a mean Atlanta prison not long ago and one of them told me, “Man it’s too hard to be a Christian. I’d have to give up my drugs, my women, the booze, my home boys; man it’s just too hard!”
I looked at him like he was crazy and shouted, “TOO HARD? Too hard to be a Christian? Take a look around man – YOUR IN PRISON! That’s razor wire up there and those are guards in those towers just waiting to shoot you! You can’t take a shower without wondering if someone is going to stick a shiv in your back to get even! They tell you to tuck your shirttail in, when to get up, when to sleep, when you can shower, and when you can walk this yard. Too hard? Too hard to be a Christian? Man it’s too hard not to be a Christian!”
I told him, “I don’t worry about any of that; in fact I don’t worry about anything”. Then I told him, “Try God for 90 days and if you don’t like Him, he’ll happily refund your misery.”
It’s not just inmates who are miserable and unhappy in this world its most of the people on this planet. I know because I look at the surveys and receive the letters nearly every day. So many have lost hope that they will ever be happy and know peace – It’s sickening.
Well I have good news for you. It doesn’t have to be that way beginning right now! God stands at the door and knocks. If you will merely invite Him in and trust him to take over your life and quit trying to manage things on your own, He will bless you as never before.
We need faith and we must be willing to obey Him. I find that like the female inmate so sagely observed, “God will bless us as much as we will allow”. I surrendered but admit I drift occasionally, and when I do the quality of my life deteriorates accordingly. I recognize it, apologize to God for going to sleep at the wheel and get back in line.
He forgives me and turns on the blessings again. He’ll do the same for you. He doesn’t expect perfection but a humble heart that loves Him above all else.
So do you really believe? Can that difficult problem really be solved? Can that pain really be removed? Can you quite being bitter and just forgive those who have wronged you? Can you quit worrying about finances?
Yesterday we had the most peaceful enjoyable church service that I’ve ever attended at Honey Lake Church. I felt God’s presence from the moment that I walked in. As I prayed to Him, I asked him to remove any doubt from all who attended and to enable them to surrender completely, once and for all. If we can just put our faith in Him and not in ourselves or our money and the useless things of this world that will rot away in due time, we can achieve peace from Him and enjoy His rest.
God wants to help, but there is always a condition. The condition is faith. We must have faith that God will heal us and this land that He has entrusted to us. The wonderful praise team at church yesterday played, “Only Believe” . . . My how appropriate it was . . .
All things are possible
If you only believe
If you’re looking for a miracle
Just believe
Only believe
If you only believe
If you need salvation
Just believe
Only believe
All things are possible
Only believe all things are possible
Never ever doubt his promises
if you’d only believe
One time Jesus was informed that a little girl had died and He used this extreme example of demonstrating that faith is our answer:
Luke 8:50
Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
And she was!
March 24, 2014 – Click here to listen