In public, most people appear happy and confident. But beneath the surface, many feel empty. In fact, it is possible to be in a large crowd and yet feel alone.
A lot of men and women see no meaning or purpose in life. Attempting to overcome the emptiness, some become busy, others turn to drugs or alcohol, and still others strive for more money, power, or love. Though pleasure exists for them, it is usually short-lived.
There’s a reason why life can feel empty: God created man with a yearning—one that He alone is able to satisfy. Individuals cannot be fulfilled until they experience the Lord’s transforming and unconditional love. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). In other words, God wants us to feel complete, which can happen only through a relationship with Him.
However, even a person who is saved can feel empty. This could result from disobedience: a slight detour in one’s walk with the Lord can become a way of life, depriving a believer of deep satisfaction. It’s also possible for Christians to live according to God’s Word without fully surrendering their desires to Him. For example, many believers still try to fill up their own void with achievement, wealth, or relationships. When aspirations like these are given higher priority than the Lord, they are a form of idolatry.
We can live a full life only when we seek God above all else. Pray for His guidance as you search your heart. Confess any sin or idolatry, and ask God to fill your life as only He can do.
By
Dr. Charles F. Stanley
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
He Knows How Weak We Are
Any weakness you refuse to deal with will draw you toward the wrong things and set you up for defeat. To love victoriously you must recognize that:
(1) Your weakness can emerge at any time. What you allow to take root, will grow within you. What you fail to master now, will master you later. The Psalmist prayed, “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone” (Ps 71:9 NIV).
(2) God’s Spirit will repeatedly warn you. Jesus told Peter: “Satan hath desired to have you…But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk 22:31-32). Imagine the Lord praying for you. He does! “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn 2:1 NAS). He intercedes for you, clothes you in His righteousness, and draws you back to Himself.
(3) God will continue to use you even while your weakness is growing within you. He provides opportunity after opportunity to reach for His help. Jesus warned Jerusalem: “How often I have longed to gather your children together…but you were not willing…your house is left to you desolate” (Mt 23:37-38 NIV). When you neglect God’s grace, what’s left? Your consequences!
You ask, “What can I do?” Turn to God. He’s neither shocked by you weakness nor unwilling to help you. Acknowledge your weakness. Become an enemy to it. Let God’s Spirit empower you. Not only can He deliver you, He can turn your greatest weakness into your greatest weapon.
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
(1) Your weakness can emerge at any time. What you allow to take root, will grow within you. What you fail to master now, will master you later. The Psalmist prayed, “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone” (Ps 71:9 NIV).
(2) God’s Spirit will repeatedly warn you. Jesus told Peter: “Satan hath desired to have you…But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk 22:31-32). Imagine the Lord praying for you. He does! “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn 2:1 NAS). He intercedes for you, clothes you in His righteousness, and draws you back to Himself.
(3) God will continue to use you even while your weakness is growing within you. He provides opportunity after opportunity to reach for His help. Jesus warned Jerusalem: “How often I have longed to gather your children together…but you were not willing…your house is left to you desolate” (Mt 23:37-38 NIV). When you neglect God’s grace, what’s left? Your consequences!
You ask, “What can I do?” Turn to God. He’s neither shocked by you weakness nor unwilling to help you. Acknowledge your weakness. Become an enemy to it. Let God’s Spirit empower you. Not only can He deliver you, He can turn your greatest weakness into your greatest weapon.
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
To Know Or Not To Know
You might ask, well what's the question? The question is it better (or maybe worse) to know the word of God and continue to do wrong OR not to know the word and do wrong? If do not know the ways of God and you are out there bad, you can say or pretend you didn't know any better. BUT if you do know the Word and continue to do things that are not Christ like, would someone that was possibly on the verge of giving their life to Christ, be able to tell you were saved by YOUR speech or actions over the past 24 hours, the past week, the past month or the past year?Do you act like you're saved and put on your best suit or best dress on Sunday's but call yourself and others such things as playa, pimp, gangsta, b*tch, ho and other degrading names Monday through Saturday night which are all opposite of God's image? Do you call others that? Genesis 1:27 says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."Do you act "church" around church folks to live up to that persona you have created but act "thuggish", slut-ish, or act like you've never been to church or know the Word to satisfy the life you lead around your family, friends, co-workers or classmates? What kind of world would this be if Jesus mirrored us instead of us trying to mirror him? Just think if he copied your EVERY move for the next 24-48 hours. He would probably be confused wondering who we really are. Do I sing, "Lets get back to Eden, Live on top of the world by Donald Lawrence or No Battle, No Blessing by Sherry Addison or God Is Good by Regina Belle, God in Me by Mary Mary. Where 12 hours ago I was at a lounge or club blamin it on the al..al..al...al..al..alcohol with Jammie Foxx and T-Pain. Now maybe you say Jesus drank wine...that's true but He was never drunk. What if Jesus sang Birthday Sex on His birthday?Obviously, nobody is perfect. The bible says in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" He knows we will make mistakes but stop making the same mistakes over and over again. Especially when are not learning anything from them. If you are cooking and you open the stove and accidentally touch a hot pan and burn yourself, the next time you remember to get a pot holder. If its your first time cooking, then your are more than likely to make this mistake than someone that is seasoned in the kitchen. Again, mistakes happen to everybody. Its what you learn from that mistake to make sure it doesn't happen again. For some, you may be a quick learner. For others, it may have to leave a permanent scar for it to be a constant reminder for you.IF you love the Lord, love Him and praise Him at all times and not when its convenient for you. Like when you are on the verge of losing your job. Perhaps you say "Oh Lord, help me". If you or a loved one just went in or got out the hospital. Maybe you say, "Lord heal my body or heal their body" If you narrowly avoided an accident or avoided something bad happening to you. Maybe you say "Thank you God".What about thanking God when things are going well in your life? Thanking Him for everything you have right now.Psalm 34:1 (KJV) says "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." So that means to give Him thanks when things are going well, give Him thanks when things are not going well, give Him thanks for when things hit rock bottom and you don't know how you are going to make it. Give Him thanks WHEN he delivers you out of that situation. Give Him thanks right now. God is a God full of grace and mercy whether you believe in Him or not. Isaiah 26:10 says "Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness, they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord."Remember when things get hot for you, instead of going in alone and getting burned, let God be your oven mitt or pot holder. He can keep you from getting burned if you use Him and trust Him.So I ask again, is it worse to know the Word of God and continue to do wrong or not to know?
By
Jason H. Richardson
(9/25/09)
By
Jason H. Richardson
(9/25/09)
Shake That Mouse
I'm sure everyone knows how a screen saver works on a computer. If there is no activity for awhile then the screen goes blank. Or maybe you can say goes dull, or goes to sleep or whatever words you want to use.
Spiritually speaking, how many of us are like that with God?
YOU don't pray at all or YOU pray every now and then. Or YOU only pray when things have hit the wall for you. Maybe YOU don't go to church at all, or YOU only go when invited. YOU don't give $5 to the church because you say that money goes towards the pastor's fancy car but you go to the club and give $25 for getting in and buying drinks (What do you think the club owner is doing with YOUR money???) Maybe you don't have time to go to church because YOU don't want to miss your program on t.v (football, basketball, etc) or too lazy to get out of bed, too busy, the pastor and/or church folk are hypocritical. Could it be that YOU think your friends will laugh at you for having a relationship God? Maybe YOU think you have nothing to thank God for? Or maybe YOU don't believe in God at all.
So you have let the screen saver set on your spirit and on your relationship with God.
Maybe its time for YOU to shake that "mouse" and get connected (or reconnected) to the world wide God. Some of you probably don't even realize you are blessed right now. You still don't believe me??? Take a deep breath. The fact that you are alive to even do that is a blessing from God. There are a WHOLE lot of people in the cemetery wishing they could do that. How many people don't live to be whatever age you are now...blessing from God. Your kids are alive and well..blessings from God. You can still have a conversation with your mama or daddy. Maybe your grandparents..blessings from God. When you got to work this morning. There are over half a million people wanting to be in your shoes right now. Another blessing. You can read this email..blessing. You shouldn't be where you are right now but God showed YOU grace AND mercy...blessing. When YOU left your house this morning. How many homeless people would love to lock some doors on a home? Blessing from God. That breakfast you ate or are about to eat or maybe that dinner from last night was pretty good wasn't it? How many people went without food last night, last week, last month...blessings from God that it wasn't you. You just got out of a bad or abusive relationship...Blessing from God you have been set free. Are you in a bad relationship now? Know that God has something better for you. Just lost your job? Know that God has something better for you. Look what God did for me and my job situation. He can do it for YOU too. Hebrews 11:1 states "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (KJV)
Do not wait for things to get catastrophic in your life in order for YOU to have a relationship with God.
You are not guaranteed to get that chance. You've tried everything else and things aren't going the way they should or maybe the way you would like them too. Give God a try. There is no failure in God. James 2:26 (NLT) states " Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works"
When the praises go up...the blessings come down. But you may not know that or remember how great God has been to YOU since you have let the screen saver set in.
SHAKE THAT MOUSE!!!!
By
Jason H. Richardson
4/28/09
Spiritually speaking, how many of us are like that with God?
YOU don't pray at all or YOU pray every now and then. Or YOU only pray when things have hit the wall for you. Maybe YOU don't go to church at all, or YOU only go when invited. YOU don't give $5 to the church because you say that money goes towards the pastor's fancy car but you go to the club and give $25 for getting in and buying drinks (What do you think the club owner is doing with YOUR money???) Maybe you don't have time to go to church because YOU don't want to miss your program on t.v (football, basketball, etc) or too lazy to get out of bed, too busy, the pastor and/or church folk are hypocritical. Could it be that YOU think your friends will laugh at you for having a relationship God? Maybe YOU think you have nothing to thank God for? Or maybe YOU don't believe in God at all.
So you have let the screen saver set on your spirit and on your relationship with God.
Maybe its time for YOU to shake that "mouse" and get connected (or reconnected) to the world wide God. Some of you probably don't even realize you are blessed right now. You still don't believe me??? Take a deep breath. The fact that you are alive to even do that is a blessing from God. There are a WHOLE lot of people in the cemetery wishing they could do that. How many people don't live to be whatever age you are now...blessing from God. Your kids are alive and well..blessings from God. You can still have a conversation with your mama or daddy. Maybe your grandparents..blessings from God. When you got to work this morning. There are over half a million people wanting to be in your shoes right now. Another blessing. You can read this email..blessing. You shouldn't be where you are right now but God showed YOU grace AND mercy...blessing. When YOU left your house this morning. How many homeless people would love to lock some doors on a home? Blessing from God. That breakfast you ate or are about to eat or maybe that dinner from last night was pretty good wasn't it? How many people went without food last night, last week, last month...blessings from God that it wasn't you. You just got out of a bad or abusive relationship...Blessing from God you have been set free. Are you in a bad relationship now? Know that God has something better for you. Just lost your job? Know that God has something better for you. Look what God did for me and my job situation. He can do it for YOU too. Hebrews 11:1 states "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (KJV)
Do not wait for things to get catastrophic in your life in order for YOU to have a relationship with God.
You are not guaranteed to get that chance. You've tried everything else and things aren't going the way they should or maybe the way you would like them too. Give God a try. There is no failure in God. James 2:26 (NLT) states " Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works"
When the praises go up...the blessings come down. But you may not know that or remember how great God has been to YOU since you have let the screen saver set in.
SHAKE THAT MOUSE!!!!
By
Jason H. Richardson
4/28/09
Excess Baggage
I am the kind of a person who likes to drag a lot of stuff with me when I travel. I have been traveling for many years, yet I still overpack. I want to bring everything I own. But excess baggage makes traveling more complicated.
In the same way, when you are running the race of life, you need to run light. Sometimes we drag along a lot of excess weight. But notice that the Bible tells us to "strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress."
Sin is sin, and there are certain non-negotiables to which we must hold fast. Then there might be something that is a weight in your life that may not necessarily be a weight in another's life. By that I mean, there may be something you are doing that is impeding your spiritual progress. Periodically, I need to take stock of my life as a Christian and look at the things I am doing with my time. I need to ask myself the question, "Is it a wing or a weight? Is it speeding me on my way spiritually, or is it slowing me down? Is it increasing my spiritual appetite, or is it dulling it?"
How often we are so busy doing a lot of things that aren't really all that important, but they seem important at the time. We need to ask ourselves if we need to do all of those things. Are they slowing you down?
Lay aside the weight and the sin that hinders your progress.
By
Greg Laurie
In the same way, when you are running the race of life, you need to run light. Sometimes we drag along a lot of excess weight. But notice that the Bible tells us to "strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress."
Sin is sin, and there are certain non-negotiables to which we must hold fast. Then there might be something that is a weight in your life that may not necessarily be a weight in another's life. By that I mean, there may be something you are doing that is impeding your spiritual progress. Periodically, I need to take stock of my life as a Christian and look at the things I am doing with my time. I need to ask myself the question, "Is it a wing or a weight? Is it speeding me on my way spiritually, or is it slowing me down? Is it increasing my spiritual appetite, or is it dulling it?"
How often we are so busy doing a lot of things that aren't really all that important, but they seem important at the time. We need to ask ourselves if we need to do all of those things. Are they slowing you down?
Lay aside the weight and the sin that hinders your progress.
By
Greg Laurie
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Change Your Lens
When Charles Dickens penned “A Tale of Two Cities” and included the famous “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times” line, I am sure he had no idea he’d be describing my 2010 experience.
Last year, was filled with amazing ‘highs’ and seemingly right after those moments, devastating ‘lows.’ And I’m sure I’m not alone.
As a matter of fact, before the New Year I was chatting with a colleague about how complex 2010 was for me. She said “2010 did a number on me too. I’m going to be crawling into 2011.”
Wait. Before you think this is a “whoa is me” moment, it’s actually just the opposite. It’s actually a moment of celebration. Because whether you walked, ran, skipped or -- like me and my colleague -- crawled into the New Year, the important thing is that you made it!
I love how Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NKJV): “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
You may have crawled into 2011, but you are here! And that means that God still has great things in store for you! There’s just one catch.
If you really want to experience God’s blessings this year…or any year to follow…you must do one thing. It’s quite simple. Yet extremely difficult to do.
You must decide, once and for all, that you will not live your life simply by what you see.
I know. We’ve heard it before. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). But most of us, if we are honest, are doing just the opposite. In 2010 I learned a pretty impactful “God-lesson.” Here it is: When it comes to seeing things through the lens of my ‘natural’ sight, I have 20-20 vision. But when it comes to seeing things through the lens of my faith, I am often blind.
Wow. Seeing it in print is even more convicting. But that is why I experienced such a “Charles Dickens – Worst of times, best of times” year. It all boiled down to which lens I chose to look through.
In Matthew 14, the Disciples were experiencing “A Tale of Two Cities” in their own lives. One moment they are surrounded by a multitude of people with nothing to eat, and the next moment Jesus feeds them all. Then the Disciples are in a boat being tossed by waves and the next moment Jesus is walking towards them on water. Finally, Peter is walking on water, begins to sink and Jesus is right there to save him. Highs and lows. Worst of times, best of times.
But if you read Matthew 14:13-33 carefully, you’ll see that each of the Disciples' challenging moments boiled down to what they saw through the lens of their natural sight and not what they saw through the lens of their faith.
The lens of their faith was so clouded that they even thought Jesus was a ghost! (Matthew 14:26). Come on…can’t you admit that you’ve been there too? The very thing you thought was out to destroy you, was actually the very thing God sent to save you. Your lens simply needed to be changed.
In this New Year…filled with great abundance, opportunity and grace, I challenge you to grab hold of the “God-Lesson” and choose your 2011 lens carefully. Maybe this is your year to “get out of the boat”. I hope to see you on the water…
By
Robin May
Last year, was filled with amazing ‘highs’ and seemingly right after those moments, devastating ‘lows.’ And I’m sure I’m not alone.
As a matter of fact, before the New Year I was chatting with a colleague about how complex 2010 was for me. She said “2010 did a number on me too. I’m going to be crawling into 2011.”
Wait. Before you think this is a “whoa is me” moment, it’s actually just the opposite. It’s actually a moment of celebration. Because whether you walked, ran, skipped or -- like me and my colleague -- crawled into the New Year, the important thing is that you made it!
I love how Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NKJV): “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
You may have crawled into 2011, but you are here! And that means that God still has great things in store for you! There’s just one catch.
If you really want to experience God’s blessings this year…or any year to follow…you must do one thing. It’s quite simple. Yet extremely difficult to do.
You must decide, once and for all, that you will not live your life simply by what you see.
I know. We’ve heard it before. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). But most of us, if we are honest, are doing just the opposite. In 2010 I learned a pretty impactful “God-lesson.” Here it is: When it comes to seeing things through the lens of my ‘natural’ sight, I have 20-20 vision. But when it comes to seeing things through the lens of my faith, I am often blind.
Wow. Seeing it in print is even more convicting. But that is why I experienced such a “Charles Dickens – Worst of times, best of times” year. It all boiled down to which lens I chose to look through.
In Matthew 14, the Disciples were experiencing “A Tale of Two Cities” in their own lives. One moment they are surrounded by a multitude of people with nothing to eat, and the next moment Jesus feeds them all. Then the Disciples are in a boat being tossed by waves and the next moment Jesus is walking towards them on water. Finally, Peter is walking on water, begins to sink and Jesus is right there to save him. Highs and lows. Worst of times, best of times.
But if you read Matthew 14:13-33 carefully, you’ll see that each of the Disciples' challenging moments boiled down to what they saw through the lens of their natural sight and not what they saw through the lens of their faith.
The lens of their faith was so clouded that they even thought Jesus was a ghost! (Matthew 14:26). Come on…can’t you admit that you’ve been there too? The very thing you thought was out to destroy you, was actually the very thing God sent to save you. Your lens simply needed to be changed.
In this New Year…filled with great abundance, opportunity and grace, I challenge you to grab hold of the “God-Lesson” and choose your 2011 lens carefully. Maybe this is your year to “get out of the boat”. I hope to see you on the water…
By
Robin May
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Real Problem With God
When it comes to God, all people everywhere have the same basic problem with him...
He's God and we're not.
Of course, each of us wishes we were God, because we're all so much wiser, better informed, and know what's best for us better than he does. If only he would listen to us, what a smooth-running place our world would be.
Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." The same might be applied to God.
We want to change God. We want to change his mind, change how he treats us, and change his authority over us. We pray our hearts out hoping we can change the only unchangeable being in the universe. Millions of us spend our entire lives trying to get God to do things our way.
We're convinced the problem is that God just isn't listening to us, but of course the real problem is that we aren't listening to God. We don't want anybody telling us what to do. We want to give the orders.
I gave God orders for much of my life. It never worked. For some reason, he simply refused to follow my plans, no matter how brilliant they were. But to my credit, after only four decades of that, I finally gave up.
In all honesty, I can't say it was some flash of genius on my part or a spiritual epiphany. I was just plain tired. Worn out. I decided to let God take over, more out of exhaustion and curiosity than love for him. Despite my wrong motives, he stepped in and took up the challenge.
Now, more than ten years later, I can tell you from experience that what seems an impossible problem is actually life's greatest opportunity.
Think about it for a minute. Here's a being who's all-powerful. No force on earth can stop him. Not only that, but he knows the future. He creates the future!
But the best part is that he loves you even more than you love yourself. I had a hard time accepting that, but it's true. On those days when you hate yourself for being stupid and bumbling and incompetent, he still loves you. When you feel like a loser, he knows better. He knows his child is a winner, a prince or princess in his royal family.
God proved his love for you by sacrificing his son, Jesus Christ, so you may live with him forever in heaven. That act alone shows there is no question about God’s love for you.
Jesus tried to show you how safe you are in God’s hands by calling him Abba, an Aramaic word which roughly translates to "Daddy" or a toddler's "Papa." Until Jesus used that term, nobody fully understood what our relationship with God is like.
Your spiritual maturity begins the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, but that's not the end of the story. As a Christian, you continue to grow in faith over the course of your lifetime.
If you're wrestling with God like I did for so many years, I urge you to flip this problem around and turn it into an opportunity. It may go against all your instincts, but it's the right thing to do.
Jesus understands your reluctance to let God take control. That's what he was talking about when he said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24 NIV)
Losing your life for Christ—giving God control—assures you of being a winner. The Holy Spirit, your infallible Guide, stands ready to help you make this life-changing choice. He can show you how to overcome your human stubbornness and see things from God's perspective.
Our culture worships independence, but independence is highly overrated. Being dependent on God is the smartest way to live. After having lived both ways, I can tell you that letting the One Who Never Makes Mistakes take control is the stress-free way to live.
Miraculously, things work out. Sure, you'll still go through rough spots and disappointments, but your final destination is never in doubt. Whether you're rich and famous or poor and unknown, this life is like a wisp of smoke compared to the eternity of joy you'll spend with Jesus.
Do you see God's authority over you as a problem or an opportunity? If you'll acknowledge that he's in charge, I think you'll find, as I did, that that's when your life truly starts to turn around.
By
Jack Zavada
He's God and we're not.
Of course, each of us wishes we were God, because we're all so much wiser, better informed, and know what's best for us better than he does. If only he would listen to us, what a smooth-running place our world would be.
Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." The same might be applied to God.
We want to change God. We want to change his mind, change how he treats us, and change his authority over us. We pray our hearts out hoping we can change the only unchangeable being in the universe. Millions of us spend our entire lives trying to get God to do things our way.
We're convinced the problem is that God just isn't listening to us, but of course the real problem is that we aren't listening to God. We don't want anybody telling us what to do. We want to give the orders.
I gave God orders for much of my life. It never worked. For some reason, he simply refused to follow my plans, no matter how brilliant they were. But to my credit, after only four decades of that, I finally gave up.
In all honesty, I can't say it was some flash of genius on my part or a spiritual epiphany. I was just plain tired. Worn out. I decided to let God take over, more out of exhaustion and curiosity than love for him. Despite my wrong motives, he stepped in and took up the challenge.
Now, more than ten years later, I can tell you from experience that what seems an impossible problem is actually life's greatest opportunity.
Think about it for a minute. Here's a being who's all-powerful. No force on earth can stop him. Not only that, but he knows the future. He creates the future!
But the best part is that he loves you even more than you love yourself. I had a hard time accepting that, but it's true. On those days when you hate yourself for being stupid and bumbling and incompetent, he still loves you. When you feel like a loser, he knows better. He knows his child is a winner, a prince or princess in his royal family.
God proved his love for you by sacrificing his son, Jesus Christ, so you may live with him forever in heaven. That act alone shows there is no question about God’s love for you.
Jesus tried to show you how safe you are in God’s hands by calling him Abba, an Aramaic word which roughly translates to "Daddy" or a toddler's "Papa." Until Jesus used that term, nobody fully understood what our relationship with God is like.
Your spiritual maturity begins the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, but that's not the end of the story. As a Christian, you continue to grow in faith over the course of your lifetime.
If you're wrestling with God like I did for so many years, I urge you to flip this problem around and turn it into an opportunity. It may go against all your instincts, but it's the right thing to do.
Jesus understands your reluctance to let God take control. That's what he was talking about when he said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24 NIV)
Losing your life for Christ—giving God control—assures you of being a winner. The Holy Spirit, your infallible Guide, stands ready to help you make this life-changing choice. He can show you how to overcome your human stubbornness and see things from God's perspective.
Our culture worships independence, but independence is highly overrated. Being dependent on God is the smartest way to live. After having lived both ways, I can tell you that letting the One Who Never Makes Mistakes take control is the stress-free way to live.
Miraculously, things work out. Sure, you'll still go through rough spots and disappointments, but your final destination is never in doubt. Whether you're rich and famous or poor and unknown, this life is like a wisp of smoke compared to the eternity of joy you'll spend with Jesus.
Do you see God's authority over you as a problem or an opportunity? If you'll acknowledge that he's in charge, I think you'll find, as I did, that that's when your life truly starts to turn around.
By
Jack Zavada
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