I already believe in Him, but it hasn’t made the difference I thought it would. Why?
First, you may have been misled. For a long time, people were told to have Jesus was a free gift. Just accept it and you’re done. What should have been said was that it’s a free gift because you can’t earn your way into God’s graces but that it is not free in that it will cost you everything. Do you know that the Bible says that even satan and his minions believe in God? So what’s the difference? We must not only believe but also trust, put our hope in, accept and obey. Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Brother, have you died? There is no freedom in Christ until you quit trying to do it your way and say yes to His. This is where it costs us everything; our plans, our pride, our stubbornness, our ways of doing things, everything has to go on the altar to Him.
Second, if you prayed a prayer but never felt different and have no spiritual fruit please stop and ask God to help you understand what it means to follow Him. There’s a great big sucking vaccuum in each of us that longs for a relationship with our Creator. We all try and fill it in different ways but the first step in finding that fullfillment is a Galatians 2:20 death of self. I feel that Ray Comfort explains our need best. He’s got some great videos but let’s start with this one. As you watch it, listen to this man, who seems to have been raised in church and knows all the churchy things to say, but who’s eye’s are dull rather than being lit up with the Holy Spirit. Our first clue why is that he can’t bring himself to say the the way to Heaven is through Jesus. At first, all he will say is that it’s about being good. Examine your own heart and ask God about what he thinks about your heart and ideas. Don’t worry about what I think, that’s completely irrelevant and, eve, worthless. Ask Pappa. He can’t wait to talk with you.
Third, the next best joy killer is unforgiveness. God is vehemently opposed to unforgiveness and says that if we do not forgive to the same level He forgave us, that He will hand us over to the enemy to be tormented. That means, that the devil himself will have access to mess with our lives because we are outside the protection of being in submission to God. I implore you. ask God whom you need to forgive. You don’t need to worry about whether you think you have forgiven them or not. If God brings a name to mind, then you have more to deal with. It is a difficult thing to do if we do not understand the forgiveness that God has given to us. If we see Him as a stern taskmaster waiting to spank us when we get out of line, then we do not understand forgiveness at all and; thus, cannot extend it to others.
Fourth, I highly recommend these books to walk through the process of examining your life for doors that have been opened to the enemy that allows him to torment you, other than unforgiveness. Maybe you didn’t know something the world offered was dangerous. Maybe you didn’t want to know. Now is the time to allow God to purify you from these chains.
- Bondage Breaker (what is it? – or buy it)
- When the Pigs Move In
I promise you, God desperately wants you to know and experience His love through Jesus Christ, our Messiah. If the title of this post resonates with you, would you start over with Jesus today? Would you reexamine parts one and two of this series, below, and ask God to make Himself real and personal to you again or even for the first time?