Before I came to the Lord and became a Christian, I wanted change in my life. I needed change for sanity’s sake, not to mention that my spiritual health was far from okay, but I didn’t want Christianity in my wheelhouse.
There was not an inkling of intentions for this dramatic
change at this stage of my search. God
was at the opposite end of the spectrum regarding what I thought was needed to
bring lasting pleasure to my life.
With all my activities, I had no time or desire to involve
myself with anything closely related or resembling spiritual things. By the world’s standards, I was successful financially
and was no stranger to social activities.
The area I struggled with centered around the lack of peace
in my life. I was ready for some kind of
change, but the direction to find it was obscured by self-reliance and self-centeredness. Peace was seemingly untouchable because of
the lifestyle I was living. Even though
money and my personal connections were plentiful, something was amiss. Previous involvements did not help me obtain
what I needed.
After much time searching for peace in all the wrong places,
I finally surrendered to the notion that the things money could buy and people
I associated with were not the answer to what I was seeking. At this juncture in time, and after much soul
searching, I was ready to call out to a higher power for help.
I was starving for something more substantial than the unrest
going on inside me. I was ready to try
anything that would necessitate positive change rather than grumbling nonstop.
One night, alone in my apartment, I was down in the mulligrubs,
feeling hopeless and sad. Amazingly, out
of the blue, a Bible scripture came thundering back into my mind that I hadn’t
thought of in years. A Christian man
took time to share it with me a long time back; while telling me how much Jesus
loved me and that He died on a cross for my sins. I didn’t give the scripture a second thought,
but it somehow stuck with me.
The scripture rumbled in my mind in God’s time. The words impacted me, piercing my soul like
I had never experienced here-to-fore. It
was not only the words of life that the Christian shared with me, that scripture
was now beckoning me to take heed. After
all these years, here it was again, yet this time it was capturing my attention.
The scripture came at a low time of decisions when the
toxicity of sin was overcoming my better judgment. I believe it was the Lord’s perfect timing,
because I was feeling alone and hanging on at the end of my rope for sanity’s
sake. God was patiently waiting in line
all the time for me to look His way.
I was being pressed down under the load of oppression from
Satan. For years he lied to me as he
invaded my mind with the untruth that I could never find peace. He made me believe that I was too far beyond
the edge of hope, at a point of no return.
His deception stifled my aspirations to achieve mental, physical, and
spiritual healing.
The things I tried in my effort to obtain fulfillment of my
desires were futile. They found their
place on the trash heap of my dissatisfied soul with all the other hopeless
experiences that failed to bring lasting harmony and peace. These encounters only provided temporary
satisfaction at best, nothing lasting.
The Bible scripture I alluded to earlier is found in (Matthew
6:33). “But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” I had placed God at the bottom of my list
of wants. He, through the scripture, encouraged
me to put Him first and then the desires of my heart would be met.
I’ve talked about the crossroads in other writings I
authored. This thought is a recap as to
the importance of taking the straight and perfect path that leads to the Prince
of Peace—Jesus Christ. When following
Jesus, it necessitates change, whereas the change comes, because peace has
arrived. The old way of living will take
second billing to God’s way.
When the compass of life’s direction changes for the best,
and we put into practice God’s way of living, this life changing decision to
follow the Lord leads to peace that passes all understanding. We do not have to be apprehensive about
anything.
(Philippians 4:6-7), “Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God;” (vs 7) “and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
For me, this directional change was certainly fulfilling and
exactly what I needed mentally and most importantly, my spiritual wellbeing. I was born again, which is recognized by many
as the new birth in Christ Jesus. I no
longer had a desire to travel down the wide road to destruction. I found what I was looking for, or I should
say Whom—Jesus, the Son of Almighty God.
Peace rushed in like a mighty river and flooded my soul with
joy and peace the moment Jesus came into my heart. My desires, attitude, words I used, people I
hung with, and the places I frequented changed.
Jesus was the missing piece to my troublesome way of living.
After I accepted the Lord as my Savior, my friends noticed
the definite change right away. There was
a smile and glow of happiness on my face.
As I shared what God had done, a couple of skeptics said that I would be
back doing the things I once did, but I responded, “Why would I ever go back to
the cesspool that I was drowning in?”
Before I parted company with my friends, God gave me
opportunities to share my newfound faith with all of them, individually and in
group sessions. Three became Christians,
while the others rejected my message of peace and the willingness of God to
forgive their sins.
The Bible says that there are those that sow the seed of Good
News about Jesus being the only way to achieve mercy, grace, and forgiveness
from God, while others that witness for the Lord, waters that seed with more of
God’s goodness. Lastly, there are those
that reap the harvest as the Holy Spirit draws that person’s soul to Him.
I sowed the seed to my friends that rejected the Lord, but
God will take the words and scriptures I shared and do what is needed to bring
them to Him, just like the scripture the Christian shared with me that brought
salvation to my doorstep. It found
lodging in my heart at just the right time.
A Believer should never become discouraged if others do not
accept what is being shared. God is
omnipotent and knows exactly what it takes for them to surrender their heart to
Him. God, working through the Holy
Spirit, will do the work on their behalf, because of the great love He has for
them.
God does not want anyone to perish, but to have everlasting
life through Jesus. The necessity of
change will then take place in the heart of the seeker when they become a child
of God.
Written by,
Papa Boyd
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