When you become precious to God, you become important to Satan
It’s why the devil’s throwing at me every single temptation
And I’dunno where I’m racing, I just know that I floored it.
It’s like I’m running from something I think I’m just going toward it.
Intention is nothing without a current direction
So I play against the infection as if it's recreation
Everything is mind game, sometimes I wonder what to put my faith in.
Let me keep You as #1, over searching for fun, life as only be begun
I need to be ready when the hard times come.
Unless they're already here, I think I'm living in fear
I'm laughing like a child while I'm on the verge of tears.
I don't want cute quotes to fix me, I need true hope living in me.
The road to death is a long, happy, exciting one. I often wonder how pastors like Joel Osteen can live with themselves. Then I start really putting myself in his shoes, and what I begin to think is, he actually believes what he is preaching.... WELL DUH. This is where I elaborated on that idea, and began to think, what if there are plenty of Christians out there that truly believe they are doing good, but are really going down that wrong road? What if that's me? These question haunt my very being, and make my faith shake sometimes. What if I'm living wrong? What if the devil wants me to believe everything is alright? What if.... What if.... What if.... What if....
Satan is a genius. We have all been shown what to look out for. We have all been taught to look for the wolves in sheep skin. But what if he just slightly twists the words of a sheep? What if God doesn't intervene as much as your over-spiritualizing self wants Him to? I don't know. I honestly don't have an answer. The Bible doesn't give an accurate, exact number on how many times God performs miracles in each of our lives. Satan is well aware that we are looking out for the wolves. He is also well aware that we won't notice if we ourselves become the wolves. Satan makes it his goal to eat away at our faith and our very soul.
What if we don't even know that the very monster we are trying to fight is ourselves? The Devil didn't have to plant seeds of envy, hate, and lust in us like he did in the beginning of time. We already have it in us now. He just has to bring out what is already buried deep inside of who we are. I need to pray for me, that my mind won't be clouded by a desire of the flesh. That I don't have to listen to my sinfulness telling me that I am worthless. I have to be on guard from myself, because the devil wants to poke at my dark side. He wants it to consume who I am, and me not even realize it. That is what I fear most. Not that I turn into a monster, but that I turn into a monster who doesn't even realize it. Once he has convinced me that bad is good, I will stroll happily down the path of destruction and swan dive into the Lake of Fire.
Okay, I feel like I've used too many metaphors. Let's bring this around to the point I'm trying to make.... Take a look at what you believe, why you believe it, and who you have become. Where did you get those ideas from? The Bible is all we have to fact-check what we believe. Don't believe anything else. I have to constantly check myself, looking to see if my truth has been warped. Maybe this post doesn't make sense. Maybe I am crazy. Whatever. I felt like I needed to say this.
Freedom From Me,
Luke.
Hi Luke,
ReplyDeleteWe have never met but your Granddad Rod and myself have been friends for just over 40 years now. And of course I have heard of you sense you were knee high to a grasshopper. Rod is so proud of you and your Christian faith.
I liked your post very much and I can see that you are not the typical young American of the day. Your meditations about life and the road we take are spot on as they say. You are at the front side of this short bittersweet life and I am playing the back nine. Jesus asked a question that pertains to everyone who has ever lived and to everyone that will live. His question was, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet looses his soul?” There is no greater question than this in my opinion. You have said well that it is a long road to death. That is true for the vast majority but I have seen teenagers die in the ICU and in the ER when I worked as a Chaplain at the county hospital. I have seen people loose their faith at the loss of a loved one. I have seen the saints die and leave this world in piece, I have seen men die on the bed of adultery and knew that they were in hell because they died with unrepentant sin in their life. And then I have seen a few come to faith at the end of life. Some young and some old. Just not many deathbed conversions though.
The salvation that we strive for is indeed a long and arduous journey filled with great joy and at times great sorrow. What I have learned in my short time is that sometimes walking with God is very sorrowful indeed but it is walking with God none the less. It is easy when you have friends that understand you and you are having that mountain top experience with holy laughter and the joy of Christ Himself. It is easy when you have that Godly woman in your life that helps you stand for her sake more than your own. It is easy when you have things all figured out and then not. Somehow a monkey wrench is thrown into the works. It is easy to follow when you hear the voice of God so strong that there is no doubt about His will for you.
It is not so easy when the day turns to night and the friends fall away because you have this itch that you can't deny. It is not so easy when you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death and the heavens are as brass and you feel as though you are deaf. The voice of God is no where to be found and you feel as if God has forgotten you. It is not so easy when you feel that your faith has been in vain. You go without while the wicked prosper at your expense. And it is not so easy when your tears become your only food and you believe with all your heart that you have failed God because you have let doubt into your heart somehow.
Then as suddenly as the wheels fell off the wagon a little ray of light breaks through the darkness that has tried and tested your faith. You get up, wash your face, and understand that this is all a test so that we can see what we are made of. You find that Jesus only shares His cross with His closest friends. Luke it boils down to this. No cross no holiness, no holiness no heaven. To put it another way, no cross no resurrection, no resurrection no new life. When you talk about Freedom from Me you demonstrate that you GET IT! We are our own worst enemies when it comes to things of God. In our hearts we say MY kingdom come, My will be done, Surely My little sin will hurt no one.
ReplyDeleteThe trick is to master our own bodies and make them our servants. You show me a man that can control his (lower) body and I will show you a man that loves his God and will love his wife as himself. I will show you a man that is generous in all things and will have the respect of even his enemies. Show me a man that won't exercise self control and I will show you a common dog that returns to it's vomit and will lay with anything that comes along.
Luke you are off to a very fine start in your journey of faith. You have wonderful parents. I have never met your dad but I knew Margie and what type of man she would eventually marry. She has loved Jesus for as long as I can remember. I was always impressed with her character and that alone tells me much about your dad and his character. You have also had the benefit of Rod as your Grandfather. He too is a man that I have respected over the years. He has been there in both good and bad times. However a good start will not guarantee that anyone will make heaven. But it is a good indicator. Jesus said that he who endures to the end shall be saved. In short that means dying a good death. We get a chance each and every day by dying to self. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “I die daily.” A good death is one in which we have forsaken all sin according to the grace we have been given. Pay particular attention to the ten commandments and you will do well. Live your life in such a manner so that when your time comes you will not have to ask for more grace to finish things left undone. Keep your books balanced with God. Give what God wants you to give, invest your life in the people Jesus brings your way, forgive those who wrong you, and pursue holiness of life all your days and in the end your reward will be great! Listen to The God of the Bible first and foremost and trust Him even when you don't understand. Guard your heart and all will be well.
Don H.