Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
Every Sunday morning while getting ready for church I try to listen to a wonderful preacher named Ravi Zacharias (8:30 am, Sundays on BBN [local Bible Broadcasting Network stations]). Born in India but spending a lot of his early years in the British Isles and Canada, he now operates an international ministry out of Atlanta. Dr. Zacharias sound like a Scotsman and is a wonderful preacher of the Gospel and always provides an inspiring message about faith, hope and love and how each of these require Jesus Christ for you to find meaning and joy in your life.
Today his topic, Lost and Found, was particularly inspiring. It was particularly appropriate for those of us who have at some time or another lost our way. Many of us who were raised in the Christian Church went through period where we became lost and floundered. We forgot our foundation, no longer prayed and worshiped and studied the Word and, as a result, we opened ourselves up to the throes of Satan.
You see, the Devil is always seeking converts. As the Fallen Angel, he hates God and always wants to take good and devout Christians and get them to forsake their foundation and their future. It's a game he plays and he plays it well, always modifying his "pitch" to the weakness of the candidate in front of him.
The process of being lost takes several transitory steps. First, we begin by rejecting God and Jesus and the moral values which they expect of us. Then, we become alienated from Him and begin to do immoral and evil things which further removes us from our foundation. Often sickness and adversity inflict us at these times. Thirdly, we become dominated by our evil thoughts and actions, no longer being able to control them even if we don't want to be doing these things. Lust, greed and pride takes over and we no longer think about Him and his laws. Finally, we face condemnation and are ultimately judged as will all mankind for the things that they have done and left undone.
But, if we drop to our knees and truly ask God for help, and we do this before our days on this earth are done, He will help us. Now this is not easy, we must forsake our evil ways and ask forgiveness in our hearts and turn from what we have done and spend the rest of our lives working for Him, not against Him. But if we do these things, it will be a rebirth, kind of like the sun rising on a new day with a fresh start. And it will afford us the opportunity to gain eternity with Him instead of permanent death and darkness.
So when you feel yourself slipping away from Him, or you sense that the lion is on your doorstep, stop what you are doing and pray for the Holy Spirit to infect you and stay with you. Keep your batteries recharged for Jesus through prayer, Biblical reading and regular worship. Like so many things, if you don't us it, you might lose it. And in this case the loss will be your soul and the opportunity to attain eternal life at His side.
And Christians, know that in these trying times today we must be stronger than ever. The wolf is at the door wearing many clothes, trying to get us to turn away from Him and instead turn to a godless and materialistic future that is false. Stand strong in your Christian values, pray to Him for guidance and help, and He will see you through.
God bless each of you and God bless America. May her light which is founded on Christian moral values ever be bright and true.
Every Sunday morning while getting ready for church I try to listen to a wonderful preacher named Ravi Zacharias (8:30 am, Sundays on BBN [local Bible Broadcasting Network stations]). Born in India but spending a lot of his early years in the British Isles and Canada, he now operates an international ministry out of Atlanta. Dr. Zacharias sound like a Scotsman and is a wonderful preacher of the Gospel and always provides an inspiring message about faith, hope and love and how each of these require Jesus Christ for you to find meaning and joy in your life.
Today his topic, Lost and Found, was particularly inspiring. It was particularly appropriate for those of us who have at some time or another lost our way. Many of us who were raised in the Christian Church went through period where we became lost and floundered. We forgot our foundation, no longer prayed and worshiped and studied the Word and, as a result, we opened ourselves up to the throes of Satan.
You see, the Devil is always seeking converts. As the Fallen Angel, he hates God and always wants to take good and devout Christians and get them to forsake their foundation and their future. It's a game he plays and he plays it well, always modifying his "pitch" to the weakness of the candidate in front of him.
The process of being lost takes several transitory steps. First, we begin by rejecting God and Jesus and the moral values which they expect of us. Then, we become alienated from Him and begin to do immoral and evil things which further removes us from our foundation. Often sickness and adversity inflict us at these times. Thirdly, we become dominated by our evil thoughts and actions, no longer being able to control them even if we don't want to be doing these things. Lust, greed and pride takes over and we no longer think about Him and his laws. Finally, we face condemnation and are ultimately judged as will all mankind for the things that they have done and left undone.
But, if we drop to our knees and truly ask God for help, and we do this before our days on this earth are done, He will help us. Now this is not easy, we must forsake our evil ways and ask forgiveness in our hearts and turn from what we have done and spend the rest of our lives working for Him, not against Him. But if we do these things, it will be a rebirth, kind of like the sun rising on a new day with a fresh start. And it will afford us the opportunity to gain eternity with Him instead of permanent death and darkness.
So when you feel yourself slipping away from Him, or you sense that the lion is on your doorstep, stop what you are doing and pray for the Holy Spirit to infect you and stay with you. Keep your batteries recharged for Jesus through prayer, Biblical reading and regular worship. Like so many things, if you don't us it, you might lose it. And in this case the loss will be your soul and the opportunity to attain eternal life at His side.
And Christians, know that in these trying times today we must be stronger than ever. The wolf is at the door wearing many clothes, trying to get us to turn away from Him and instead turn to a godless and materialistic future that is false. Stand strong in your Christian values, pray to Him for guidance and help, and He will see you through.
God bless each of you and God bless America. May her light which is founded on Christian moral values ever be bright and true.
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