Part 12 (2/2)
As I studied G.o.d's Word and began to learn that Jesus came to set me free from all those tormenting things, and that my past had no power over my future, I truly began to enjoy each day of my life.
Emotional and mental freedom may be a new thought for you. Perhaps you have pa.s.sively put up with a tormented soul, but I am announcing to you that Jesus died to set you completely free. He has opened all your prison doors, and as soon as you realize it you will be able to take His hand and walk out into a new and glorious life.
I suggest you begin praying about each tormenting emotion or mental habit you have and find scripture about those areas. For example, if you are p.r.o.ne to worrying all the time, pray specifically about freedom in that area and look for all the scripture you can find about worry and anxiety. Study what G.o.d's Word says about peace and refuse to live without it. It is yours, bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus, so why not claim it and start a new life today.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12 that he was determined to take hold of those things for which Christ Jesus died. In other words he made a decision that he would learn to have and enjoy everything Jesus died to give him. He mentioned pressing past things and that is exactly what we must be willing to do. It takes no effort at all to remain in bondage, but effort is required to gain and maintain freedom. Claiming your rights as a believer in Jesus will take some diligence and determination on your part. You will have to study, pray, and refuse to remain in bondage, but there is a life of freedom waiting for you that is more wonderful than you can imagine. Make a decision today that Jesus died to set you free and free you will be!!!
CHAPTER 51.
Do You Need a Change of Address?
I find it difficult to believe what the people of Israel said in Numbers 20:24: ”Now there was no water for the congregation, and they a.s.sembled together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died [in the plague] before the Lord! And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?”
How could they have said such a terrible thing? ”Would that we had died when our brethren died [in the plague] before the Lord!” Were they actually saying they would rather suffer, be in torment, and die in slavery than to live free and with G.o.d?
It is difficult to believe anyone would choose one or the other over freedom but the truth is people do it all the time. G.o.d was offering the Israelites a new life, but they continually murmured and complained about every inconvenience they encountered. They wanted to behave however they felt like behaving, yet they expected good results. The sooner we realize that never works, the better off we will be. G.o.d's promises are available for all. But they are not available unless we are willing to do things G.o.d's way.
We cannot do bad things and expect good results. We cannot grumble at G.o.d and expect divine blessings. That is what the Israelites did. They were impatient, they murmured continually, they felt sorry for themselves, they were not thankful, and they blamed Moses and even G.o.d when things went wrong. They had an opportunity to press through to the Promised Land, yet they died in the wilderness. How can that be? How can they be so confused and twisted in their thinking? But then, I was the same way for many years and I know people like that today.
Jane married an alcoholic named John, and when he went into his drunken rages, he beat her. She left, took their children, and divorced him. Two years later, Jane married again. She married John again-oh, not that John. The second husband's name was Ralph. He was a drunkard, and she repeated the same sad and abusive story. Her third John was named Ken. Although their names were different, it was as if she married the same man (the same kind of man) three times.
When I met Jane, she grumbled and asked, ”Are there any good men out there?” Of course, she later admitted she looked for men in all the wrong places. She usually found them at a bar or a party she should not have attended. She didn't go to church or any kind of Bible studies. She never put herself in a place to even meet a decent man, but she continually complained. The truth is she was making bad choices and then having a ”poor me” att.i.tude about the results. It is foolish to think we can see change if we keep doing the same things over and over.
If you desire change in your life, you will have to make some different choices than the ones you have made in the past. Do you need a change of address? Are you tired of wilderness living and prefer to live in the Promised Land, a place where many good things abound? If that is what you truly want, you can have it, but you will have to be willing to change many things in your life.
It is easy to condemn the Israelites because the Bible lays out their story so clearly. Paul wrote about the wilderness wanderings and urged his readers to not ”discontentedly complain as some of them did-and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death)” (1 Corinthians 10:1011). As long as you continue to act as the Israelites did in their grumbling, you will get the same results. As long as you live like Jane, you will have the same disastrous effects. Although I gave the example of Jane, these situations abound in many people's lives. Perhaps you are someone who has your paycheck spent before you cash it. Or maybe you are easily offended and end up angry most of the time. Regardless of your situation, as long as you continue with bad choices, you will end up with bad outcomes.
As long as you continue with bad choices, you will end up with bad outcomes.
When you are really tired of getting the same negative results-when you are tired of Satan buffeting you and tormenting you-you are ready to make changes. Those people in the wilderness died outside the Promised Land because they never learned. You have an advantage: you know about them, and you also know the Holy Spirit wants to change you.
You can change. You can begin by asking G.o.d to help you think positive thoughts in line with His positive thoughts, because positive thinking produces positive att.i.tudes. Once your att.i.tude changes, your life changes. It requires some effort and persistence, but it is definitely worth it. It is really quite simple: make the decision that G.o.d is smarter than you and start doing things His way.
CHAPTER 52.
Instant Gratification ”Instant gratification takes too long,” my friend said, laughing. She was standing in front of the microwave. She set the timer for ninety seconds to heat her coffee and tapped her toe as she impatiently waited.
I smiled as I watched, but then I realized that we've been spoiled by the word instant in our lives today. We have instant credit approval, instant oatmeal, instant coffee and drive-through everything. We like to think G.o.d's ways are the same, but they are not. ”G.o.d, give it to me now,” we pray. Or if we don't use those words, that's what we mean.
One of the things I've learned from my years of Bible study is we can't hurry the Lord. He does things in His time. The Bible tells us about the long waits of Abraham and Joseph before G.o.d fulfilled His promises to them. Moses fled into the wilderness after killing a man, and waited forty years for G.o.d to tap him on the shoulder. Rachel prayed for years to have a child, and so did Hannah, before G.o.d answered them.
We can't hurry the Lord. He does things in His time.
We should learn from the countless examples in the Bible of people required to be patient that we cannot hurry G.o.d. Many people grow impatient in waiting, and of course, the devil uses that to sneer and say, ”G.o.d isn't going to do what He promised. If He were going to do it, He would have done it by now.”
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