So I just finished watching the movie, "Do You Believe?" The movie was about twelve people and how circumstances in their lives led them to believe in the power of the cross. One of the first scenes in the movie had a man carrying a cross asking a pastor, “Do you believe in the power of the cross?” It was very thought provoking because you could almost hear everyone’s thoughts – “Of course he does!” But did he? Now let me turn the question to you…do you believe in the power of the cross?
Let me tell you, there are times in our lives that will either bring us to our knees, causing us to draw nearer to God or we will turn away from God. Most of these times are because we are going through incredibly trying circumstances; ones that we don’t understand and/or don’t wish to face. I want to share with you a few times that I could have either turned away from the cross or moved closer to it. I am thankful that although I may have wavered periodically, I ultimately grew stronger through my experiences.
The first time I was faced with enormous turmoil was when I was thirteen years old. My parents were going through a very ugly divorce. As a result, I could have moved closer to Jesus or away from Him. This was a pivotal time in my life; as a result of the chaos in my life, I found myself being drawn to the Christian faith. You see, I had been raised in a Jewish home -- yet, I found comfort in the cross. I knew that Jesus was real and that He had died for my sins. A friend took me to church and I felt a peace I’d never felt before. It was God calling me to Him. And I went. My faith grew the next two years. However, during those teenage years, I caved to peer pressure.
I gradually fell out of my faith and married a man of a different faith altogether, despite knowing that it was darned near impossible to raise children in a two religion household. I had grown up confused and knew that was a very real possibility, yet followed a path of my own design; not His. My willingness to be led astray would come back and darned near destroy me. But, I'll get to that later.
My next pivotal experience in life was the death of my father. I found myself struggling with his death. I was quite young at the time -- 28 years old -- and as a result, felt like God had abandoned me. I went on a quest to find God, which included going back to my Jewish roots. In the end, I realized that God had not abandoned me; however, there were some very hard lessons I was to learn from this experience. God was using many life lessons throughout this two year struggle.
A few years later, I found myself in Kuwait. At the time, I had a spirit of adventure. However, it eventually ran thin. I ultimately had a vision that led me to feel cut off from God for over two years. I believe I was in the midst of a huge spiritual battle. You see, I had asked God to show me the Truth. He did with the EXCEPTION of the crucifixion. You see, He left that a blank for me to decide -- did I believe in the power of the cross? Ephesians 6:12 describes what I was going through. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. During that time, I prayed wholeheartedly for God's return to my life. I believe I experienced true Hell -- being cut off spiritually from God. I could no longer feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and that scared me. I was spiritually empty. My four years of living in Kuwait had taken its toll on me. It took me nearly 3 years before I was to feel "normal." Yes, I believed in the power of the cross!
As I went through my marriage, I drew closer to God. As times got harder, I became a more steadfast Christian. By the time I got divorced, I was extremely strong in my faith -- having been a Christian for now for over 15 years. However, it was through my divorce that I learned some incredible faith lessons such as why we are to be joyful in all circumstances, that God does reach out to us, that if we are really quiet, we can "hear" His voice and discern His will for us. In Romans 12:2, it says "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." In other words, we are quite capable of figuring out God's will but we have to draw close to God and listen in our hearts.
Likewise, when my mother passed away, I learned many things. I learned that all things are for the glory of God. Romans 8:8 declares this. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." It was during this time that I heard His voice call me to ministry. I saw firsthand God's healing power and watched as He changed my mother's heart which had grown somewhat hardened over the years. I observed non-believers appear to not really hear my mother tell the powerful story of her salvation earlier in the day. God speaks of spiritual blindness in Matthew 13:13. "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." It is hard to understand but I witnessed this firsthand; first with my mother then later with the individuals who visited her hospital room that evening. Her salvation was written off as the side effects of medications she was taking. However, I witnessed the transformation; a powerful truth!
Many are amazed by my faith. I have been blessed because I have experienced so many things in my life; good and bad. However, I am grateful because they strengthened my faith, rather than drive me away from it. In Romans 8:28, it states "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I encourage you to think about your life and culminating experiences. Each time you hit a crisis, did you grow closer to God or allow that circumstance to drive a wedge between you and Him? Where are you today when it comes to Jesus? Do you believe?
You see, believing in God does not mean bad things won't happen. But Scripture tells us how we can protect ourselves against spiritual warfare, and that is by putting on the armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (NIV)
So as you mull over my question tonight, remember God is real and He is there for anyone who reaches out to Him. Do you believe? Do you believe in the power of the cross? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in God's mercy and grace? Do you believe He has a plan for your life and that you are just clay in the Potter’s hands?
These are questions we should all be asking ourselves -- even Christians! Because we are all going to face Him one day -- when He asks you, "Did you believe?” What will your answer be? In the meantime, listen to this video and allow it to touch your heart.
Newsboys - "We Believe"
https://youtu.be/FtPmX7e_Rpw
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