"...there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." 1st Corinthians 8:6 The politically correct thing to say today is that all roads lead to God. Even the pope is chanting this mantra, telling even atheists that they can be saved as long as they are good people. This is heresy. There is only one God. Allah is not God. Buddha is not God. The Hindu gods are not gods. Their writings are not from God. They did not come to die for us, and they teach works and "goodness" for salvation. One thing the Word of God makes very clear is that no one is saved by "being good," because no one can be good ENOUGH. The thing these false religions miss is the sin principle, and sin is the elephant in the room. Sin MUST be dealt with. No one can enter heaven with the guilt of sin upon him. It doesn't matter how good the person is or what good works he has done, that will not address the sin that is there, and that sin MUST be dealt with. When a man is before a judge for murder, the judge does not care about any good the man may have done, the issue is the murder and nothing is going to change the focus from the murder. When a man stands before the Judge of the universe, his sin will be the issue because it is that elephant in the room. You can't go forward until the sin issue is dealt with, and for most, it will prevent them from entering heaven. That's why Jesus said that the way is "narrow," and that few find it (Matthew 7:14). People want to focus on their goodness, but few are willing to look at their sin. And ...there is only ONE way to deal with sin. God, in his love for mankind, took pity on the fallen human race. He knew that every human being is born a sinner, and that means that every human being is condemned, or as the Scripture says, is "condemned already" upon coming into the world (John 3:18). But God so loved the world, that he sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to take upon himself the judgment due on the sins of anyone who would receive his work of atonement on their behalf. Jesus hung bloodied and dying on that Cross, taking my judgment upon himself so that the sin issue might be settled. My sin, your sin, has been judged. In him. The price, the penalty, has been paid, by him. When one receives Christ's atonement for himself and surrenders his life to Christ, Jesus creates a new life inside that person in what Jesus called being "born again." The person born in spiritual death is reborn with spiritual life. The person is brought out of the dominion of Satan and becomes the son or daughter of God, with all the privileges inherent in that, and there are many. Jesus Christ is the only one who has given his life for us, the founders and gods of other religions did not, could not, die in atonement for our sins. One of the greatest plots of Satan is to replace the born-again experience with religion. Religion cannot save a person, Jesus said one "MUST be born again (John 3:6-7)." The principles of religion are rooted in the lies of Satan and they lead the multitudes to hell because they are unable to deal with the sin issue - so they deny it and persuade people to just focus on being as good as they can. And so, people march right into hell, their sins having never been dealt with. One person said she can't imagine good people going to hell, that God wouldn't do that. Good people have to recognize their fallen state. When one truly recognizes his fallen state he will recognize his need for a Savior. Because mankind is born fallen, it necessitates being born again, otherwise, there is no remedy for his sin. Imagine the world in the days of Noah. He spent many years telling the people, warning the people. Certainly there were good people who heard him. But ...they all perished. The entire generation perished with the exception of Noah and his family. All the "good" people among them disregarded the ark, and they all perished. If you can possibly imagine the greatness of what Jesus Christ has done for you, it should be your deep and ultimate joy to surrender your life to him. He created you. He knows you intimately. He fashioned your DNA. And he loves you so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself ...so that you could be saved. That's only the beginning of the story, but you cannot go further until you have stopped at this place and settled this with him. Give him your life, your self, he is all about love. He has a plan for your life, allow him to work it out in you. It is designed to bring you all the joy and fulfillment a human being can experience, because it is designed specifically and uniquely for you. Become his today! You will rejoice for all eternity. "Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God the just is satisfied TO LOOK ON HIM AND PARDON ME."
"For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh,
nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me,
but how to perform what is good I do not find."
Romans 7:18
One of the sayings of the world is that the root of many problems in the human psyche is "low self-esteem." The world therefore teaches that to be well, we must pursue growth in "self esteem." This is a deception that almost all fall for.
The Bible calls for the humility of recognizing the truth, and the truth from the Word of God is that we are NOT great, we are NOT wonderful, and we are NOT worthy. One of the greatest human struggles in the face of the truth of God, is to come to realize that we are fallen. Sin dwells within us.
"There is none righteous, no not one."
Romans 3:10"
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;"
Jeremiah 17:9
Few people are able to admit that they are "desperately wicked." Most see themselves as mostly "good" people, they compare their weaknesses to the weaknesses they see in others and assure themselves therefore, that they're not that bad; then they justify whatever they see as weaknesses (sin) within themselves. But until one acknowledges that he truly is "desperately wicked," he is denying the Word of God.
The beginning of the healing of the human soul takes place when the sinner bows before his Creator and accepts what the Word of God tells him he really is. And THEN the Lord begins the work of healing and restoration. There is no room for pride in this process, rather it involves continual recognition of, and repentance of, our sin as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. It's not a one-time thing. The process will continue on for the rest of one's life.
I was guilty of that blindness as we all are before the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us. I didn't commit the sins that the world would say are the worst ones, so I thought I was ok. Well one night as I was preparing to go to bed, the Lord suddenly spoke to my spirit that I am a "murderer."
"WHAT???"
He went on to bring to me the Scripture that says: "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer..." (1st John 3:15) and there WAS someone whom I truly hated. Had the Spirit of God not spoken that to me, it would never, ever, have occurred to me that I was guilty of "murder" according to the Word of God.
You know that sinking feeling you get when you first discover something really bad? I had to sit down, get over the shock, and think that one over; and of course I knew that what the Word of God was showing me was true. But here's a key point as we look at this: I hated this person so intensely that I knew I could not escape from that hatred.
What do you do when you find yourself incapable of doing what you know you have to, but cannot? Well ...right then and there I answered God and told him this hatred was so deep that I was totally unable to escape from it, to let it go, to overcome it. And that's exactly where the Lord wanted me. That's exactly where the Lord wants you when you realize you cannot overcome in whatever area the Lord is focusing his spotlight on. Before he heals you, you have to realize your need to be healed - and that's what I asked that night, the cure, the remedy, whatever it would take to escape from this deadly hatred. And when the Lord healed me some time later, it was a supernatural act, so much so that afterwards I couldn't even remember the hatred I had carried for that person for so long. This was a supernatural healing that set me free.
Happiness does not come from an incorrect evaluation of ourselves. Happiness and peace come from the true admission of our fallen state and the joy of watching the Lord change us. For the born again believer, Jesus Christ has purchased our shack with the price of his own blood, and he then begins the process of turning our shack into a palace fit for the King to reside in. And in that, is the joy and the peace we so unsuccessfully sought out through the philosophies of the world. To be told I was a murderer certainly didn't boost my self esteem. But from there - I was rescued from the darkness that dwelt within me.
If you have not been born again through an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, ask him to come into your life to purchase your shack, and express to him your willingness to surrender all as he knocks down walls, replaces the foundation, and totally remakes it into a palace that he is pleased to dwell in. If you are truly willing to surrender all to him, the change he will make in you and in your life will exceed all you could have hoped and dreamed for. It will involve pain, because having one's walls torn down and having one's foundation replaced is painful. When you go to a doctor and he diagnoses an illness, you are willing to submit to the treatment that is needed, oftentimes unpleasant, to bring you to health. How much more therefore, must we be willing to submit to our Creator and follow all his directions as he permanently cures us from our fallen state and makes us new.
No, he will not restore our "self esteem," in fact he will destroy it because the correct term for it is "pride" which is the deadliest of sins - pride caused Satan to fall from heaven. But in its place the Lord will create something beautiful that so far supersedes it that one will wonder how on earth he ever could have wanted that which the world chases after, the pitiful goal of "self esteem."
"I waited patiently for the Lord
and he inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my steps."
Psalm 40:1-2
Though we may be in "a horrible pit," the Lord will not leave us there. He WILL bring us out and set our feet upon THE ROCK.
Patience is one of the most important factors in prayer -- and one of the most difficult. Sometimes it seems the Lord is not listening. It may be though, that he is testing one's heart to see how long one will remain faithful even when not seemingly getting results. Does the lack of apparent results suggest that what we are asking isn't God's will? NO. It means God is working something out and it requires time. The answer will come in the right time, IF you do not lose heart.
"And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap
IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART."
Galatians 6:9
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord called Moses to come up on the mountain to receive God's Word. Moses told the people to wait for him to return and he ascended the mount. But he was gone a long time and the people got tired of waiting, and they got into grievous sin which brought terrible judgment upon them. Because they refused to wait.
It is amazing how many stories in the Bible required men to wait. God promised Abraham a son through his wife Sarah, but the wait was so long that they took matters into their own hands and Abraham brought forth a son he named Ishmael through Sarah's maid - a sin whose results wreak havoc to this day, for Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. The results of not waiting on the Lord can have long-term disastrous results.
Patience and maintaining faith are virtues the Lord values highly. Every believer will be in the position of having to wait after a promise is given. His patience is tried. His faithfulness is tried. But when the answer comes, it will be far greater than what the believer asked for.
"Now to him who is able to do
EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THE WE ASK OR THINK..."
Ephesians 3:20
Wait and do not waiver. Do not get tired of praying but continue for as long as it takes. Do not be tempted to give up. Do not be tempted to think God doesn't care. He may be creating a story behind the scenes that you know nothing about. Wait on him. The time may seem long, but the answer will surely come and that will lead to far greater rejoicing than you expected.
"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
bearing seed for sowing,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:5-6