The Greatest Decision Ever made



Well, we took vacation from our series looking at how one could begin the process, in quiet, of coming to God one step at a time. First, we looked at how no one is perfect. I think this is where many find themselves looking in the mirror thinking they have to come into church already put together. This would be false, it takes time and no one really reaches that pinnacle in their life where they can say they have worked out every imperfection in their soul. Secondly, we looked at the myth behind God and how over the millenniums his image has become so obscure it is hard to tell who God is and what he is really about. We looked at who he is and how he is no different then a father seeking to re-kindle a relationship with his children. We then looked at one of our first foot steps towards meeting God, prayer….and how this is where it all begins. Prayer is your own personal one on one time to open your heart and pour it all out, put all your questions and feeling on the table….just you and God, no one else. Sometime in your journey, if you choose to continue on, you will come to a cross road in your heart were your soul and conscious will demand change, and we discussed facing your cross road. Lastly we left off with the scariest and most uncomfortable steps in your walk with God….CHURCH. We left off by reading my testimony on how I felt the very first time I stepped into a church, and I believe you will be able to relate on your first visit as well.

Every year around this time people throughout America tend to sit back and ponder on the year before. In doing so we will often make subtle promises of change in our hearts….goals we hope to accomplish, or bondages we hope to overcome in this New Year before us. For some it’s loosing weight, for others it quitting smoking, or getting a better job. The only problem is within weeks or best months we tend to fall back into our old habits and in turn fail to live up to what our heart desired. The funny part is the extent we will often go to fulfill these goals, like spending hundreds on gym equipment, supplements, and personal trainers to reach our desired weight. Maybe it tossing the cigarette pack aside and paying double for nicotine replacements, or enrolling in school to have an advantage in the job market for that dream job. In the end we have this wonderful gym equipment collecting dust, 12 boxes of nicotine gum going stale, and three college courses under our belt with a new debt of $2-$3,000 with no intent of going back.

So this brings us to one of the greatest decisions, and best new years resolutions one can partake of. It is also one of the biggest steps you will ever make in your journey to God…..the decision to give it all to God, the decision to commit your heart, your mind, your body, your morals, your life from this day forward to him. You see this is the goal of God’s word and the true meaning of what it’s all about…utter repentance of one’s past and dedication to one’s future. At some point if you really give the big guy a chance, if you decide to open your heart to prayer, if you decide to pick up his word the bible, if you decide to walk out of your comfort zone and enter into a church to take your worship to the next level, at some point in your spiritual journey your heart will move you to this very decision. This is what Jesus died for, this is why God himself sent his son for, this is what Christianity is all about, this is why I write this blog and spend my nights on my knees praying for you reading this today……..to help you come to the point where you fall in love with God so hard, nothing else makes sense then to give God your all.

The best part of this new years resolution is unlike all the others you have made and failed on your own accord, this is one you’re not alone in, this one is out of your hands, and this one only requires words from your mouth that are true in your heart. For some, you aren’t ready yet and that’s okay, for some it’s time. Paul said it best in Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]

If in your heart you feel it is time and you want to leave your past in the past and start your year off with a clean slate in the eye’s of God, if you feel in your heart that from here on forth you want your life to be a life that walks with God hand in hand then please use this prayer as an example to make your own:

"God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen.

You have not only been forgiven of your past, and washed clean of all the skeletons in your closet, your name has been entered in what is called God’s book of life. Believe it or not at this very moment in heaven there is rejoicing because of you:

Luke 15:10 - I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

This is truly the first step of many to come, as you continuously grow in your relationship with God you may be moved to get baptized one day. There are so many avenues to a spiritual journey and my heart is ecstatic that I was able to share in the greatest prayer in your life. I will warn you that life as a Christian is a hard decision because Satan is always on the hunt to win back a soul he has lost, and never sleeps in his endeavors. Remember this prayer isn’t a one way ticket heaven for if a person chooses to turn their back on God and go back to a life rattled with sin, essentially you are voiding out the very prayer you said today. You will always fall short and stumble into sin, sometimes daily, just remember that God is a merciful God and is open to your prayers of repentance. This is your relationship with God, this is your journey, where it goes, and where it ends up is up to you. I pray this year will be one the best years of your life, and God will shine brightly from your heart. God Bless