What an exciting time when we accept Christ in our lives. When we put away the old things and become a new creation in Him. When we accept Christ, when we are baptized and allow ourselves to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we allow ourselves to follow His word and His will in our lives. When everything is fresh and new!
Then we begin to share with the people around us. Those who ‘know’ us from ‘before’ can be a challenge to our new spiritual growth. We want them to SEE the new us! However, all they can see is the old us. Especially the ones we hung out with and know all the secrets from our past. They want to use it against us. They want to bring us down. Its not even that they WANT to do it, it’s like they are compelled to do it. The devil wants to steal our joy and he will do it using those closest to us if he can.
We have to have time to build up who we are in Christ. We need time to learn His word, to saturate ourselves in His presence with prayer and praise. We need to move away from ‘the old’ and into the new. This can be a very difficult transition. Sometimes this means that we have to leave our old friends and find new ones – to surround ourselves with a body of believers – in order for us to be built up so that we can stand firm.
We need to remember that not all of our old family and friends will welcome us with open arms. John 4:44 tells us ‘a prophet is not welcome in his own home town.’ He gave us a warning that we might face people turning away from us when we proclaim the Good News. Yet, this doesn’t mean we can’t witness or shouldn’t witness to those people. It doesn’t mean we can’t plant a seed – through our actions – that show we truly have changed.
This can be a very difficult journey. We have to remember we weren’t promised that WE would be the ones to lead our family to salvation – in some cases those family members may be saved and have been praying for us for a very long time. We are told that ‘unless the Lord builds the House then the laborers labor in vain’. We need to seek God’s will and direction. We need to produce the fruits of the spirit and let them manifest in our lives. We need to be a light set upon a hill. We need to be willing to be a servant and humble ourselves. We need to remember that God is always with us.
Isaiah 41:10-13 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
No matter where you are in your walk with God. No matter where you find yourselves. No matter how high the mountain or how low the valley – Always remember that God will not leave you nor forsake you.
All we have to do is seek Him and we will find Him.
It is such a small thing, to seek, yet there are times when we choose not to. We don’t want to humble ourselves, we don’t want to pray or ask, we don’t want Him to find us. We don’t want to recognize that even after we accept Christ we will stumble and fall. We need to recognize that everything in life takes time and work. Every relationship we have requires that we put something in – and only by
One great thing about our relationship with Christ is that the work we put helps us. It helps us become strong in the spirit and the knowledge of God’s word. We know what He has done for others He will do for us – but if we don’t know WHAT He has done for others then we haven’t even begun to understand what He can do for us.
He reached into the darkness and found me. He pulled me out of the fire and nestled me safely under His wings. He protected me when no one else was there to protect me – not just from others but from myself. He holds me constantly in His love and care. He has bore witness to my comings and goings. He has picked me up when I fell down. He has heard my voice when I called upon Him. What a loving, wonderful God we serve.
You know what He has done for you – you may have shared your testimony with someone. You have probably heard the testimony of others. My friend, this is only the tip of the iceberg to what God is capable of and wants for our lives. We need to continually submit to His will. Our nature will have us stumbling and falling; without the grace of God we would not have come as far as we have.
Even after salvation, you will stumble and fall. You may unintentionally cause your brother to trip as well. We need to remember that this is not something God holds against us – as a matter of fact, He has given us a way to move forward – forgiveness; asking for it and giving it.
What a wonderful God we serve!