Jesus lived in relative quiet for the first 30 years of His life. When He was anointed by the Holy Spirit, and heard from the Father, "this is My Beloved Son," (Matthew 3:17) He exploded into a ministry that is still changing the world today.
He said, "he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do." (John 14:12) Christ lives inside the believer, and is more than able to do the same wonders He did before- this time, through the Church.
Yet, there is an identity crisis in the Church- perhaps especially, for men.
Who is Your Guide?
The Christian runner and subject of the classic film, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell, said, "if you are not guided by God, you will be guided by something or someone else."
How true- it is either the world, the flesh, the devil....or God that guides a man's soul. "There is a way that seems right to a man, that leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) Men are looking for something- comfort, power, money, meaning, pleasure.
They seek it through porn, drugs, alcohol, women, perhaps finding purpose or approval through their job, etc.
All of this is seeking to find "out there" something that only God can put inside the heart, when one receives Jesus Christ in their heart as Lord. It is truly the only way God provided for man to find peace. "He is our peace." (Micah 5:4; Ephesians 2:14)
Sin, material things, even good things like family can't fill the empty soul:
O N L Y J E S U S
"How do I receive Jesus as the Lord of my life?"
STEP ONE:
+ Prayer of Salvation +
(For Renewed Faith in Jesus Christ)
Lord Jesus Christ, come into my heart, I desire that You be the Lord of my life so that I may be a Child of the Light to know You as my personal Saviour - for I know and believe that You died on the cross for my sins. You rose again from the dead on the third day and You are coming again in glory.
I believe in Your forgiveness and I desire that You help me to refrain from any temptations that would keep me separated from Your everlasting love.
Amen.
STEP TWO: Once "Christ is in you" (Colossians 1:27), ...then you can walk like Jesus.
For those that don't know God, who haven't received Jesus in their hearts, no wonder they can't live righteously! They do not have the "power within" that enables them. (Jude 1:24)
But, what of the man who has accepted Jesus, and prays, goes to church, tries to be a good person, and still struggles with problems and/or addictions?
Accepting Christ is not magic- it is God's grace, freely given. But, it can be like a gift unopened, unused. Fr. Cantalamessa has called it "dormant grace." Your dad could have given you a bicycle, but if he didn't teach you to ride it, it would be useless. We have to ask the Father to teach us to use what we have received, how to fulfill our destiny that God has reserved for us before time began.
It's our job to find out what our destiny is. We will be judged in the end on how well we lived it out!
FAITH is what enables a man to walk in freedom. Many men have found that trying harder doesn't cut it. Increasing our efforts can develop good habits, and improve our lives to a certain degree, but, for many, there is still that one thing in life that seems un-saved, un-redeemed.
My wife Lee Anne always says, faith stands for, "For Anything Impossible To Happen." Take purity, for example. It is possible to be free from impurity by faith...something that could seem impossible in today's world. Anger, problems in marriage, poverty or looking for a job...whatever the issue is, faith is the key. "This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4)
The question is- how does faith work? How does one "put it into action"? How does faith make freedom manifest and answer prayers and desires? Learn more in our next article.
In the meantime, draw closer to Jesus, and become a man of Destiny.
In the Father's Love,
Dan
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