Battle Day Part 1: Believing

What does it mean to believe in God?

be·lieve/biˈlēv/

Verb:

Accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of: "the superintendent believed Lancaster's story". Accept the statement of (someone) as true.

Well, that's Part 1 to the story.
But, there's a Part 2 to it!

My Dad and I were talking on the way home from church once.
And the idea came to me, wondering what exactly had to be done to become a follower of Christ.

I had always been taught in my Sunday School Group the 3 ABC's of accepting Christ:

A-Admit that you are a sinner (meaning you have done bad things)
B-Believe that Jesus was sent to die for you.
C-Confess that you need Jesus in your life .

Let's break down the "B".

To "Believe" in God is one part.
But I also believe that part of that "Believing" is also "Trusting".

When you accept Christ, you are making a commitment to trusting him.

There is a difference between believing that God has a plan for you, and actually trusting him enough to go out and do what God asks of you.

Let's picture Christianity as a little bottle of medicine for a moment. Believing and Trusting Jesus has the power to heal all wounds, and to provide us ultimate fulfillment.

Well, Jesus is a Lifetime Guarantee. He will always be there for you, day and night, in happiness and in pain, on Earth and in Heaven.


Christianity has side-effects, also.

Possible side-effects:

(Negative)
Doing things you don't want to do
Going places you don't want to go
Feeling feelings you may not want to feel
Giving up things you make not want to give up

(Positive side-effects are a result of the "Negative" side-effects)
Having a beautiful future
Going to Heaven
Having long-lasting relationships with friends and family
Having the power to change lives
Feeling better about yourself
Possible increase in health
Reaching your fullest potential



The Positive side-effects are ENDLESS!!!

God is greater than anything:
Cutting, Drinking, or anything else mankind does to try to fulfill itself.

When we are born, we are born into a war.

A War between Satan
(Sin, Wickedness)
and
God
(Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Compassion, Truth, Goodness, Righteousness, Justice, Beauty, Fulfillment, and MANY, MANY MORE!!!)


We already know through the Bible in Revelation who the winner is.

When you accept Christ, you are joining God's Army.

And, it is painful going into a War.

But, guess what?

God is the end of all pain.


When you believe in Jesus, and trust him enough to do what he asks of you,
Beautiful things will come out of it.


Here's the main point of what I have to say today-



The are always battles before the happy ending.



Are you willing to go through the Battle of Sacrifices on Earth, so that you may live the life God has planned out for you?

Let me tell you:

That life God has for you is INDESCRIBABLY BEYOND what you can accomplish on your own, or what all of mankind throughout past, present, and future can fathom.

Butterflies

♥

The Butterfly:
A symbol of freedom, courage, and strength.
But what about a symbol of Christianity?

When I was little, I remember seeing a caterpillar outside my parent's window.
It scared me to see it, it was fuzzy and prickly, and ugly.
Before we have Jesus in our hearts, we are dirty and ugly from sin.

We are stressed, moody, and vulnerable.
We are demon-possessed, and empty.
Without God, we have no purpose.

What is the purpose of a caterpillar?
To become something beautiful.
To become free, to transform, and to be a New Creation.

What is the purpose of a non-believer?
To become something beautiful.
To become free, to transform, and to be a New Creation.

The Caterpillar goes through a painful experience.
Without that experience, the Caterpillar will never become a true Butterfly.
Without that experience, the Caterpillar will never reach it's full potential.

I had a very rough childhood.
I was a victim of abuse.
I started self-injuring myself in the 7th grade.

While I've had a counselor since then, I just told about my childhood experiences last August.
And, let me tell you, it's been a rough ride since then.
I began to question God when he told me through a dream that it was time to share.

"Why now?
I've been able to live with it since,
Why can't I just act like nothing happened?"

When I told, it was as if I dropped an atom bomb.
Tears couldn't stop flowing for months.
Countless nights were spent awake in agonizing thoughts.

"Why couldn't we have done something to stop this?
How come I didn't see the signs,
that something was going on?"

It's an indescribably rough place to be.

But, let me tell you something.
Those experiences have made me stronger.
God told me to do it.

And I listened, for the first time in a long time.
For a while, I regretted it.
But God knows what is best for me, he knows what is best for you.

God puts us through these struggles,
So we can come out stronger,
and closer to him.

Can I encourage you to dive in?
Can I encourage you to just LET GO of what happened,
and put it in God's hands?

Don't put things on the back burner.
Take the opportunity to be in temporary pain,
And in return, gain eternal Joy.

Spread your wings.
Don't stand forever at the ledge.
Catch the air, Let Go!

And be amazed by what God has in store for you.

♥