John 3:16 “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son. So that whoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Have you ever thought about eternity? You live 70, 80 years or more if you’re lucky. And when your life is over what happens? People have grappled with this question a really long time. It is a question that can give you anxiety, if you have no practical answer to it. Maybe you have worried about where you will end up. Will I just end up in the grave forever? That’s a very
pessimistic look at your outcome. Will there be a bright light and I’ll go somewhere on the other side? Depending on if you have a relationship with Jesus-this can be quite a dilemma. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all know the answer. And if you have studied the bible and the life of Jesus, there is really only one answer.
You have to claim Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once you do, that anxiety about your future outcome will be alleviated. Your future will be set. If you look at the scripture above, it states that Jesus died for you. God gave his Son up to horrible suffering and death-so that you can be assured of your future. I know it’s a difficult concept believing that a deity loves you enough to take on human form and clear the slate for your sins and all the sins of mankind. But God “is Love” and he allowed His son to take on this sacrifice-nailed to the cross-and save your soul.
Jesus wants a personal relationship with you. Yes, the creator of the universe wants to bring it down to your level. In fact, he would love to have every human accept Him.
The only problem is that God has allowed the devil to be in our world. He is testing you all the time. The ways of the world he presents to you in such a tempting way that many are led astray.
You do have weapons to combat him. There is God’s word, his church, prayer and Christian brothers and sisters that support you and allow you to live the life he wants you to. It doesn’t have to be frustrating or cause anxiety. You have the tools in your belt to have the confidence to claim Him as Lord and savior and have victory over evil. God has all the answers and we just
need to use the power of prayer to let him know that he has the wheel and we trust Him. The lyrics in the song “Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickam, really shows the power of God and assures us that He is with us and will help us fight the skirmishes and confrontations we face on a daily basis.
Battle Belongs
When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah For Jesus, there’s nothing impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty Thank You, God
When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high
Oh, God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God You shine in the shadow, You win every battle Nothing can stand against the power of our God
An almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God You shine in the shadow, You win every battle Nothing can stand against the power of our God
An almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God You shine in the shadows, You win every battle Nothing can stand against the power of our God
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You Oh God, the battle belongs to You
Romans 5:8 “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
When Jesus died, we were in the depths of sin as a world and yet He still wanted to sacrifice his life for us. He jumped into a world that was a cesspool of sin and needed to be cleaned up. He came as the prophesies had predicted and gave people a choice. A choice that guaranteed their destiny. He gives you the ticket to be able to go to heaven. So just:
Now granted He lived a perfect life. And having no sin in your life is quite a high bar. But when you are saved-you are His and He has redeemed you. That is the ultimate sense of contentment. The creator of everything has given us His promise.
Probably the hardest part of initially being a Christian is submission. The environment of the world lauds victory. I have to come out on top. Or I rationalize why I didn’t and who’s to blame. When you commit to Jesus you set aside the rules of this world and put your eyes upon Him. As a Christian you are not a citizen of this world.
As Phillipians 3:20 explicitly states:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I’m not saying we shouldn’t experience a life on earth. There are many-many good things you can enjoy. But there are multitudes of evil things that can take you down. Satan is unrelenting in his desire to kidnap a Christian to his side. That’s why your reliance on Jesus is so critical. Having a strong relationship with Him allows you to put on the full armor of God. This is a powerful
deterrent and will help you be victorious over him and all the devil’s minions. As mentioned earlier-read your bible, commit to Him as Lord and Savior, get involved with a group of like-
minded believers, pray to Him regularly and go to church. This is God’s blueprint to have you on track for a glorious future. There is no anxiety when you know where you are going and whose arms will be protecting you.
