When we are truly in love with someone, nothing can keep us from them or at least thinking about them. It sounds like the beginning of a beautiful romantic love story, doesn’t it? Actually, it is. It’s between a divine creator who sent His Son Jesus to save those who were lost. Christ gave His life so that all who place their faith in God can spend time with Him, listen to His voice, and fall deeply in love with Him. His words are life-changing as they convict the conscience and renew the mind. When our spiritual eyes and ears are opened we realize His endless mercy and compassion longs for us to trust Him. When we decide to embrace His invitation, we are then faced with deciding how much of our lives we will surrender and dedicate to Him.
Speaking of deciding, I think and write a lot about choices, and no wonder as they are the foundation of our existence. Every moment we are choosing what we will think about, what we will say and do. Good and evil opportunities are presented and then we have the power to select. A sobering thought about the Christian life is whatever we allow to interfere and prevent us from living in holy intimacy with God are sins of intention and omission. Of course, there is a world of excuses why we are not as holy as we should be, but there is never an acceptable reason to neglect loving and obeying Christ as our highest priority. If we are convinced that our treasures and pleasures are worth more than surrendering our will and doing what He says, we are deceived.
A divided heart is always a reason for a lack of joy and contentment. This is associated with what we give our attention to and as James mentions it’s not good to be double-minded. Striving to accumulate material possessions, dreaming of becoming more wealthy, and having a relentless passion for pleasure cannot satisfy what our spirit is longing for, which is to be saturated in God’s presence. In fact, concentrating on worldly gain leads to being conformed to thinking like the world and allows the carnal nature to have control. Those who are caught in this web of chaos of compromising are always disappointed and miserable in their soul. A Christian is called to seek first the kingdom of God, and then the Lord will lead and bless according to His perfect plans.
I guess we could say that our souls can become sick much like our bodies can. There are natural germs that can cause an infection, and there are sins that can cause the spirit to become dry and drift away from the refreshing waters of God’s perfect peace. I have walked through times when my soul was weak and ailing and I admit it was no one’s fault but my own. Again, the condition of our mental and spiritual health has everything to do with the decisions we make. If we avoid prayer, we have denied ourselves the most beautiful gift within the human experience. God is always available for us to approach Him, He desires that we live in the awareness of His presence, He has given us so many amazing promises, and yet we have more important things to do?
I often forget that I’m not a finished product, as God is trying to mold me like soft clay on His potter’s wheel. Submitting our will to Him is a painful process we do not want to consider because we are too busy seeking His blessings. His refining fire is a very real ingredient within the understanding of our responsibility and how our relationship with God works. Being transformed means our former motives and attitudes must die so that a new life with Christ can rise and thrive. Only then can we finally begin our humble descent toward total dedication and obedience so the character and nature of Christ can be manifested within us. If we want more of God, there must be less of us.
The good news is there is a miraculous lifeline of God’s mercy, an instantaneous cure for the weak, sick, and discouraged soul. The spiritual medicine is simply this: Ask God to forgive you of your sins and then make a fresh commitment to love and obey Him with all of your mind and strength. Read Jeremiah 29:12-13, as you control your constant state of faith, love, joy, and hope.
Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a minister, Christian author, and community chaplain. Read more about the Christian life at: billyhollandministries.com.
