By David Brenneman
Oh it's often so painful to watch people in such disbelief at the truth about this world and of God. All the evidences that God has provided in nature as well as the lives of people.
It's been this way since the dawn of time. Look at Cain and Abel his brother. They had even the advantage of speaking with the Lord Jesus directly and yet Cain didn't fully understand or surrender his life to Christ Jesus.
We read of the King of Israel being angry at a certified prophet of God because he wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear. It indeed cost him his life...but not before the Lord gave him time to consider the truth before he died.
2 Chronicles 18:33-34 NASB "Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” The battle raged on that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died."
Cain was given the rest of his life to reflect on his attitude towards obedience to God.
Jesus said this in Matthew 13:13-14 NASB "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You shall keep on listening, but shall not understand;
And you shall keep on looking, but shall not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart, and return,
And I would heal them.’
In our world today we essentially live in sensory overload. We also can see the depths of creation that haven't been seen since before the Genesis Flood.
Evidences abounding in the lives of Believers the world over. Yet, like the King of Israel in 2 Chronicles, Cain, and even the Jewish leaders of Jesus’s day, they yet don't see to believe. Look at how many times they sought signs from Jesus. How many times they were given signs, yet belief was short lived or never happened.
A man blind from birth Jesus healed and he eventually is cast out of the Synagogue because of his belief while the Jewish Leaders didn't.
John 9:24-41 NASB " So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes! We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they put him out. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered by saying, “And who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains."
My Dear Reader...what evidences have you been shown that you still deny?
What have you seen, experienced, that in all reality was God showing you that He's real and wants a relationship with you?
Many who out there reading this think that Jesus is one god among many. Oh my Friend no. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one has ever died for you. Has ever risen from the dead for you. Paid the price for you.
Some are angry at God because of what He's allowed. Even in the story of that King of Israel earlier the Prophet of God tells him plainly of the demons that offered to be a deceiving spirit in the other so-called prophets that the King accumulated for himself.
Demons are following their own leader...Satan the chief of all Deceivers.
Saying "I can't because I could never follow a God who..." is still literally throwing your life into Hell yourself because of your denial of the truth of God. The truth is no matter what you think you see and know, you don't know the whole truth. While yes horrific things have been allowed to happen in this world you don't know what those horrific things actually stopped from becoming something worse.
Quite often Believers experience things that are horrific. It doesn't mean that God's stopped loving them. I have been through some horrific things. It has never lead me to believe that Jesus ever stopped loving me. Enduring the recovery of an a head on collision with a semi truck. The loss of our first child. What kind of God would put someone through that? Honestly a extremely merciful God. A God of grace, giving unmeritted favor, to those who can handle something in life that someone else wouldn't be able to.
Many Christians today are killed because they are Believers. The news won't necessarily report that.
Consider this my Dear Reader: What message of God would be so important for you to hear that Satan would go as far as murder to silence? Hmm? What would you see with your eyes, hear with your ears? What is it that he isn't wanting you to know?
Why is it that Satan's go-to is to try to discourage and silence Believers? Because the message of the Gospel transforms lives. Lives are then actually out of his reach. While in this world we are no longer of this world. While he will attempt what he will, now, he has to ask permission. Permission is indeed often granted but only in respect to our growth in Jesus Christ. Only in the reaching of others like you.
Should anything happen to a now Child of God, it has to be approved by Jesus. Should it mean our lives, we are instantly ushered into the presence of Christ Jesus.
Satan cares not who goes to Hell. He's never been there. Satan never will spend a moment there. He has two prisons in his future. To be bound for a thousand years during the reign of Jesus Christ after the Great Tribulation, Revelation, and the other is after the final judgment of God, to be cast into the lake of fire, again Revelation. Satan isn't some half man half animal. He isn't red with horns and a fork. The Bible says he had been the most beautiful of all created angels. He often disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14.
You, my Friend, were given a measure of faith to believe. He gave you a mind to understand great things with the expectation that you would use it.
Look about your life. Look at what all you have been shown. Salvation is very near to you if you would but believe.
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