SO, EXACTLY WHERE IS THE STARTING GATE?

2/15/2019

SOMETIMES WHEN YOU HAVE MOVED INTO A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE FOLLOWING JESUS AND YOU KNOW YOUR IDENTITY IN HIM, IT SEEMS CRAZY THAT SO MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HIM, OR DO KNOW HIM AND HAVEN’T REALLY STARTED TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY. IN A LOT OF WAYS, I THINK IT SADDENS JESUS MOST WHEN WE KNOW HIM AS A SAVIOR, AND YET WE MAKE NO EFFORT TO KNOW HIM BETTER AND TO WALK WITH HIM, AND MAKE DISCIPLES. IT IS THAT ATTITUDE OF, “WELL, I AM SAVED THANK GOODNESS, BUT I’M REALLY TOO BUSY TO WANT TO DO MORE”. “AND BESIDES, I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO CHANGE WHO I AM AND GIVE UP ALL THE FUN THINGS I DO”. “HEY BRO, I AM A CHRISTIAN, I KNOW JESUS, I ATTEND XYZ CHURCH,….YOU WANT TO TALK….SURE, LET’S SET UP COFFEE SOMETIME…YEAH, I’LL PRAY FOR YOU, CATCH YOU LATER…. ONLY YOU NEVER DO…PRAY, AND YOU NEVER MEET TO TALK.. YOU MAY WANT TO, YOU MAY NOT, BUT EITHER WAY, YOU JUST GET BACK INTO BEING YOU, IN YOUR OWN WORLD.

WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING CRAZY? SATAN KNOWS JESUS. DEMONS KNOW JESUS. THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT HIM. THEY KNOW HIS PURPOSE, HIS POWER, AND HIS AUTHORITY…..AND THEY FEAR HIM. THEY KNOW HE IS INDEED GOD. IN MARK 1:33-34, JESUS IS IN A TOWN HEALING MANY SICK PEOPLE AND DRIVING OUT DEMONS, AND HE ADMONISHES THE DEMONS NOT TO SPEAK, BECAUSE THEY KNEW HIM. PERHAPS IT WAS BECAUSE JESUS HAD A HUGE TASK TO DO FOR THE FATHER, FOR US, AND HE DID NOT WANT LYING SPIRITS TO SHARE WHO HE WAS. MAYBE IT WAS TO DEMONSTRATE HIS AUTHORITY OVER THEM….SOME DAY JESUS WILL ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS FOR US. THE POINT I AM MAKING HERE IS THAT KNOWLEDGE IS NOT REALLY THE STARTING GATE TO JESUS IN MY OPINION. DON’T GET ME WRONG, KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF GROWING IN YOUR FAITH AND WORKING ON YOUR WALK….BUT IN MY LIFE AND YOURS, I THINK THE STARTING GATE IS OUR OWN HEART.

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO TRY TO IMPROVE YOURSELF OUT IN OUR WORLD TODAY! JUST WALK INTO A BOOKSTORE, HOP ON AMAZON, AND YOU WILL FIND MYRIADS OF AUTHORS TELLING YOU HOW TO FIND YOURSELF, IMPROVE YOURSELF, KNOW YOURSELF. SELF, SELF, SELF. ME,ME,ME. IF ONLY I CAN USE MY MIND TO REASON THROUGH WHO I AM, I WILL FIND MYSELF…..AND IT SOUNDS LOGICAL. THERE ARE SOME REALLY SMART AND GIFTED PEOPLE OUT THERE TRYING TO HELP. LOTS OF REALLY GOOD RELIGIOUS LEADERS OUT THERE AS WELL, TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT GOD LOVES YOU, AND HE WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY, AND, HE DOES. BUT THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN THAT. GOD WANTS YOUR HEART !!!

I MET JESUS AS MY SAVIOR AT 17 YEARS OLD. I WAS A PRETTY GOOD KID, HAD AN AWESOME MOM, DAD, AND SIS. I WAS AN A+ STUDENT, HAD SOME CLOSE FRIENDS, GOOD ATHLETE, PRETTY INTROVERTED, BUT COULD MIX SOCIALLY PRETTY WELL. NOT A BAD LIFE ! I WENT TO CHURCH ON AND OFF….HEARD ABOUT GOD, SANG HYMNS, HEARD SERMONS, YUP, I MUST BE A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE I GO TO CHURCH AND MY FAMILY ARE METHODISTS…..KIND OF LONELY, WANT TO ASK A GIRL TO PROM, BUT I’M TOO AFRAID….CHANCE TO GO TO SCOTLAND AND DO AN INTENSE GOLF SCHOOL WITH JOHNNY MILLER, BUT IT IS SO FAR AWAY, AND I’M TOO AFRAID. WHY AM I SO AFRAID TO TAKE A RISK? WHY AM I SO INSECURE, WHEN I HAVE SO MUCH? WHY?….AND THEN MY MOM AND DAD WENT ON A WEEKEND TRIP AND SOMETHING INCREDIBLE HAPPENED.

HERE I AM EATING PIZZA AND WATCHING TV. MY SISTER CAME BY TO CHECK ON ME, LEFT, AND NOW I COULD WATCH A MOVIE OR SOMETHING. CLICK ON THE SCREEN, AND THERE IS THIS GUY IN A STADIUM PREACHING….CLICK, NOT WATCHING THAT. SIFTING THROUGH THE CHANNELS, ALL 5 OR 6 OF THEM, AND I’M BACK ON THIS PREACHER GUY. WHO IS HE? BILLY GRAHAM. NEVER HEARD OF HIM, CLICK. BACK TO A WESTERN MOVIE. THEN I GET UP AND CHANGE IT BACK TO BILLY GRAHAM. I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT MR. GRAHAM HAD TO SAY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD SIT DOWN IN A QUIET PLACE AND TALK TO JESUS. HE WAS THE SON OF GOD, AND HE WANTED MY LIFE. EVERY BIT OF IT, ESPECIALLY MY FAILURES, FEARS, WORRIES, AND ALSO MY NEEDS, HOPES, AND DREAMS. HE WANTED MY HEART, AND IF I GAVE IT INTO HIS CARE, I WOULD BE HIS, FOR ETERNITY. MY OWN CONFESSED SAVIOR, WHO DIED FOR MY SINS, WAS CRUCIFIED ON A CROSS, DIED, BURIED FOR 3 DAYS, AND THEN AROSE, RESURRECTED, AND SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER….AND I AM HIS! SO I SAID YES, PLEASE TAKE ME. I PRAYED TO HIM. I NEED YOU, I WANT YOU….AND HE CAPTURED MY HEART THAT NIGHT, AND HE HAS BEEN WITH ME IN EVERY STRUGGLE, CHALLENGE, AND JOY EVER SINCE.

I HEAR HIS VOICE A LOT….USUALLY JUST A QUIET VOICE, TALKING TO ME, HELPING ME SORT THINGS OUT IN MY LIFE. AND HE KEEPS GROWING ME, PULLING ME INTO HIM, WANTING MORE, WANTING TO BE MORE. AND AS I HAVE GOTTEN OLDER I HAVE COME TO THE CLEAR REALIZATION OF HOW MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HIM, OR HAVEN’T STARTED CLIMBING UP TO EMBRACE HIM MORE CLOSELY, AND THE JOY IN BEING HIS IS JUST TOO INCREDIBLE NOT TO SHARE. IN A BIG WAY. EVERY DAY, EVERY CHANCE. WITH ALL WHO WILL SIT DOWN IN THAT QUIET PLACE AND OPEN THEIR HEART TO HIM….

OPEN YOUR HEART. JUST TAKE A RISK AND TALK TO HIM. GET TO SEE WHO HE IS IN A REAL WAY. FIND OUT WHO HE IS PERSONALLY….NOT FROM A SERMON. GO FACE TO FACE, AND HEART TO HEART…..AND BE READY TO BE DIFFERENT !!! I’M PRAYING FOR THOSE WHO FEEL HIM TO FIND THAT QUIET PLACE, AND RISK EVERYTHING….HE WILL BE THERE, WAITING FOR YOU! THIS IS YOUR PLACE TO START ! JA

Jeremiah 29:13 YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME, WHEN YOU SEEK ME WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART