Do you “enjoy” God or just believe He exists? So many Christians are “Christian” in name only! They acknowledge God’s existence (nice of them, heh?), agree with some of His precepts, go to church now and again and upon occasion, even throw a five dollar bill in the offering plate. I guess that makes them eligible to check off the “Christian” box when they fill out a census form, but it is not enough to “enjoy” God…and just might not be enough to enter eternity with Him!

It’s not agreeing that He exists that gets you to heaven. It’s entering into His existence that will; meaning that one short moment in time when you bend the knee of your heart and come to God humbly asking His forgiveness for all your wrong doing and give permission for Jesus to enter your heart and life, to not only be your Savior but your Master. Everyone wants the former so their fanny won’t be in hell, but few want Him as Master, to rule, lead and guide them in the way in which they must go.

It changed my life when Jesus came into my heart, and that change continues to this day, as I let Him be my thoughts, words and deeds. It’s really true, as I have often said, “Your best day with me…is when I’m not me!” It’s when God’s flow is coming through unhindered by me! Then, and only then, can any of us truly “enjoy” God. Let Him not only be Savior, let Him be provider, nurturer, mentor, guide and friend. Oh, what love and enjoyment you will have with our wonderful God! Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

Afraid to get close to God? Afraid of the change you hear will happen to you in Jesus? Don’t be! The reason it is foreign to us to be in union with God is that we are used to being independent. We think, decide, and act on our own viewpoint. Some things work, some things don’t.

Being in communion and unity with God doesn’t negate your gifts and personality. No, no—rather than the empty, often dissatisfied existence you have in your independence from God, union with Him actually enhances what He originally designed you for.

Living for God and yielding to His plan may take you on a different path than your original blueprint, but by linking up to God, you’ll end up knowing Him more and also, as an extra benefit, get to know you more!

We are complete only in Him. Pride doesn’t let us come to that conclusion easily but Psalms 139:13-16 reminds you that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom not bondage; the Father of all creation is transforming us into the likeness of Christ! Talk about an extreme makeover!  Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

There’s a lot of talk going around about gun control these days. It’s rather foolish really, at least to many of us. It seems we never deal with the real problem…that of man’s broken nature.

Stop and think for a moment. If you could somehow take every single gun, of any and all types, out of circulation in this country, that still leaves the anger, the hatred, the dissensions, and for some, the mental illness. In China, the guns are gone, so what do their headlines read? Last month, there was a school massacre committed with a…MACHETE!

We are so stupid in this country. We’ve left God in the dust; a vague shadow in the rear view mirror and, yet, we think godly principles will spring up from ungodly people! In leaving Him behind, we’ve left behind His superior wisdom, too.

We raise taxes instead of cutting spending; we come against capitalism (which is only a system of production—probably the best when compared to all the others!) instead of the bribery, lies and corruption which clog capitalisms effectiveness; and we come against guns when the problem is anger, hatred and dissensions.

What utter foolishness! By tossing out God from your life, you toss out the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Hm-m, no guns needed against those!

Instead, without God, you are left only with the broken nature and the deeds of the flesh, which are (Galatians 5: 19-21) immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, and outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and things like these. Yikes, because I live in a society flooded with the latter instead of the former…I think I’ll keep my guns! Remember, gun control cannot end sin, only Jesus Christ in you can do that for you. Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

This is a crazy, competitive world we live in today. So many people want to do better, be better, look better, have better than anyone else. They want to be “remembered” for all their accomplishments in life. That, in itself, is not a “bad” thing if you have the correct perspective and goals.

Here’s a great philosophy someone had that has been circulating around the Internet for a very long time. You don’t need to actually answer the questions, just ponder on them. Read straight through all the questions and you will get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
   
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
   
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
   
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
   
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
   
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one.

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
   
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
   
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
   
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
   

Easier? The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most. Share this with those people who have either made a difference in your life, or whom you keep close in your heart. Two great quotes – “Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!” and “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken!” Endure the fire…it's producing pure gold!

“Come here, come here…go away, go away.” Are you like that with God? When everything is falling apart, you call out for Him to be near. But when you have to buckle down and meet His standards, you don’t want Him watching you disobey and you tell Him to go away.

Sorry, pal, either way you go, He won’t leave you alone. That’s not a curse; that’s a blessing beyond measure! He loves you and will never leave you.

But seriously, folks, we all need to “tough it up”. Let God be the Teacher when we think we know it all; let Him be the Master when we start to think we are; and let Him be Lord when we think we can do things better than He would. Just humble it down a few notches and let God be God…He’s just so very good at it! Endure the fire…it's producing pure gold!

Are you using the right weapons to fight in a spiritual warfare? The news is inundated with stories of the physical weapons of war and of bad people doing bad things individually or en masse with other weapons.

But how do you fight evil? A gun can’t blow a hole through factions, dissentions, impurity, bribery, lies and corruption! You can blow a hole through the people who practice such things, but that only stops the evil person…not the evil. Only the power of God through prayer can do that.

We must remember there is nothing stronger than the shield of prayer. It may be invisible but never doubt that it is invincible. That doesn’t mean that any of us get a free ride; it just means there is power when all else is powerless.

An excellent example is from the Cold War days. Senator Sam Nunn famously said that the Cold War had ended not in a nuclear inferno, but in a blaze of candles in the churches of Eastern Europe. The many candlelight processions of praying people in East Germany never made the front pages of our newspapers, but the end result of their prayers surely did…the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. All of the East German police and soldiers were powerless as the Wall fell without a shot being fired!

Use the right weapon in order to win the fight and never underestimate the power of prayer! Endure the fire…it's producing pure gold!

So many people are struggling with a sense of worthlessness. Bad or absent parenting, abusive relationships, misunderstandings in communications, the list of causes is endless. But you don’t need to struggle anymore – really!

It’s not just some cutesy Christian blah-blah-blah; it’s true…God has boundless, unconditional love for you. And you don’t have to earn it in order to receive it! What a novel idea!

Wow, so many of us who struggle with the need to be valued can enter His rest now. We don’t have to try harder and harder to feel good enough to be loved by God…He loves us just as we are. The only caveat here is that He doesn’t want us to stay that way. If you let Him, He will take you and change you, pouring out His love upon you all along the way.

Take a moment, face to face, eye to eye so to speak, with Jesus. He will speak to your heart and let you know you have nothing to fear because He holds no condemnation toward you. He actually delights in you and wants to shower you with His favor.

All it takes is your permission for Him to enter into your life. He will not force Himself on you; that would be spiritual rape. Ask Him to come into your heart. He will give you new for old, jewels for junk and eternal life instead of death. Go for it!

Don’t believe me, read Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

The New Year…will it be the “New You,” also? In Psalm 89:15, God says, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.”

Moreover, in Romans 12:1-2 (NIV), the term “new you” doesn’t mean the re-doing of the old you…nope, nada, no way! It takes a renewing of your mind. That means re-“new”-ing. No makeover here, but rather a “new” mind to make a “new” you. You can do it—in Christ!

Happy New Year, and may God’s richest blessings be yours. Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!