Coming to Christ to Turn Away


 Coming to Christ to Turn Away

Many people come to Christ only to turn away the minute their life doesn’t seem to be blessed.  They turn because their teacher does not tell them the whole truth and set proper expectations of the Christian life.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered pain, betrayal, persecution, and even death during his time on earth.  Are we better or more important than our Christ?  Are we more privileged than our Christ?  Absolutely not!  As Christians and believers who profess to love Jesus Christ, we must be willing to suffer as Christ suffered for us and understand that we too will suffer in this life.  Jesus himself told his followers to count the costs.

  • Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  Matthew 19:21

Jesus did not die on the cross to promise us a pain-free and trouble-free life; he died on the cross to save us from the sin that overtakes us.  But he does promise that we will never have to suffer alone.  He promises never to leave us or forsake us.  He promises to uphold us with His righteous right hand, giving us the supernatural strength, courage, and wisdom we need to persevere with a peace that surpasses all understanding.

God’s blessings are never received instantaneously.  It requires work on our part to nurture a relationship with and learn the character of Christ.  During this time, he lovingly and gently shows us the truth about our character and transforms us to be more like him.   During this time, he is preparing us to be warriors against Satan.  Without His training, molding, and faith-building exercises, we will surely crumbly in the face of Satan’s evil schemes.

No gift from Christ is received the moment we are saved.  We have to be intentional about our relationship with Christ by continually seeking, praying, and reading God’s word daily.  In the act of seeking, God will lead you or put someone in your path to teach the truths, answer questions, or bless you. 

A person must learn to put God first in everything.  A person must learn to 100% yield to God and His teachings without justifying ungodly decisions.  Every person is responsible for their thoughts, actions, and response to others.  What we believe is a choice.  What we feel is a choice.  How we respond to others is a choice.  We must acknowledge our weaknesses and sin and take our emotions and thoughts captive.  Because of our human condition, we cannot transform our character without God’s help.  When we do not seek God’s help, we allow Satan to deceive us and control us without our knowledge. 

Satan does not announce his presence and intentions; instead, he disguises himself.  Satan’s goal is to divide and conquer because even he knows where there are two or more, he can be more easily defeated.  Satan will devour us in our own strength and knowledge, and our negativity fuels Satan and strengthens him.  Satan will devour anyone who does not seek God and humble themself before him by acknowledging their weakness.

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