My greatest fear is that I would be found to be a fraud and then become a pariah— a man faking his faith, with no love, no knowledge of God, and no integrity. Becoming an outcast and a pariah. This is deeply rooted in me, and it steals my joy and my peace. It harkens back to a time in my life when I was a fraud, a fool, and a pariah. The memories still haunt me.
The world and Satan would love to freeze frame us and lock us into a self image based on our worst moments and our darkest days.
Our Father in Heaven and those who truly love us are rooting for us to rise up, declare the past dead and gone, and, like Paul the apostle, “strain forward” to what is ahead.
Our past does not define us; our present reality and our future destiny are all that matter.
I would rather have a wretched past and a glorious future than a perfect past and a dubious future.
There are many who have lived a socially acceptable life but have not bent their knees to Jesus, and all of their good works and social acceptance will be burned up on judgement day.
So the only fearful prospect in life is to be found “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” by Jesus—his verdict on all those who rely on their own resources and refuse to come to him for their life.
When we give our lives to Jesus, he becomes our “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption”—our everything.
How do we know if we have made this essential transaction with Jesus? How do we know if we have made him our life?
I suppose that it is in the quiet moments, when our hearts and our minds drift toward their default settings, that we discover who we really are. When we get off work, turn off the tv, and just rest. Then, where do we run for refuge; what do we delight in; what gives us peace and joy?
I hope that it is our forgiveness and our great inheritance that both flow from our reliance on the precious price of blood that Our Savior paid for us 2,000 years ago. It is a heritage and an inheritance that will stand the test of time and withstand the onslaught of trials and troubles. It is durable and dependable—the rock on which we stand!
~ Brad Heilhecker
In Christ we all have a Bright Future Ahead!
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