“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to hi glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:9-14.

This is my prayer for so many friends and family who seem to not know how much God wants to break in to their lives and rearrange a few things. Our God is in the resurrection business, it’s what he does. He works on us, He breaks us down in order to build us up. It takes a great amount of strength to surrender to the Truth. The great thing about the truth from Colossians is that all the strength, the rescuing, the knowledge, power, and glorious might come from God. Not us, we need his help. This cannot come from a God who is mad at us. Only from a God who’s nature is loving. That is worth acknowledging. It doesn’t mean you are in a pew Sunday and Wednesday but more that you recognize Christ in everything you do. Remain in Christ. That’s the charge. First of all you have to be “In Christ” you have to put trust and faith in Christ alone as the source of your salvation. Jesus is THE way, not A way. It’s a choice. Salvation is not walking an aisle, or getting baptized, it’s believing that you are saved because Jesus took your spot on the cross. Believing that determines you eternity. The redemption, the buying back of our souls, has already been done, you have already been redeemed, what separates us is our unbelief. What holds us back? Fill in the blank ________________. With so many circumstances, I admit, sometimes it’s hard to believe that God is on your side. But these words confirm what we in our humanness doubt.

We have redemption, believe, and give thanks. So my friend, (if you are reading this you are my friend, even if we haven’t been introduced). What do you believe and confess, what is your hope in? What is your faith in? Place it in Christ and leave it there. This is not religion, don’t fall into that trap. This is relationship. This is the most amazing story of grace and love, and it is intended for every single person. For this reason, I will pray for you. That you will come to believe in the truth. I love evangelism: it’s one beggar showing another beggar where the bread is. Jesus once referred to himself as bread.