I came from a secular humanist family, so when I surrendered to Christ, attending church and reading the Bible was the start of a very long process of mind renewal. I realized I was a new creature but had no idea how to live it other than to try to do so in my own strength. Everywhere, teaching in Christian circles pointed in that direction, and today, most churches still do. It took some years to realize this was not the true gospel.
In self-defense, I read the Bible through a few times and finally attended Bible school, investing much time in prayer and meditation. Eventually I was led to passages like Romans 5-8. There in the recesses of a small dorm room, I received the revelation that I was made righteous the moment He accepted me by faith. I was ecstatic over the understanding that where sin abounds, grace SUPER abounds. Further, Ephesians and Hebrews made it clear that we have access to the very throne of grace! But it was hard to hold onto these wonderful revelations while still being subjected to the legalistic preaching that was all around me everywhere.
On top of this struggle to get my theology straight, I had a lot of worldly wisdom to eject or, at least, reprioritize. Nevertheless, as the decades passed, I came to love the kingdom of God, the many ways God’s Word comforted and brought me peace, not to mention victory. To this day, more than 50 years after being saved, I continue in a lifestyle of 80-100% immersion, whether praying, reading and studying the Bible, or hearing the Word through apps.
Diligent fact-checking of every sermon and every experience by the standard of God’s word – and more specifically the Pauline revelation of grace – along with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, our great Teacher, have brought me from glory to glory and continue to do so. And while I am fed and inspired by several great preachers, shockingly, none have proven to be perfect. As long as they are conduits to a deeper walk with Christ, I continue to listen to them, yet one must always use discernment.
As I’ve delved deeper and deeper into God’s Word, His love is more and more real to me. He’s brought me to greater and greater degrees of goodness and success in this life, and yet it pales in light of His presence and the anticipation of things to come.
Absolutely none of what I have now came by mental strategy. My mind has been a wonderful servant along this path, but I never make it my master. The secular world gives the mind the role of the master because it doesn’t acknowledge the spirit realm. We are spirits, we possess a soul and a body, both of which should be subject to our spirit. Once you realize this, and your spirit is brought alive by belief in and full surrender to Christ, you’ll never go back to letting the mind run things. It would be like being licensed to drive a car but using a tricycle to get around, instead.
This is not a stance that sits well with the academic institutions where I once studied.
God made us in His image and also continually provides support and counsel, but in a society such as ours, and, frankly, for most of human history, this truth has been obfuscated! The great lies are that there is no living God or if there is, he is not involved in every aspect of the affairs of men. The almost-ridiculous meme is that if there is a God at all, He takes a hands-off approach to His creation. As His kids, we are expected to figure it out for ourselves. He wrote a book. We are supposed to read it and extrapolate from there.
Even the founders of the Constitution understood that left to ourselves, corruption would set in. Checks and balances were established to prevent gross misuse of power, though they have proven inadequate and should be updated. Term limits would be a great start. However, I digress. The ignorance of a present and loving God who will help in any situation, who can even offer marvelous ideas, power and assistance for our earthly success – in relationships, health, career – has robbed us of our contentment.
Thankfully, many believers know they have eternal life. They may stubbornly reject that God can do anything for them in other ways, obstinately insisting on living with illness, defeat, loss, confusion and strife, but they have what matters most, eternity. And if you believe that illness might be sent by God to teach you something, you are incorrect. I am not judging you. Like you, I had to get my theology straight.
Still, in the event that you as a reader are interested, let’s consider just one aspect of Jesus, his title as Prince of Peace. As the Prince of Shalom, Jesus gives us all-encompassing wholeness, health, provision, joy and peace by His death and resurrection. This title points to the truth that Jesus’ finished work on the cross is the power to restore everything our Father gave us in the Garden.
He said as much in many ways. “I have come that they may have life and have it more and more abundantly.” “I will give you streams of living water springing up to everlasting life.” “I am the light of the world.” the list of these statements of His is long. In fact, this principle is asserted so many times in the Old and New Testaments that it is one of the constants of Bible truth. Living in victory, for ourselves and our family, should be a bedrock of every Christian’s faith.
So why isn’t it? How has secular humanism managed to wrap its deceptive tendrils around our culture, even the believer’s psyche?
The fact that all the blessings of heaven come preternaturally and only in Jesus probably present the main stumbling block. After all, though believers may understand that Jesus is still alive, they know he’s seated at the Father’s throne someplace very very far away. And yet, wait, the Bible also says that He is within us. That sounds pretty intimately present to me.
I could go on with many other examples of why God in Christ wants to live very intimately in our lives. Just think of the way Jesus explained, I am the vine, you are the branches. And yet, I know only too well how easy it is to be conditioned by the enemy’s propaganda, to be blind and unable to see what is real. To this day, there is a tiny corner of my heart where the seeds of skepticism will sometimes sprout, in the name of sophistication, or some old shame, or common sense. I will say it has gotten very easy to counteract them and pluck them out by the roots. Especially as the track record of living His way racks up victory after victory. Not that there hasn’t been fierce opposition or setbacks. But greater has He proven to be, every time.
When you think about how a supernatural transfer of your sin onto Jesus was exactly how your salvation was accomplished, is it any more of a leap to believe that healing comes the same way, by His stripes, as Isaiah asserts? Or how about that the chastisement for your peace, your very mental health, was upon him? Is it any more difficult to stand firmly on the truth that the Lord is like a shepherd who leads you to a place where you lack for nothing if you will listen to His voice?
I realize we are all in different stages with our ability to use our faith. To those who may still be questioning, who haven’t completely shut down the possibility that God’s love is as good and powerful as any love can possibly be, I ask you to ask yourself what’s really stopping you from stepping out in faith and trusting His word? Have you perhaps allowed the world or some wearisome opposition to persuade you that God can’t or won’t do what is needed or even desirable for you and your family? I urge to you reconsider. Despite the opposition, God does what He says, and it’s all in the one Book He wrote. A good life is accessible to those who learn how to use it, His way.
Peace out
Author Danyelle Read 