I wonder why often we must get beat up emotionally, mentally and sometimes physically in order for God to get our attention focused on Him instead of the ways of the enemy. He doesn’t do it to us, we do it to ourselves, making the same mistakes over and over again and wondering why things are not working out.
The answer seems to always point to pride and its manifestations of ego and self indulgence. Why does a drunk, pillhead, drug addict, sex addict, compulsive gambler, overeater or binge shopper continue to do what he does repeatedly with continued destructive results.
The solution invariably is in surrender.
In these days of remote control of warfare by use of drones, missiles, and bombers, we do not often engage with our earthly war enemies. Individuals are not often captured or forced into surrender and submission by their captors. But a kidnapped or rape victim knows the meaning of surrender. At the hands of a captor who may be an emotional outburst away from murder or terror to his victim invites acceptance, surrender, yielding and submission. After all, we do want to live to see another day, do we not? So it is difficult for us to understand, much less practice, the notion of surrender. But surrender by one definition is acceptance and acceptance of the inevitable. In the case of the kidnapping, we are better off complying (surface submission) than fighting a no win battle. So in this case, victim is much better off accepting whatever his kidnapper has planned rather than possibly making things much worse by fighting an unwinnable battle.
Somewhere in the struggle, we find that our own ideas and thinking got us into the mess we might be in and in order to make things better for ourselves, we must make things different. So we look in a direction we have not investigated before and consider making a change. When that inkling of desire is present, we have a window of opportunity.
An angel of God sends a messenger, a radio broadcast, a book, a sermon or a song. If, at that moment we are ready to receive information different from our own point of view, the wheels of change or set in motion. Many are called, it seems, but few answer. It depends on our desire and ability to surrender and yield.
The illustration above paints the picture of a transformed life. How to be a Child of God is that type of messenger for those who might have come to the end of self and seeking to change his life. This is the mission of Prison Evangelism.
David Howell
Prison Evangelism, Inc.
PO Box 571977
Houston, Texas 77257
713-623-0690
www.prisonevangelism.com