Are You Alive or Dead?

by Aleta Kay

         Our society has a fascination (and not a healthy one, in my opinion) with evil. We like to watch vampire movies, Halloween movies, ghost stories, macabre stories. Why we would rather see evil than good is beyond my understanding.

          Ephesians 2:1, “And you hath he quickened (made alive) who were dead in trespasses and sins…” We are spiritually dead without God working in and through our lives. When we repent (turn away from our sins, and turn toward God, asking for his righteousness to work in us) then we are made alive in Christ. As we then go to church, get involved in Bible study and prayer, we grow in the knowledge of God, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost). We then learn to love him more and we learn to live by his standards and his rules.

          God promised his children an abundant life. This does not mean that we accumulate wealth and possessions. It means an abundance of joy.

          I know someone who is a Christian but it seems every time they start to get ahead a little something comes along and destroys what he has. “Satan roameth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” You may feel that the harder you try the worse things get. I’ll be honest. Sometimes I feel that way, too, but then I remember that all I deserve is hell and I certainly have better than that.

          The other thing I do is keep my Bible by my desk at work. I keep it open at Philippians 4:4-8 to remind myself to give my troubles to God. I can’t handle them but He can. My God is awesome and He loves me. He wants to fight my battles. My favorite verse in the Bible is Romans 8:28—“And we know that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose.”

          Job (pronounced with a long o) lost everything he had in one day: his house, his children, his crops, and his cattle. Then he got sick and was covered head to toe with boils. Then his three friends came and accused him of having some secret sin in his life and telling him he needed to confess and get right with God. The fact is, according to scripture, Job had done nothing wrong. God wasn’t mad at him. God was showing off Job’s character to Satan. And Job passed with flying colors. Did he question God? Yes, he did. But in the end, he realized God had the right to do whatever he chose. We are merely God’s creation. He is the creator and can do anything he wants to. But when we learn to praise him even in the midst of trials and tribulations, that’s when he smiles down on us and pours out a blessing.

          Think about it: the world (unsaved people) are watching you, hoping you will despair and give up when things go wrong. That’s what they would do. If your faith is no stronger than theirs they have no reason to trust God. But if they see you praising and thanking God, trusting him, in spite of the struggles, that’s when the world begins to think maybe God could help them too. The Bible calls that bringing or giving glory to God. Sometimes I have to ask God to help me trust him when things seem to be falling apart, or when Satan seems to be ganging up on me. Every time I ask God for help I get it. He’ll do the same for you.