You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
of the weight that Jesus had to bear not just for me, but for the<br />
entire world.<br />
When He gave the sacrifice, He gave us one command – to love<br />
one another the way He loved us. At this point, I started to<br />
understand what this meant. I discovered that we have one<br />
enemy – Satan – whose only mission is to steal, kill and destroy.<br />
I could now stand in that gap, not thinking carnally, but in the<br />
spirit. I understood the persecution that Jesus endured, how<br />
they hated and plotted against Him even when He was innocent.<br />
I was reminded of the scripture that says, “If the world hates<br />
you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). I was<br />
encouraged, knowing that nothing happens without a reason. I<br />
continued to share hope with everyone, assuring them of God’s<br />
goodness, no matter what their situation was. That is when I<br />
searched my inner man and found that our thoughts determine<br />
what happens to us. Thoughts can eventually get us behind bars,<br />
get us released or even get us killed. I discovered that my<br />
thoughts had got me into this spiritual prison I had been in.<br />
Romans 8:6 states that a carnal heart cannot please God. I had<br />
lived with a carnal heart even as a servant of God. I outwardly<br />
appeared righteous, but the inner man is what God looks at (1<br />
Samuel 16:7). We have a choice to make between nurturing what<br />
God wants and what we want. God’s choice is always the best,<br />
but we cannot nurture it if we do not know it. I was glad that<br />
God had given me the privilege of knowing His choice. I made<br />
the choice based on the word of God and the leading of His<br />
Spirit.<br />
As Christians, the fruit we bear on the outside is dependent on<br />
what our inner man is fed on. If we feed the inner man on hatred,<br />
the fruit thereof will be hatred. I decided to do my best to feed<br />
my inner man with good. I realized that that was the making of<br />
a true Christian, one who walks the way God expects him or her<br />
to. My next mission was to tell as many people as possible so<br />
that they could make their own decision based on the word they<br />
hear, just like it is written in Romans 10:17, which says, “So then<br />
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I could<br />
66
Change language