What can I do?

Dear friends,

it’s hard being a Christian and striving to be more like JESUS every day, isn’t it?

Do you ever get tired or weary and wish that things could be a little easier?

I believe we all do.

I believe even OUR LORD did when HE was here, why else would HE have asked THE FATHER if this cup that HE was supposed to drink could be taken from HIM?

When JESUS came to this world, HE changed it in a way and at the same time, HE did not.
Because there is still evil, suffering, sickness, injustice and malice in the world.

And not only did they wear HIM down and make HIM sad or alarmed when HE was here, they do the same with us.
There are sooooo many opposing forces and people and circumstances which make life as a Christian really hard every day.

I am not here to murmur or discourage you –  on the contrary!

What I found is that sometimes, it can be good to look at what we CAN do instead of what we can’t –  and look at the things we DID achieve instead of looking at all the mountains before us in all areas of our lives…

Because in the end, it is not by OUR strength that we can overcome all the obstacles and defeat all those (or the spirit in them!) that want to see us fall.

So why not join me and take a moment to go through what I found that I can do and perhaps have done already for CHRIST, perhaps you can be inspired and also find the same or even more things that you actually CAN do for HIM and with HIM?

1. Pray

Dear friends, prayer is a privilege and a weapon and a sort of “magic”(even though we shouldn’t call it that, but for illustrations’ sake I am calling it that once here.
It is something only we have.
Something that makes us victorious, something that makes us chosen ones who have the ability and the permission to talk to GOD.
Nobody can deny the power and the effects of prayer!
Every single one of us has had numerous prayers answered in their lives, there is absolutely no exception whatsoever.
We may all have prayers that haven’t been answered (yet) or where the answer did not please us, but no Christian can ever live their life without at least SOME of their prayers being answered by GOD.
That is something we can do –  pray.
Other people, pagans or atheists for example, they can’t do that –  or they may do something else or something similar, but that’s all it is –  similar, not the same, not effective, not holy, not healing, not sanctifying…
They can meditate for instance – and I don’t mean Christian meditation on the WORD, I mean eastern mysticism, the meditations that are meant to empty and numb your mind and change your brain – and they can publish millions of studies about the effects of this meditation, it is still not going to help them, still not going to heal them and no matter how much how many so called scientists write about it, the one and only effect this kind of meditation will ever have is that it will let demons enter the person that does it… nothing else.
Not so prayer.
Prayer is a sacrifice in itself and it pleases GOD when we pray.
And HE hears our prayers – and HE answers them, too – even if the answer is not always what we would like it to be.
Prayer is an outcome and a proof of a relationship we have with HIM, is something we can ALWAYS do – other than other people, we, the children of THE MOST HIGH, we always have a direct line where we can speak to GOD, to the RULER OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
And HE will always speak to us, yes, us, you, my friend, you, Sharon, you, Phyllis, yes, and you, auntie Rose, uncle Richard, yes you, brother Nathaniel… to US, normal, everyday people – every day!
We don’t need to be initiated by guru shambolicaratshi into the 7th level before we can do it, no need of any course or membership or purchase of any DVD’s… we can just speak to GOD whenever we want to and need to.
Because HE is OUR FATHER.
Not the father of the New Agers, not the father of the moslems or hindus, or buddists or witches or satanists, no, OUR FATHER.
And HE will speak to us and we can speak to HIM.

2. We can find wisdom in the book

There is a book, which is not without reason the most sold and read book in the world: the bible.
This book is actually the only book we ever need to read.
This book contains all we ever need to know and to learn.
And we can read it, study it, seek answers in it.
Something amazing happens when we read this book:
GOD will speak to us, HE will instruct us, guide us, and HIS power will even enter us and heal us and encourage us whenever we read HIS WORD
That is something we can always do, however small we feel, however sad we are, we can go to the book and every time, something good will happen, we will learn something, we will be comforted, we will be edified, taught something.
We can always read the bible.

3. We can live for HIM and be an example or perhaps an inspiration

Yes, living a holy, CHRIST-like life is not easy.
It will mean that others will find us weird or even too extreme, even our Christian brothers and sisters will challenge our lifestyle a lot, in fact, that may even be the hardest part.
Me myself, I went to so many churches.
Most recently, I joined a small group and there, in the home of the group leader, in their living room, the biggest thing was the TV and after we had our group session, we were talking about TV-shows, netflix, series, movies… I was very quiet and when he asked me if I watched TV or netflix, I only said that I don’t believe it is good for us.
The next time we met, they didn’t talk about it so much… but I could tell that everyone was uncomfortable… the next time we met, we watched football… and then, I was the one who was uncomfortable again…
I have not had a TV for many years, did a lot of research about how the mass media is trying to manipulate mankind and our brains, and nowadays, I have come to a point where being in a room with a large TV on makes me physically uncomfortable, even seeing too many ads in the tube does, I can literally feel the demons jumping out of them or trying to draw people into there…
Consider me crazy, I don’t care, I am used to it.
But I am only doing what THE HOLY SPIRIT taught me to do –  stay away from the wiles and from the devices of the devil as much as I can.
Yes, I am aware that computers and phones are evil as well.
And perhaps I will find a lifestyle where I can avoid them.
I do avoid social media other than wordpress… and I am only here, because you can be very selective of what you and what you do not read.
As the topic of this post, I do what I can to stay in GOD’s kingdom and out of the kingdom of the other one, which leads to the next thing we can do:

4. We can fight HIS enemy

And fighting the devil, not only that, but also opening people’s eyes as much as we can.
In our conversations with the world mainly… for instance, when I speak to “my guys”, the prisoners whom I work with every day, when they are speaking about their alcohol or substance misusing habits (most of them have at least one addiction and many of them even go in and out of prison because they have to commit crimes to fund their habits), when they open up to me and tell me how they came to do it, we often get to a point when they allow me to point out to them that their addiction is a demon, a beast which is eating them up and which comes from the devil –  none of them ever disagreed with me when I said something like that. When we talk about these things, the complete atmosphere changes and me, I know that JESUS, THE HOLY SPIRIT is right there in these conversations in these moments… and more often than not, I can recommend GOD to them – many of them even had encounters with HIM during their lives and most of them know that it is HIM they need now and that HE is the only one who can help them.
This is just an example, but I believe the more we remember HIM in our own daily lives and the more we are determined to share HIS love, the more opportunities will arise to do just that.
And I am trying more and more and the best I can to lead every conversation I have with anyone to the only thing and topic and person I am truly interested in: JESUS CHRIST.
That’s one thing all of us can do.

5. We can choose to take the abuse, the humiliations, the criticism, the ridicule and the backbiting for HIM, for what we are in HIM and for HIM

In my workplace, I’ve mentioned it before, there are many people who live in the world and I am assuming that I am not the only one who is in a similar work environment.
On Mondays, there is often an extensive conversation about everyone’s weekend activities going on and many people like to share in great detail how worldly and lustful and sinful their weekend was.
Me, I am very quiet during these conversations and if I can, I do by all means leave the room, because details about other people’s sex lives is the absolute least thing I am interested in hearing.
My colleagues do not like this about me at all.
Some of them get it, but most of them find me stuffy and uptight to say the least.
But what can I do?
I can be loyal to MY BELOVED and not engage in lustful conversations or in supporting fornication and drunkenness by listening and cheering them on.
That’s what I can do and I am happy to take the looks and happy about them rolling their eyes about me.

6. We can be “safe persons to go to” for as many people as possible –  at work, in our private lives, for our neighbors, our unsaved family members

What if you needed someone to tell you the truth, someone you can trust, someone who will give you some godly advice –  who would you go to?
Most likely to a brother or a sister in Christ, perhaps to your pastor or your spouse, but most definitely to a Christian, am I right?
Well, even the people who are not saved can tell that we have something, peace, wisdom, a great love for others even when they have fallen – the love JESUS demonstrated when HE was here in human form – and people do notice that they can benefit from the spirit that is within us –  and they come to us for wise advice, for comfort and for safety when they are shaken. They come to us when they know that the persons they normally go to when they are sinning and partying and shouting and “out there” will not have what they need, will not be able to give what we can: the PEACE OF CHRIST.
And we can freely give what we have freely received.

7. We can believe and have faith

This is not the way the world will be forever.
And we know it.
The bible even tells us that the end times must come before OUR LORD will come back.
Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves that everything and everyone is in HIS hands and that all that “they” are doing to us and to the rest of the world will come to an end.

We may not be able to change the world immediately and as much as we would like to, but we can make an impact on as many people as we can – on one soul at a time!

Please be encouraged and let us encourage ourselves, there is always something we as individuals can do!

If you have any more ideas, please comment below, so that we can all be encouraged.

I hope and pray that this will inspire, bless and heal you. And that THE LORD will bless you abundantly in all areas of your life, that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you peace. In JESUS’ name I pray. AMEN.