July, 2015

When we give or surrender our hearts to God, He starts to work in us, like a seed planted and taking roots to start growing a new plant. As a lady said on Religious Hard Talk, many people go after the hand of God and not His heart, meaning, we look for him to give us things or fix things and when we don’t get it we may turn away. Our aim should be to know and love God so that even if He doesn’t give us what we want or change our circumstance right away that we are still loyal to Him.

When Jesus got baptised and prepared to go on the path God had set for Him, God tested him as a part of His preparation. During his testing Satan also tempted him to turn away from God. He was hungry and his body being pushed beyond the limits of what it could bare, but he held on and trusted his heavenly Father to take care of Him and He eventually sent an angel to tend to his need. So it is when we claim we are giving our hearts to God, He will test us to see where our faith lies. So despite our circumstances no matter how hard, will we turn from Him or will we trust in Him? Will we turn back to the bad or spiritually unhealthy things we promised to give up?

I have been a Christian for years and I still struggle. There may be a particular habit we have been trying to give up, but with no success. Sometimes we may feel it is pointless after so many tries, but I keep trying because things that are deeply rooted don’t always change overnight. As you keep trying you will find that you will do a little better or hold out a little longer than the last time and this means progress and eventually you will be able to stop completely or rather, be in better control.

We have to spend time with God if we are to know Him and please Him. If we are for God or represent Him then what we say and do must reflect Him so others can see and follow. We can’t claim to love God and be comfortable doing things contrary to what He expects of us, and we can’t claim to trust him when we give up when things are not happening as we want or as quick as we want. He has His reasons for putting us through rough stuff, whether to teach us, strengthen us or otherwise.

When we give our lives to God He is now going to renew and transform our minds and hearts. Our mind-sets or personalities often determines the length of this process, because there might be things we don’t want to let go of for whatever reason or it might be that we are impatient, whatever the case. I find that the more willing you are and the more faith you have the easier the transition.

When we spend time reading the bible, communing with others, and praying to God, we open doors enabling us to know Him more. You will find that certain bad habits and behaviours that use to entice you don’t anymore or may start to make you feel uncomfortable. You may find that friends that were used to you a certain way may pull away, mock you or try to pull you back when they see the changes, or if they respect you, you may find that they too want to change.

Once we come to know God, and even just to know ourselves and where we stand, we won’t be bothered by what other people say and think of us. Our path becomes clearer and we fear or worry less as we trust that God loves us and is working in our best interest, even if the medicine is bitter. We become more humble, forgiving and caring towards others as God expects of us, even to those who don’t deserve it.

As we go forward in life, I challenge you to trust God more and to spend more time with Him. I challenge you to forgive others AND YOURSELF for the disappointments and heartache incurred to this point. Don’t be afraid to pursue your goals…make the step of faith and leave the rest to God. You may not be able to see all the way to the end but He can, so have faith and take the steps you can until you reach. God doesn’t want you to give up. When it doesn’t make sense, cry out to God, when it is frustrating, when you can’t move, when you want to die, when you can’t take it anymore, when it hurts too much, cry out to God.

-Tajhia Campbell