A life pleasing to God

A life that is pleasing to God. Boy did I ever struggle with this. It is my belief that many Christians also struggle with this. In a world filled with temptation and pressure to fit in, the Christian life is exceedingly difficult. It has the potential to leave you all alone in a world that hates you. There are not a lot of people that are willing to take on such a burden. I found myself chasing after the world, and for a little while it worked to a degree, then one day it all ended. Let's take a look at what happened.

I was saved at the age of 14 and was on fire for God. I can now vaguely remember telling people about how to get saved. I told my Grandma (who was a Catholic), about the Gospel, I

remember being worried about her. I think I told my dad too. This passion for the Lord faded as soon as it began. I found myself entering High School and into a life of drugs and alcohol. Everyone was doing it and I wanted to be cool like they were. It wasn't a perfect situation, but things were going ok. My friends liked me, I could function normally in society, and most of all I had hope for my life. I was a young idealist. Why not, things seemed to work out for everyone else. Unfortunately I was not Everyone else. I have a strong belief that none of the people around me were saved. I don't want to come off as high and mighty, but they all had this natural wickedness. It was reckless and disobedient. There was a part of me, probably the Holy Spirit, that wanted everyone to be good boys and girls. Maybe I wanted them to be living Godly lives and didn't like being surrounded by filth and sin, meanwhile I was doing the exact same thing. Well, after a while things started going bad. I was getting arrested and my friends began to turn on me. I lost my old group of friends and felt miserable and lonely. Did I turn back to God? NO! Instead I got lucky and found new more cool friends. I was apprehensive at first, but I felt assured that I was welcome. This was a mistake. I would hang out with these guys for the next year, and become quite close. All we ever did was do drugs, mainly smoking weed. I was flying high and felt like life was going to be awesome. One night while partying in my room with my new best buddy I got phone call. It was the voice of my dead father laughing and saying "what are you doing". It was probably a demon. This freaked me out, but did not deter me. Little did I know that this was just a warning of what was to come. The drugs got harder and there was no end in sight. About 5 months after that phone call, I was back in my room again smoking weed with that same "friend", and my life would be changed forever. What happened I won't get into, it is hard to believe and understand. After that everyone I knew turned against me. I lost all the respect I had, and any hope for a bright future. I was surrounded by hostile enemies every where I turned. I felt this heavy oppressive energy weighing me down. It was the worst I ever felt. I did eventually stop smoking weed, but dove head first into alcohol. Alcoholism would plague my life for the next 20 years. All the time living this oppressive humiliating existence, surrounded by violent men, with no friends, and no end in sight. I honestly did not know what was happening to me or how to make it stop. I wanted to kill myself, there was no point to living in pure suffering and agony. I was going to end it all in May 2020, but God had different plans. He started moving in my life. I started thinking about my eternity and where I would end up. I started seeking the Lord and was convicted of my sins. The first to go was alcohol, then pornography. I have a long list of sins I am still working on, and I believe that God will set me free from them. I finally found answers in Christ and understand why I went through such horrors. I have hope for the first time since 1999.

God wants us to live a life separate from the world. This can be very painful, if you hold on to world to tight. What he wants for us, is to live like Christ. We must first reject the world and its sinful ways. Then begin studying the word of God. This develops what the Bible calls: the peaceable fruit of righteousness. I believe that the more you fill up your time with God the sooner he will begin to bless you. Another thing is prayer. God wants us to bring our problems to him, so he can solve them. Bring all the issues you are facing in your life to God. He wants to answer your prayers. James chapter 4:2 says

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to talk to him every day. Blessings don't always come right away. I have been working on obedience to God since June and I still have sin problems. My mind is still plagued and tortured by my past. I will just have to wait on God for healing. I know that things will get better, because I have many more goods days now. In time I believe God will fully restore me. I am diligent in prayer in the mean time. God also wants us to be productive, and have a clean life style. Wake up early, shave, dress nice, do a good job, be polite, don't argue, don't be lazy, don't swear. Present yourself in a godly manner. Ask God how he would like you to live your life. What needs to change to be pleasing to him. God wants us listening to preachers to learn more about him. Find good grace based preachers that teach salvation by Christs shed blood. Preachers are trained and schooled in the word of God. They will guide you through the bible and it will come alive. You will understand what it is saying as this happens. Your relationship with God will grow. Once you have an understanding of the Bible and salvation, start talking to people about salvation and getting to heaven. God needs soul winners. Fellowship with other Christians is also important. When God thinks your ready he will bring the right people into your life.

He does not want us alone here. He understands that we need people just like he does. He just wants us to have the right people. When you surrender your life to Christ, God will give you the best he has. All you have to do is be patient and wait on the Lord.

I hope you found this helpful. I will leave you with the Gospel.

I Corinthians 15

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: