Helplessness or Hopefulness?
Keys to Unlocking the Door to the Kingdom of God
God won't bless your life simply for making some sort of effort to effect change in your life IF you have the wrong key. You have to have the right key!
I bless you for making this effort to receive help; but I want to make sure you have the proper key to move from feeling hopeless to receiving help from the Lord.
If you are a born again Christian, let me ask you, “Do you know without a doubt that you are really living in God's Kingdom?” Because if you have doubts or feel hopeless that things could ever change for the better (and they really need to, and quickly), maybe you need the key I have for you.
Though you love God, you may possibly yet be caught up in the world's system in one way or another. When it comes to practical things of daily living, do you give too much emphasis upon the solutions that come from the natural way of thinking, or do you seek the Lord for what to do, how to cope, or even how to pray?
Ask Yourself: How Do I Respond? ...
Here is the key that I found has enabled permanent change to take place in my life and others. It is found in the biblical book of Romans.
Friend, you have to read, know, and obey the principles found in Romans 12:1 - 2. There are four parts to this key:
FIRST: Be not conformed to the world's system
SECOND: Be transformed - changed by God's power
THIRD: Renew your mind (we'll discuss this more in a minute), then
LASTLY: Test and prove to yourself what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will for your life.
Are You Praying for a Miracle Transformation? ...
God's system is exactly opposite of the world's. In order for a transformation of our lives to take place:
· From sadness to joy
· From bitterness to sweetness
· From anger to agreeability
· From frustration to faith.
How Can It Take Place: It's ...
· Not through control, but by submitting to the Lord
· Not by living to be served, but by serving others
· Not through striving and self-effort, but by resting and trusting
· Not in being “a taker” but by being “a giver”
· Not by your willpower or self-discipline, but by Faith
· Receive God's ability today. Trust Him to do this in your life.
I am sure you can see that it will definitely take a miracle! Don't you agree?
God is the ONLY ONE Who can change us like this. Maybe you didn't know such a radical transformation was even possible. Or maybe you never considered how far your life was from living FREE and BLESSED.
Don't keep attempting to change in your own strength using human methods or anti-depressants, for example. That only treats symptoms, not the root causes of sadness and misery.
The KEY is to submit to God. Tell Him your situation. Ask Him what He has to say - what His Word has to say. Ask Him what your course of action should be. And receive His offer to wipe the slate clean and bring positive change - genuine HOPE of a BRAND NEW LIFE in Christ! Allow Him to change you, and He will!
Getting From Where We Are to Where We Want to Be ...
So, now you have the key, and you are ready to put it into the lock of your heart and open the door to the transformation. What happens next? In Revelation 3:20, Jesus encourages you today:
“Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me” (GNT).
It is up to you. Turn the key. Open the door to your heart. Jesus is waiting. Don't leave Him outside. Don't refuse Him when He knocks. His promise is to come in to your life with all His goodness, His righteousness, His peace. He will drive out the enemy and bring new life. He will set up shop within your being. You will notice the change; I guarantee it!
Yes, it is a step of faith and a big one. But remember, you are hoping for and desiring change because you feel hopeless. You have not known what the answer is. You have tried to change and discovered it doesn't work for you. But we just shared with you the biblical key to this transformation. Now it's your turn to act!
Hebrews 11:1 reads: “Now faith IS the substance of the things we HOPE FOR, the evidence of what we believe.”
Use your faith. For the Word says that God gives to every person a measure of faith: (Romans 12:3 and 1 Corinthians 12:9).
We ALL need a heart change. As you turn the key, you will receive this change of heart.
Proverbs 23:7 reads, “For as a person thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV).
Hebrews 4:12-13 says, “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what” ~~ (THE MESSAGE).
God's Word is able to do the work that is needed. . . All the issues of your life are changed by getting a new belief system.
Use This Key Today! ...
Unlock the door by renewing your mind ... it's like renovating your home. Start by removing all the things that you no longer want to be there, then fill the space with the new.
“Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence” ~~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 (GW).
Suddenly ALL things will become new! This means you will have the mind of Christ, joy, and peace in your emotions, and positivity in your imaginations. From now on you will naturally think on GOOD things. You will imagine a HOPEFUL SCENARIO and imagine a BRIGHT FUTURE. And when the enemy comes with his lies, saying “Nothing has changed” or “You aren't any better”, you will recognize them for what they are - JUST LIES, and you will resist them.
Where Is This Found in the Bible? ...
“'I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope'” ~~ Jeremiah 29:11 (GW).
“So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you” ~~ James 4:7 (GW).
“...the Devil ... is a liar and the father of all lies” ~~ John 8:44 (GNT).
Rise above the present image you have in your heart of yourself. Be filled with HOPEFULNESS of a bright future because of what God wants to do in your life for your good!
Let's Pray ...
Dear God, thank You for revealing Yourself to me today. I now receive this key and choose to use it to open the door of my heart. Come in! Fill me with Yourself, Your Love and all your attributes. Forgive me for my sin. Change me from hopelessness to hopefulness as I now use my faith to invite You in. These things I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen!
Scripture Passages for Further Study ...
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”~~ Hebrews 11:1.
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” ~~ Proverbs 23:7.
“Let us then be eager to know this rest for ourselves, and let us beware that no one misses it through falling into the same kind of unbelief as those we have mentioned. For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a person’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of the heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do” ~~ Hebrews 4:11-13 (J B Phillips).
“Then He said to them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'” ~~ Matthew 18:3 (GW).
~Elizabeth Bowman