[Lorain County Free-Net Chapel] Rock Bottom! Plain Text By David Wilkerson A popular comedian said recently, "People think I'm happy because I've come into the big time and the money is rolling in. They congratulate me on my new- found wealth and success. But believe me when I say none of that makes me happy. I'm miserable, and I don't know why. I still hit rock bottom; I get depressed more than when I had nothing." A very well-known English actor, after being nominated for an Oscar, confessed to a reporter, "I am in my prime; I can pick and choose my roles. I don't even know how much I'm worth now. I have beautiful women ready at all times to satisfy my womanizing ways. But I am not happy. There is something missing in my life -- and sadly, I don't know what it is. I dream of doing what Marlon Brando did -- move to an isolated island in the middle of the ocean." One of the leading actors in the blockbuster movie "Masada" said at the beginning of the year, "This is my year. I am going to reach my goals." Added to his smash movie was a lucrative TV contract that provided him with millions of dollars. He was engaged to one of the most beautiful women in the world. He built a gorgeous private retreat on a large secluded ranch that included a theater, exotic gardens, and fish streams. Then the bubble burst. "I realized," he said, "that -- in spite of financial security, a beautiful ranch, a gorgeous woman, and fulfilling work -- I was extremely unhappy." He cancelled his marriage plans, admitting, "I was going to marry her, hoping she could make me happy, but it doesn't work that way. I plan, instead, to run away from it all, as soon as possible, and just vagabond around for awhile -- to try and understand what 'happy' really means. Perhaps I'll find myself on some remote island." Recently, while trimming my hair, my barber confessed, "Yesterday I called a few airlines for information on flights to Hawaii. I had this sudden wish to sell everything, walk away from my business and obligations, fly to the warm sunshine of Hawaii, and become a beach bum." Then, with a heavy sigh, he added, "But I couldn't get up the courage. So I'll keep dragging myself to work, and the problems will hang on." A godly minister friend confessed to me recently, "I can't shake off a strange kind of depression that has me in its grip. In times past, I have preached to others that God can fulfill every desire of the soul and body; yet, I don't even know the cause of my emptiness and confusion. I may be spiritually cold, but that, in itself, cannot explain a horrifying kind of restlessness that overwhelms me at times. I know what it means to hit rock bottom, to get really down, to feel lonely and rejected. It is during these times that I understand why some people turn to drugs or alcohol. I even understand why some think of suicide as a way out, because I, too, know what it's like to hate to get out of bed in the morning." A young mother in Harlem has a problem of another kind that brings her down to rock bottom. Every time she opens a cupboard door, roaches scatter in all directions. A single light bulb hangs on a cord directly over her baby's crib. "That's to keep the rats from biting my baby in the middle of the night," she told me. Her child has been bitten twice by rats. She fears being raped every time she goes to the corner grocery store. Her welfare checks and food stamps only keep her and her child from starvation. She has no dreams, no financial security, no social life -- and she worries constantly about what will happen to her child, growing up in the ghetto. "Don't preach religion to me," she said. "What I need is a decent place to live and a safe place for my child to grow up. These people who are rich talk about how miserable they are. They say that money doesn't satisfy. But just give me a chance with their money, and I'll show you what happiness means. Money -- that's all it takes to be happy. These people who've got it keep on getting more -- and they are the ones who tell me that if I had it, I'd be miserable. Just try me! I'll trade places with them any day." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Boredom and Blues I stood in the lobby of a hotel recently, watching singles file one by one into a huge banquet hall. The sign outside the hall read: CREATIVE SINGLES' PARTY. It was a Sunday evening, supposedly the most depressing day for lonely people. What a tragic sight it was. Some were nineteen and twenty years old; others were in their sixties. No one was smiling. They looked as if they had all come from the same funeral. You could sense their emptiness, their loneliness. There was a horrible sense of sadness about it all. Every one of them headed right to the liquor table and filled their glasses with alcohol. And four hours later, they filed out -- even sadder! They walked out the revolving door, as if to say, "Is this all there is to life? What a downer!" I can take you to the steps of many churches today and show you the same depressing sight. They come walking into God's house and hardly anyone is smiling. You can read their faces, and you see written there the same fears, the same loneliness, the same emptiness you see at a singles' party. Multitudes are down, worried, and bored. Stand in front of any school on Monday morning, and watch the kids dragging into their classrooms. Their faces are long; they are half asleep. They look bored, and they seem to resent "having to go" to school. They count the minutes until lunch time. They leave as bored as they came. It's the same thing on the job -- Monday morning blues. Some act as if they were drafted and were being sent to the front lines to face a firing squad. They soak themselves with coffee till noon. Listen to their language, "Oh, man, another long week ahead. I can't wait for Friday." Why are so many down in the pits of despair? Why such spiritual poverty, such widespread depression and feelings of emptiness? In spite of the prosperity and pleasure seeking, this nation, as a whole, is miserable. A sixteen-year-old girl from Dallas, Texas, wrote, "There has to be more to life than what I've experienced. What a bummer. The church is boring. Classes are boring. So you get the fever on weekends and go out cruising and boozing. If you are in the mood, you give and get some sex. You do a few joints; you snort a little coke; and most of all, you party. For what? You still end up down; you still feel the rejection, guilt, and loneliness. Life is supposed to be free, so why do I feel like a prisoner? Why doesn't anything I do make me happy? I'm convinced I'll never be satisfied." Seventeen-year-old Kevin, writing to me from a psychiatric ward, wrote, "I just couldn't cope with life anymore. My parents got me down. When they got divorced, my world fell apart. My particular ward has fourteen other teenagers under treatment; one girl is only thirteen. Worst of all, so many of my high school friends will probably end up in a place like this, too. Like me, they can't shake off the depression. It's more than the blues; it's a sense of hopelessness. Nothing seems to really matter after a while. I don't think the majority of parents realize how down their kids are. They're too busy with their own problems." Certainly there are people in this world who are not depressed and who live happy, fulfilled lives. Thank God for them. But this book is for those who have been on an emotional roller coaster and who have nearly lost patience. If you have not yet hit rock bottom, just wait; you probably will. It is a shared experience of almost all mankind. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Two Some of the Best Known Bible Characters Hit Rock Bottom Job had a really bad rock-bottom experience. Here is a righteous man of God, so down that he longed for death. He was so crushed by grief and sorrow, he lost his will to live. All his children were killed by a tornado that caused the roof to cave in on them. He lost his wealth, his influence, and his good name. His friends, such as they were, forsook him and sat in judgment as his accusers. Those he had helped turned against him. Those he loved no longer responded to his needs. Rather than help him, his wife accused him of bringing all the trouble upon himself. Not one person really cared. Looking into the future, all Job could see was pain, tears, loneliness, and emptiness. There was not one silver lining in all the dark clouds hanging over him. Besides all the battles with being alone in his struggles, a physical infirmity fell upon him. He developed cancerous sores from head to toe. Spiritually, physically, financially -- in every way -- Job was down. The loneliness Job experienced must have been horrifying. And the despair hung on so long, with no relief in sight, that Job started to get bitter. He despised the day of his birth, as if to say, "God, You brought me into the world -- for this? Was I born to live in turmoil, pain, and trouble?" He questioned why God seemed to ignore him, leaving him to suffer alone. Oh, yes, Job had a few good days when it looked as if the trouble was all over. He would look ahead and think, "I'm coming out of it. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. A few more days or weeks, and everything will be just fine." But the days rolled by, and, instead of his burden lifting, it got heavier. Just when he thought the battle was over, IT WORSENED. Plans went awry. Things that he hoped would happen -- didn't. The much-longed-for victory did not materialize. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A Mighty Prophet Gets Down The prophet Jeremiah hit rock bottom when King Zedekiah cast him into a rat- infested, muddy dungeon. This great man of God was shocked. He had been truthful and obedient to God. He had done nothing to deserve this sudden imprisonment. He cried out, ------------------------------------ "God hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked" (Lamentations 3:7,9). ------------------------------------ How clearly this prophet describes the feelings of the person who finds himself cast down to the very depths: that hedged in feeling; burdens that feel like chains getting heavier; walls of stone in every direction; uncertain roads ahead; and crooked paths. Keep in mind this is the same Jeremiah whom Christ so often quoted. How could a prophet of God, who thundered against kings and nations, fall into such deep turmoil and despair? Great kings and captains of mighty armies had once hung onto his every word. He had experienced glorious revelations and many spiritual highs. He knew what it was to hear from God. But now he was down -- way down. Lonely, feeling rejected, thinking God had stopped answering his cry -- he now allowed a root of bitterness to spring up. And, as a result, he grew restless and troubled. He lost his spiritual composure, crying: ------------------------------------ "He hath filled me with bitterness... and he hath removed my soul far off from peace..." (Lamentations 3:15,17). ------------------------------------ Jeremiah lost sight of God's hand in his life. He could no longer sense God being in anything that was now happening to him. He thought he was now on his own; that all God's leadings had gone sour; that maybe God was not concerned about his troubles, after all. Jeremiah hit the very bottom. He could get no lower. Listen to his pitiful hopelessness: ------------------------------------ "My strength and my hope is gone... all that is left is misery and affliction... nothing left but ashes..." (Lamentations 3:16-21). ------------------------------------ I wonder how many of my reader friends can relate to the agony of Jeremiah when he was down. Are you, too, at that point in your trial that your heart cries out, "God, I'm at the end of myself! I can't take anymore. I'm so miserable I could die. I can't get any lower than I am right now; I can't understand it. When will this darkness pass?" Do you wonder if the day will ever come when you will be happy and carefree again? Do you worry that your trial has already lasted too long, and you are not going to be able to hold out if it continues? Do your hopes and dreams keep falling apart, as if you seem condemned to a life of misery and trouble? ----------------------------------------------------------------- King David Hit Rock Bottom King David hit bottom after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He lost all confidence in himself, thinking he was hopelessly sensual. His once-secure life began to disintegrate all around him. Friends and family turned against him. His good reputation was lost. A pitiful self-image emerged. He saw himself now as worthless, forsaken by God, with nothing left but to wither away. That's right. This great man of God -- who had killed giants, led massive armies to victory, pulled the limbs of lions and bears apart -- now referred to himself as a lonely little bird just wasting away. Listen to his confession: ------------------------------------ "I am like a little sparrow...sitting all alone upon the housetops... My days are like declining shadows...I am withering like grass" (Psalm 102:7,11). ------------------------------------ This great warrior, who once stood self-confident in a string of successes and victories, now finds himself alone and depressed. He cared nothing now for the pleasure and comfort of the crowd. Music only brought him down lower. Even sex became boring. Old friends had nothing to offer him. He had no strength left in him to help and comfort others. Never again would he protect the rights of others and allow them to lean on him. He wanted to resign from the human race. He was a casualty, bleeding emotionally and spiritually. He had come to the end of himself, and the only goal left in his life was to find a little comfort and peace wherever he could. ------------------------------------ "I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Psalm 69:20). ------------------------------------ A voice deep within him cried out, "Walk away from it. Just pack it all in and escape. You've had enough! Don't take it for another minute." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Solomon, Too Here is a man who was reputed to be the wisest man of his generation. He decided to use his wisdom to discover the meaning of life. He was seeking that illusive satisfaction of mind and soul. He said, ------------------------------------ "I put my whole heart into searching out why mankind struggles so hard to find peace and fulfillment -- only to end up with travail and grief" (Ecclesiastes 1:13-18). ------------------------------------ He tried to find what he was looking for by giving his body over to fun and pleasure. He drank fine imported wines and partied with his friends and companions. But the parties, the wine, and the laughter left him empty and void. He said, ------------------------------------ "Laughter? Wine? Good times? It is madness. What does it accomplish? Nothing at all -- it is a waste of time" (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3,11). ------------------------------------ Having failed to find satisfaction through pleasure and alcohol, he decided to bury himself in creative work. "If I stay busy," he reasoned, "and work hard, I'll find peace of mind." He built mansions -- expensive architectural masterpieces. He added exotic gardens with reflecting pools, fruit orchards, and huge barns for his thoroughbred Arabian horses. He amassed a fortune in silver and gold, prize cattle, and the very best art collection of his day. He maintained a harem of the most beautiful women in all the world. He put together a company of the best singers and musicians of his time. He financed and bankrolled the arts and sciences, gathering around him the greatest artistic talent of his day. Furthermore, he stated, ------------------------------------ "And whatsoever my eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy...I took whatever I wanted" (Ecclesiastes 2:10). ------------------------------------ But still he was not fulfilled; something was yet missing. He had everything a human being could want in life, and it made him sick. He got bored with it all and ended up saying, ------------------------------------ "I hate my life....It's all a foolish dream.... It is all emptiness; it doesn't satisfy..." (Ecclesiastes 2:17). ------------------------------------ He hit rock bottom in spite of his unbelievable wealth, success, and popularity. He said, ------------------------------------ "My work didn't make me happy...or anything else I tried, so I ended up in total despair.... I couldn't sleep at night and my mind had no rest.... It was all emptiness..." (Ecclesiastes 2: 20-23). ------------------------------------ The restless spirit of boredom and frustration described by Solomon is now gripping our society. It comes even to the busiest, most successful people. In spite of having everything life has to offer, an unshakable depression moves in. And few can explain why they feel so down and empty. The most successful become so addicted to their good lifestyles, they learn to put up with their emotional misery. They drag on, year after year, simply enduring their lives -- never really knowing fulfillment. They end up convincing themselves that life is meant to be a series of heartbreaks, interspersed with only occasional moments of peace and joy. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Three The Way Up So far, we have focused our attention on the problem. Now let us consider the way to victory over all despair. We can begin with the prophet Jeremiah, because he sets the example in faith and hope. In his very darkest hour, Jeremiah discovered a glorious truth that brought new hope and assurance to his mind. It was something he already knew about God, but it didn't touch his soul until he came to the end of himself. *He discovered that at the very bottom -- there is God.* The further down he went, the more God was to be discovered. Down is not into some dark, hidden, fearful abyss -- but down is getting closer to where God is at work. God was not to be discovered "up there" in some blissful soaring into untroubled skies, but in the shadows of grief and despair. When Jeremiah hit bottom, he bumped into God! He fell hard against the faithfulness of a compassionate God. Listen to his discovery: ------------------------------------ "God is a God of compassion.... His compassions for me cannot fail. They are new every morning: great is his faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22,23). ------------------------------------ Little by little, Jeremiah discovered seven great truths that brought back peace and joy to his soul. ------------------------------------ 1. God hurts when I hurt; He wants my trouble to end (Lamentations 3:33). 2. God is not against me, trying to crush me under His foot when I'm down like a prisoner in trouble (Lamentations 3:34). 3. God is not trying to sabotage any of my plans; He is not causing my confusion; He is not working against me (Lamentations 3:35). 4. Even in my despair and bitterness, when I hated to face a new day, God was still there -- caring. His mercies were waiting for me -- each new morning (Lamentations 3:22,23). 5. Because God is always faithful, He will do right by me. God will not cast me off. God will save me (Lamentations 3:25,26). 6. When I am at my lowest, I have nowhere to turn but to God, so I will lift up my heart and my hands and believe in His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:40,41). 7. Being down has sapped all my strength and hope. I am left empty and humbled, so now I have to depend totally on God (Lamentations 3:18,20,21). ------------------------------------ What it all means is simply this: Get your eyes off your problems and troubles, and remind yourself that God is still faithful and that His compassion and tender love are yours for the taking. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Only One Way Up People who end up at rock bottom have often given up hope. They've tried almost everything to find meaning in their lives, and nothing has worked. Analysis, self-help programs, drugs, seminars, meditation, mystical religions, and countless types of therapy -- none of which satisfies the deepest spiritual needs of the inner man. Believe it or not, Jesus Christ is the only way out of man's despair and emptiness. His message is simple and clear. He promises that in Him alone is the source of all meaningful life. He states emphatically that any human being can discover his or her full potential through faith in Himself. True happiness, joy, and peace can be found only in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, ------------------------------------ "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he made the Son to be the source of life" (John 5:26). ------------------------------------ The testimony of millions, ever since the death and resurrection of Christ, is that through faith in Him they have discovered the true meaning of life. In simple, childlike faith, they believed the words of Christ and were set free from their emptiness and despair. It is truth that sets men free, and the truth is this: ------------------------------------ *"Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). *"Jesus said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it in fullest measure" (John 10:10). *"Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). *"Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to God, but by me" (John 14:6). *"These things are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might obtain life through his name" (John 20:31). ------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- A Total Cure Christ does not offer a superficial cure for the troubled soul, but a complete resurrection of the inner man. He renews the mind. The root cause of all emptiness and despair is dead faith. The inner person is famished, empty, and neglected. Our real needs are spiritual, not physical. Trying to satisfy the soul in some physical way will never work, simply because there is something deep within all of us that can be satisfied only by God Himself. Loneliness is actually an unfulfilled longing for God. Are you tired of all the restless nights, the unfulfilled longings, the unsatisfying pleasures, and the heartbreaking loneliness? Are you at the end of your rope with all hope nearly gone? Are you fed up with being flat on your back at rock bottom? If so, do something about it -- right now! There is no risk involved; you have nothing to lose. Believe Christ when He says, ------------------------------------ "He that cometh to me I will in no way cast out..." (John 6:37). ------------------------------------ Believe Christ when He says, ------------------------------------ "Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavily laden down, and I will give you rest for your souls..." (Matthew 11:28). ------------------------------------ Believe Christ when He says, ------------------------------------ "I am come as a light into this world, that whosoever believeth on me shall not live in darkness" (John 12:46). ------------------------------------ Believe Christ when He says, ------------------------------------ "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath no life in him" (1 John 5:12). ------------------------------------ You do not have to understand all the doctrines of the church. You do not need to understand the Bible. You do not have to be theologically correct. All you need is a hunger for God and a willingness to follow Jesus Christ and make Him the Lord of your life. Even a child can do that. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Holy Spirit Is Trying To Help You -- Right Now! The prophets predicted that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. ------------------------------------ "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17). ------------------------------------ He said upon all flesh -- not just believers but non-believers, as well. That means you, too, are under the influence of God's Holy Spirit. God never intended that the outpoured Holy Spirit become the exclusive property of believers. Christians have tried to corner Him, to put Him in a pure, holy vessel, as though the Holy Spirit is appalled by sin, as though He will not go near sinners, as though He has come only to keep born-again Christians pure and preserve them until Christ returns. But Christians do not own the Holy Spirit! They do not direct Him. They cannot limit Him in any way. "He bloweth where he listeth" (John 3:8). In other words, "He goes where He pleases." The Holy Spirit is Christ's leading evangelist. He is already at work everywhere sinners work, live, and play. Don't ever be surprised when you go into the worst hell spots on this earth and find the Holy Spirit there. He convicts people of sin, even where there are no Christians, no churches, and no Bibles. There are no safety zones immune to His power and presence -- not Russia, China, or Poland -- nowhere on earth! He enters homosexual havens. He is there at every junkie shooting gallery. He is there in every brothel. He hovers over every massage parlor. He is there in every beleaguered, troubled home. He is not far from those who have hit rock bottom. He comes uninvited. He breaks forth at the most unexpected times. He is not hindered by bars or doors; He cannot be shut out. It is His presence that causes guilt, shame, and condemnation -- after the sinning. Yet, it is the Holy Spirit that awakens the heart to the love of God for all sinners. The Holy Spirit is never shocked by what He sees. He knows what men are capable of doing. He sees murder, rape, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, and drug addiction, but it never chases Him away. He keeps coming on in spite of it all. No person is too evil or too far gone for the Spirit to reach. The Bible says, ------------------------------------ "Your sons and daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17). ------------------------------------ It doesn't say those who will prophesy are trained ministers or experienced Christians. This explains clearly the mission of the Holy Spirit on earth: To come upon people and turn them into prophets. A prophet is one who tells a supernatural story because he has experienced a supernatural deliverance. The Holy Spirit is doing this miraculous work right now all over the world. He is healing and turning homosexuals into prophets for Christ. Addicts are prophesying about their miraculous cures. Prostitutes, alcoholics, street people -- all are walking away from the slavery of Satan and are turning to Christ; and they, too, are prophesying. What miracle stories they tell. Despairing people are being lifted right out of rock bottom to be transformed into new people. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You Can Have the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life Today! ------------------------------------ "Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). ------------------------------------ You can in no way work yourself out of your troubles or depression. You can't free yourself from any sin or habit. The harder you try to be good and holy, the greater the disaster. And God will keep allowing you to fail in your human efforts until you admit you need supernatural help. Get this, and get it good! When it comes to fighting off demonic powers trying to destroy you, you need the power of Almighty God to resist. This battle of depression and fear is too big for you to handle on your own. The Bible talks about Satan coming against people "like a flood." Certainly you must have recognized by now that evil forces are trying to swamp you, overwhelm you. You will only add to your sorrow and anxiety by trying to overcome these evil forces by your own human effort. But there is no need to try any longer. You have been promised the power of the Holy Spirit as your Comforter in times of need. But that power is released only by faith -- your faith. The Bible says, ------------------------------------ "Does God give you the power of the Holy Spirit and work miracles for you as a result of your trying to obey the laws? No.... It is a result of your believing in Christ and fully trusting him" (Galatians 3:5 Living Bible). ------------------------------------ The moment you call upon God in simple, childlike faith, the Holy Spirit is sent to assist you and pull you out of the devil's trap. Then the Holy Spirit leads you, in answer to your faith, into a glorious new life of peace and joy beyond anything you've ever known. He draws you out of yourself -- your fears, your depression -- into God's kingdom of rest and hope. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion Are you tired of your life as it now is? Would you give anything or do anything if you could only find true happiness and peace of mind? It is one thing to complain about the restlessness and emptiness you now suffer; but it is quite another thing to face up to the truth and do something about it. There are two simple truths the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you so you can be set free. One is a truth learned from experience; the other is a truth that, once understood, can be the key to a new life of discovery and power. Truth Number One ------------------------------------ "He that loveth his life shall lose it" (John 12:25). ------------------------------------ Christ here introduces a principle of "diminishing life." Simply stated, life must have Christ as its source or it will eventually wither and die. The moment you think life is at its best -- with everything going your way -- and just as you're beginning to live it the most, it mysteriously goes sour. One moment life is radiant, exciting, fulfilling -- the dreams seem to be coming true. Then suddenly it begins to slip through the fingers like sand. It is the testimony of thousands who can tell you -- "Everything was going so smoothly. Good things were finally happening to me. I thought I had arrived and the happiness would last forever -- then bang! It all blew up in my face." Ex-Beatle John Lennon lost it when it was just becoming the sweetest ever. The week before he was murdered, he told one interviewer that both he and his wife Yoko had broken through to a beautiful relationship. He was about to release a new record album. He was "coming out" again. Life had settled down, taking on new meaning. Lessons had been learned, and the hard times were behind him. Then a lunatic ended it all. It was lost just when it seemed to be the best. Divorced people know all about this principle of life going sour just when it seems to be coming all together. They thought they had found the one true love of their life. It was to be forever. For a while, it was a bit of heaven. Love, laughter, children, dreams, hopes -- it was all there. But one day the roof caved in. Adultery, cheating, misunderstanding -- until their home became a miniature hell. They lost it, in spite of all their good intentions. Life usually goes sour at the very point it should be the best. All it takes is to wake up one morning and discover a lump -- cancer -- incurable -- a few months to live. Or, just when you get the one thing you wanted for so long, it doesn't do anything for you. The dream fades. Bewilderment sets in. Know for certain that all life, without Christ involved, is in vain. It will eventually become discordant and empty. It will end up as a loss. Truth Number Two ------------------------------------ "He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal..." (John 12:25). ------------------------------------ It sounds like a paradox -- hate life to find it. Christ certainly could not mean that you should hate life, since it is a gift from God. Actually, what is meant is -- LEARN TO HATE THE WAY YOU ARE LIVING LIFE. One day you must wake up and tell yourself, "Enough! Enough of this emptiness. Enough of going through life so miserable and down!" You must hate what you have become. Hate your moodiness. Hate the life of trivia, pettiness, and selfishness. Hate the sins of addictions that have enslaved you to a life of confusion and guilt. You will never change what you are until you honestly hate what you have become. You must become so thoroughly disgusted with the way you are living your life that you will cry out, "I want more than this! I want it to be right! I want to be liberated! Lord Jesus, give me your abundant life." Call it coming to the end of yourself, the end of your rope, or whatever. But God always meets the one who is desperate. From the pages of God's Holy Word, here are the simple steps to finding reality through Jesus Christ. It is up to you to believe and act on what you see and hear. 1. Believe Christ is your Friend and that He cares about you. ------------------------------------ "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). ------------------------------------ "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient; we were misled by others and became slaves to many evil pleasures and wicked desires. Our lives were full of resentment and envy. We hated others and they hated us. But when the time came for the kindness and love of God our Savior to appear, then he saved us - - not because we were good enough to be saved, but because of his kindness and pity -- by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:3-5 Living Bible). "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). "Jesus...said unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11). 2. Call upon Him for help -- now! ------------------------------------ "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:11-13). ------------------------------------ "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). 3. Believe Him to save you from sin, depression, and fear. ------------------------------------ "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). ------------------------------------ "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). "The Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). 4. Confess Him publicly as your Lord and Savior. ------------------------------------ "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32,33). ------------------------------------ "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God" (1 John 4:15). "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). 5. Believe He will cleanse you and make you over again. ------------------------------------ "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7,9). ------------------------------------ "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). 6. Trust Him with simple, childlike faith. ------------------------------------ "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2,3). ------------------------------------ "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us...unto him be glory..." (Ephesians 3:16-21). "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Pray this simple prayer, in faith: ------------------------------------ Lord Jesus Christ, with my mouth I confess my sins, my emptiness, my selfishness. Forgive me; wipe the slate clean and give me a new beginning. I receive Christ as the Lord of my life. I give Him my confidence, here and now. And with His help, I will let Him re-create me into a new person. I believe what God says is true, and I'll act upon it. Amen. ------------------------------------ We'd love to help you more. I know we can. Give us a chance. We care! Write today for counseling or for more information: ---------- David Wilkerson Crusades P.O. Box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 USA texas@worldchallenge.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O. Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA. COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS: This material is solely for personal use and is not to be posted publicly on other web pages. The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive rights from World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messages on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print and distribute this material, so long as you do not post it on a different Internet site. You may, however, link this site to reference these messages. This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright (C)1994 by World Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA"]. This data file may not be used without the permission of World Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations. Please give the following source credit: Copyright (C)1994 by World Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel North Central Ohio, U.S.A. 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