Chapter 1: Believing in Christ
Trust and believe in Christ. He believed in and loved you so much that He gave his life so that you have the opportunity to live with Him and His Father in Heaven forever. All you have to do is accept, trust, and believe Him in your heart.
BREAD OF LIFE:
He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Those who believe him
discover that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him
without measure or limit. The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything. 36 And all who believe in God’s Son have eternal life.
Those who don’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them.
John 3:32-36
(NLT)
Having No Belief
During my elementary
years, my teachers used to always tell me that I was very smart for my age. Their words encouraged me and made me feel special. Even so, I hated going to school.
My classmates used to call me “buck tooth”, “beaver”, “walrus”, and many other hurtful names. I have had a big overbite for as long as I can remember so, naturally, the nickname “Buck” stuck.
I felt violated and became offensive even if others thought they were only kidding and making jokes. I started not only having hateful feelings towards my peers, but also towards myself. I felt discouraged and thought of myself as an ugly and deformed monster. I did not know then that these hurtful names would cause me to have a low self-esteem and lead me to feel very uncomfortable around people. I became timid and still have what most call “shyness”.
I believe the correct word for it is low self-esteem.
I used to envy other guys who I saw as better looking than me. When I saw them with their girlfriends I would wish that I was them; or that I at least had a girlfriend of my own.
I didn’t end up getting my first girlfriend until later in my life at the age of sixteen.
I did not believe in myself, my capabilities, or my talents. I had no future goals and soon began fighting, stealing and getting in all kinds of trouble in school.
My grades never were that good in the first place. Before long, I was failing and making all F’s every year. I ended up giving up on school and everything important. I dropped out of school in the ninth grade.
I felt like a failure in everything I tried to accomplish. I was very stubborn, bitter, hard-headed. I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do, especially when to me they weren’t helping my life in anyway. I decided to run away from the foster home i was living.
When I hit the streets and started living on my own, others success and happiness often upset and depressed me. I became angry at the world and was jealous of anyone who appeared to be successful. So, I started selling drugs. I was good at it and quickly made lots of money. This success gave me hope that I could be somebody. I told myself that I was going to be very successful one day.
To me, success meant having beautiful women, cars, clothes, and lots of money. Even though I was raised in the church and taught to trust and believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ, I ended up believing in money instead.
I adopted the false belief that only way I would ever become somebody important was by having money. I thought money would lead me to success and put all my trust into making it by any means necessary.
I had no trust in God and had very little faith and belief in his son Jesus Christ.
Regain Control
We all have faced obstacles
and we all have done things that took our eyes off of God, and it ended up leading us astray.
But if you want to be able to accomplish anything in your life, you must Pray to Jesus Christ and ask Him for direction because He will show you the only and the right way.
It will sometimes become very, very difficult to put aside are own desires and selfish intentions,
but if you decide to give your troubles and worries to the Lord, he will anoint and prosper all of your greatest ambitions.
So flee from anything that takes your eyes off of
God and makes you do things that you know you should not do
Because you will become a slave to anything that you put before Him and it will eventually take control over you.
Regain control!
Poem by Antonio E. Walker
Way of Life
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that
we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.”
1 John 5:1-2
(NKJV)
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God! 1 John 5:5
1 John 5:5
(NKJV)
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
I PRAY TO YOU SEEKING mercy, love, and guidance.
Without You I wouldn’t be here. I know and believe that You died for me and my sins. I ask that You please forgive me for not always believing and losing faith at times. Thank You so much for kindness and patience and for always believing in me even though I sometimes fall weak in the flesh. I know, trust, and believe You will lead into a better life in this world, and also into heaven. In Your name I pray.
Amen!
