And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. — 2 Timothy 2:24-26
Big Idea #6. Break it down to baby steps; almost everybody has a place where they can say "yes" to God.
This is a wonderful discovery. You don’t have to open all the doors at once.
In World War II, the outcome of the war was determined by a little piece of real estate called Normandy Beach. Likewise, in our lives, the decisive battle is often over one pivotal place in our souls. There will be other battles, of course. But this is the one that turns the tide.
I do prayer ministry with people from time to time. People come to us facing fears or problems or loneliness or whatever. So we pray with them and invite Jesus into the hurting places in their hearts. At first this was nerve-wracking for me. But then I learned a little secret: Everything revolves around belief and choice.
If someone cannot make the choice to allow Jesus in, there is a reason. That reason is a belief. The belief is false. Who corrects false beliefs? The One who is the Truth!
Example: Okay, you don’t want to give your anger to Jesus. What do you believe would happen if you gave your anger to Jesus? [answer] Okay, Jesus, what about that? Is that true?
Pretty soon, all the reasons for the wrong choice are gone.
Sometimes we want people to do things they cannot do. No one can leave a life of sin unless and until we get Jesus plugged into those places in the heart that were being served by sin. So our work is sometimes slow, but always a joy, because little by little Jesus is being revealed in us.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.