A Change of Heart
Left Behind, Part 4
If you would like to check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
For most of my Christian life I haven’t been focused on end times or heaven. I wanted to go to heaven, but not now. I had other things I wanted to do that were monopolizing my attention. I was focused on what is happening here on Earth, not preparing for my heavenly home. Although the Bible, both New and Old Testaments, are full of prophecies about the end times, it just seemed so far away and so confusing, so I pretty much blocked it out as far a study and effect on my life.
As the world started going crazy, with shortages, pandemics, crazy government policies, and wars starting all around the world, I started working to prepare my family for these hardships. I got involved with politics. I kept extra food on hand. I kept my car’s gas tank above a half of a tank. I started a garden and got 3 bunnies to breed for meat. I was doing all of this based solely on my own effort. In the back of my head, I knew God would provide for my needs. I had seen how he took care of me in the past, but I was still trying to do everything on my own. I worried about what would happen to my family if something happened to me because I was taking care of them. What I should’ve been doing is giving all my problems and worries to God and letting the all powerful creator God take care of things. I worked by my own power until my health suffered.
Recently, as the world has gotten crazier every month, I finally had a change of heart and mind. I looked back at how God had provided for me through every hardship. I read the Bible and saw God’s promises for the future. My prayers changed from praying the solution that I wanted, to praying the problem and letting God do what He knew was best because I’d already seen in my life how God gives us what we don’t want, but what we need: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
I went from worrying about my needs to trusting God for my needs (not saying I don’t prepare for hard times, but in a relaxed, non-worrying, good steward kind of way). I went from trying to change the government and politicians to trying to change hearts and minds for God. I went from avoiding reading end times prophecy to studying it as if my life depended on it. I went from worrying about the future to looking forward to the future. I went from worrying about my needs to worrying about the needs of those that don’t know Jesus.
I can’t say that I never worry. I do, but I’ve learned to give my worries to God. Recently my son was asked to volunteer at a pro-life fundraiser. Shortly after he said yes, I received a prayer request because a pro-abortion group planned to raid the fundraiser and cause mayhem and destruction. My first thought was to tell my son (who is 19 and a Godly young man) that he couldn’t go to the fundraiser, but then I stopped myself and decided that God had this. I know my son is a faithful Christian, so if the worst happened, he would meet Jesus early. I decided to let him go and I just prayed fervently. There was a church service going on at the same time as the fundraiser. This confused the protestors. They couldn’t figure out what to do and therefore did nothing. God confounded their plans and I learned a well needed lesson to trust everything that is important to me to God. He is faithful.
It used to be that, when I saw things going wrong in my country, state, county, and city, I would vote harder, get involved with politics, work with the party to improve the platform and resolutions, and help campaign for my favorite candidate. Now I’ve come to the conclusion that we get the candidates we deserve. I still vote, but I put my effort into sharing the gospel and turning people to Jesus. We can have a bigger influence by changing the hearts of the people than by campaigning for a particular candidate. We not only can benefit all of us on earth, but also make a heavenly difference. It isn’t that campaigning for and voting for Godly candidates is bad, but thinking a person can save us is bad. There is only one savior, Jesus Christ. Our faith needs to be in him and not in a politician, a party, or a government.
As the world goes down hill, I am filled with hope. The rumors of wars, the growing evil, the pandemics, the storms, the move towards global governance means Jesus is coming soon and I am getting excited about it in a way I never was before.
I hope you can turn from worldly interests to the Savior. I hope you can get excited to see Jesus face to face and to meet him in the air.
Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,
Christy
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