Published by What if I said I could tell you how to get rid of all your problems without resorting to second mortgages, family counseling or Prozac? And what if I knew this because I practice it, along with millions of other people who know how to tap into the most powerful and potent source in the world. Would you listen?
If you are like most people who don’t have time to spare or money to burn, you’ll listen to anyone who has a cheap effective means of making your life worry and problem free. “It must be hard, though” you might think; “or else it requires travel or an investment of some kind. Nothing that important can be easy to come by.” But you would be wrong.
My strategy for a trouble-free, worry-free life requires an investment of less than none and no relocation beyond where your normal daily activities take you. How did I discover this valuable source of all-encompassing life remedies? Well, it was there all the time. I just didn’t recognize it for what it was.
I read a story once about two Native American children of the Chinook tribe who helped their old, poverty stricken grandmother overcome health and financial problems by revealing a source to her that she had possessed for decades but didn’t know how to use. It was a sizeable government check that had been given to her late husband for the purchase of some land. The grandmother, being born in the latter part of the nineteenth century and raised hearing stories of the betrayal of the “white man”, had always felt that the land had been stolen and no compensation had been given. Only a worthless piece of paper. That is the consequence of two worlds coming together. So many things are unfamiliar and only after they have been explained can they be useful and beneficial.
This method will work no matter what race, color or creed you are. And, yes. It involves Jesus. You’ve heard it all before. You’ve heard it said that Jesus is the source of all power that can change lives, cure illness, solve problems and save your immortal soul from damnation. You’ve heard it in many different forms and from many different people, from the simple preacher at your church to the popular evangelist who addresses the masses to your devout parents or grandparents. You’ve probably tried it all, too. The praying. The tithing. Attending church whenever the doors were opened. All those methods work to alleviate all your problems and make your life better, happier and more prosperous, but they haven‘t worked for you. Still you say, “Why me? Why aren’t my troubles going away, my situations getting resolved, my health improving? Why am I losing my job, my family, my faith?” You’ve read the well-known “Footprints” poem that explains how, in your most desperate and trying times, God does not abandon you but carries you. So why didn’t you listen? Why didn’t you understand?
Probably, because, like the Native American grandmother, you live in a different world from the source of the solution. You live in a world of reality where angels are mythical beings, or products of a hopeful imaginations, or maybe real entities but who are confined to their realm in Heaven. You live in a world where the stories in the Bible, read to you as a child, were comforting and believable then, but like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, loses sincerity as you mature. God no longer, if ever, speaks to us directly. Jesus cannot appear before us and tell us which way to move in our lives. Miracles are no longer performed or, if witnessed, there’s usually a logical explanation behind it, and if that’s not the case, then they are reserved for only the most pious, the deepest believers, the chosen few. If you were thinking this way, then again, you would be wrong.
I once asked a pastor this question: “How do I hear Jesus? When I pray about a decision that I have to make, how do I know when he answers?”
The pastor replied, “Listen for the small voice and wait for the peace.”
He was right, but at first I misunderstood the concept of “the small voice” and of course, I kept listening but never heard it. I would quiet my mind and listen intensively. My mind remained quiet. Of course it did, because I am in control of my mind. Then one day, in passionate prayer, praying constantly, thinking of nothing else but the problem I was faced with and the communication in my mind that I was sure was being transmitted straight to Heaven, I heard it. The small voice. It interrupted my thought, broke into my mind and told me things that I would not have told myself. Remember. I am in control of my mind. I was not in control of that voice. When it came, all doubt disappeared and the decision was made.
God, through Jesus, most definitely does still communicate to us, but he doesn’t do so by appearing in a visible form. He has no visible form, and the only reason you are visible to other people is because you possess a physical body. Do you stand outside a house and talk to the people inside? Will they hear you? Of course not. You have to be in the house with them. You have to knock on the door and they have to let you in. Talking to Jesus requires you to first let him into your life by believing that he exists and that he is who he says he is and that what happened to him, as told in the Bible, is true. After all, you let people into your home for those same reasons. By inviting him in, you give him access to the place where you are. Not your physical body. That is just a temporary home for your soul. The actual you. That’s who Jesus wants to talk to. And you don’t have to wait for Jesus to knock. He’s always knocking.
Once you let him in, then you must live with him daily. You have heard Jesus referred to in the Bible as the “Bridegroom” and the unified mass of believers, of which you are now a part, is the “Bride.” The illustration here is to show that the relationship that you have established with Jesus is a marriage, metaphorically speaking, and the two of you can live, spiritually, happily together and surmount incredible odds if you allow him to take part in the activities and decisions of your life. After all, isn’t that the way marriage is supposed to work? And even though the relationship is a spiritual one, Jesus can, and does, solve problems on the physical plane.
Living with Jesus daily doesn’t require you to live the life of a monk. Constant prayer, rituals and meditation, although good for some and to a certain degree, are not necessary for the average person. Jesus, and therefore God, will answer a brief prayer sent up without a “Dear Lord” or an “Amen” in the middle of washing the dishes or driving to work as expediently as one prayed on bended knees for hours. He’ll acknowledge receipt of general conversation. Yes. You can just talk to Him. No need to always be asking or giving thanks for something. What about a simple “Good morning, Lord”, or “You know, Lord? I think I’ll go shopping today. Would you like to come?” Whether spoken aloud or only in thought form (for he can hear your thoughts), you’d be surprised at the effect it has on your life when you actually substantiate that He is real and that He is always with you by talking to Him. You gain a feeling of comfort and security and much fear and anxiety is avoided.
As for solving problems, Jesus uses other, more supernatural means and miracles are among them. I have experienced many. If you study the Bible, all of the methods Jesus uses to guide our lives are listed. But like the old Chinook grandmother’s banknote, it’s just a piece of paper with the promise of riches written on it. In order to use it you must understand what it is, and in order to gain from it you have to believe in it. The only way to see if you have a counterfeit note is to try and spend it. Spending it denotes that you believe it is not counterfeit. Get the concept? Believe in things until they are proven false. Do not disbelieve until things are proven true. By then it may be too late. If the Chinook children had not come along to explain things to their grandmother, she would have died never knowing and never profiting from the truth.
Life has meaning and we are all put on earth for a purpose. Because we also possess free will, however, not everyone accomplishes the purpose for which he was created. Certainly, no one was created to sin. Criminals act out of their own passions and greed, not the desires of God. Even Satan can do no more than tempt souls into using their freedom of will to oppose God and deviate from the path which God had planned for them. But staying on the right path and in God’s perfect will is fully possible, although somewhat challenging.
The path to your destiny may not be an easy one. There may be obstacles along the way and places to go where you do not want to be. Think of Moses. When God told him what it was that God intended for him to do, Moses cried out in protest. He did not want to go to Egypt. He bellowed out excuses and God rebutted each one. Moses wasn’t a good speaker? Fine. Aaron, his brother, was a fine orator. Send Aaron along, too. Moses had no credentials? Throw down your rod. It turned into a snake? There’s your credentials. What if Pharaoh didn’t listen? Not to worry. God had plenty of plagues up his sleeve, as well as a Divine promise that Moses would succeed in bringing the Children of Israel out of bondage and into the Promised Land. Moses simply had to believe in the promise and trust that no matter what happened, everything would turn out all right in the end.
If you live your life like that, believing that your existence has purpose and that it will all turn out all right in the end, it makes for an interesting lifelong journey. Taking Jesus with you assures that you are not stumbling in the dark because “Jesus is the Light” , and if you watch your steps closely and avoid the detours that Satan puts in your way, you will, without fail, reach your goal, fulfill your life’s purpose, and realize all your hopes and dreams.
Some people don’t believe in destiny or a meaningful purpose in life. They hold true to the system made concrete by William Henley’s “Invictus“. “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” To these people, life is what you make of it and problems arise from bad decision making. Ambition can take you wherever you want to go and we all have the freedom of will to become whatever we want. Hats off to these people. They are the most driven of us all, accomplishing goal after meaningful goal, and reaching one destiny only to see there’s time enough in life to pursue another. Whether they want to believe it or not, they are living on the same principle. They are not Moses. They are unafraid. They are Joshua. They go after what they feel they are meant to have They are Cain. They burn their bridges behind them and they live on. And they are David. They rule their homes, pay homage to their beliefs with passion, sin and repent and proclaim themselves King of their domain. Destiny seekers all.
But for the rest of us who question, “What am I here for? Where should I go from here? What am I supposed to do?”, there is a way to find out. Keeping on the path to your destiny will make you happy and contented despite anything that befalls you. Straying from the path will make you anxious, fearful, and sad. Watching for those emotions is a helpful guide. Many who are on medication for depression could simply be on the wrong path. My daughter, a beautiful young woman who suffers from bi-polar disorder, has proven to be a talented actress. When she is in some way pursuing that path, either by participating in community plays or by taking drama lessons, she is less plagued with the symptoms of her illness. When she stops the pursuit, however, she usually has to resort to the medication to control her symptoms. Remember Lance Armstrong? Diagnosed with cancer, he went off to fulfill his dream of winning the Tour de France bicycle race. His cancer went into remission and he has won the race every year since.
Following the right path does not always mean a career pursuit. Along that path could be many other things that are meant to be achieved just by your daily routine. From the time you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep at night, your path is dictated by every single thing you do. Free will comes into play because the path is not clearly marked. There is a reason for that. In the parable of the prodigal son from the Bible, the father divides his wealth between his two sons and the youngest goes off and splurges until it is all gone. Humbly he comes back home and the father is overjoyed. The father probably could have brought his son home sooner, or forbid his son to leave in the first place. But he wanted his son to see the error of his ways and return of his own will. Doing the right thing has more meaning and is more appreciated when it is done voluntarily.
Likewise, if through a wrong decision you stray from the path, there will be unpleasant consequences forcing you to turn back. Jesus will be there waiting, to restore to you what you lost and continue his guidance, for if you have Jesus in your daily life, you have a guide. “How” you may ask, “can I see where Jesus is guiding me if I can’t see Jesus?” The answer is, see Him with your heart, (believe) not with your eyes. Hear him with your instinct (trust), not with your ears. Understand Him with your intuition (have faith), not with your brain.
After our mother died, my two sisters and I had to handle the difficult task of selling her house. The middle child held the position of administrator and so the brunt of the burden. We had all resolved that we would only sell her house for a respectable amount and to someone who would live in it and take care of it. Most callers wanted to tear it down. The land was worth more to them than the house. After several months and no decent offers, she was faced with the dilemma of waiting it out or calling the one person who had offered the most, however paltry, sum of money but who wanted to fix and rent it out. Something kept her from making that call. Reaching for then pulling back from the phone, she instinctively felt that this was not right. She waived the decision to make the call, sent up a prayer and left it alone. That same night she received a call from a man who wanted to look at the house. As soon as they stepped out of the car and she was standing in the yard with them, she felt the peace. She knew this was the one. He offered more money and had better plans for the house than the previous contender. He planned to renovate the house and live there with his family.
Even if you don’t rely on your feelings, if you keep your eyes open (and your mind), you can see the phenomenon take place. I was living in my mother’s house and was looking for a place to rent. There was certain criteria, the most obvious being cost, next location because I wanted a quiet place in the country where I could write in peace, and of course, size because I live alone but I wanted room enough for an occasional overnight visit by my grandkids. I went online to the classifieds and printed out several potentials, one to a page. I called one and on a Friday, went to see the house. It was very secluded, (there was my peach and quiet) but farther away than I would have liked. It was small with one large and one small bedroom (for the grandkids) but it was extremely rustic and not attractive at all. The price was borderline but was the best I had found so far. So I told the man I would think about it over the weekend and call him with my decision.
The next day I was in the living room watching my one-year-old grandson at play, and noticing on a small table the stack of pages containing the classified selections I had printed, I sent up a casual prayer: “Lord. If that house is not the one you had in mind for me, please give me another alternative.” A while later I laid my grandson on the floor to change his diaper. There, next to his head, lay one of the pages that had blown off the table. I called and went to see the house that same day. I rented it without a doubt. I now live in the prettiest little house, just the right size, on a quiet and peaceful (but not secluded) country road and the rent is very affordable. God’s plan was perfect.
In everything we do, we will encounter opportunities, hardships, obstacles, and open road. Here are some signs that could be seen along the way. Some are God’s. Some are mine brought on by personal experience:
- Pursue until you are stopped.
- God never closes one door without opening another.
- If you veer off the path, the problems you encounter will turn and redirect you until you are back on the right road again.
- The Devil is the author of confusion, so if you are confused about a decision, weigh the consequences and choose wisely or do nothing until the confusion goes away. Pray “Get thee behind me Satan.”
- The right path is usually the one less traveled so don’t follow the crowd.
- The delaying of a project does not always mean that the project should be abandoned. Sometimes the timing is not right.
- Some tragedies are blessings in disguise.
- Some blessings are temptations of the Devil.
- Everything works for good for those that trust the Lord.
- There is a reason for everything.
In the beginning, I said that I would tell you a way to get rid of all your problems. If you have conflict in your life, usually you make an appointment with a lawyer. You turn it over to him, he says, “I’ll take care of it.”, and you leave feeling confident. Jesus is the best lawyer you could have and he never loses a case.
When you are sick, you usually see a doctor. He says, “Take this medication and you’ll be alright.”, and you walk away feeling better, or at least you believe you will soon feel better. Jesus is the Great Physician and there is nothing he can’t heal.
If you have problems within your family, you usually seek advice from a counselor, directive literature or some other trustworthy source. If you turn it all over to Jesus, give him your family, your finances and all your problems, then you can walk away burden free. Just stand back and be amazed as the solution unfolds before your eyes.
There’s no need for a second mortgage or loan, the money will come. There’s no need to worry about your family, just ask Jesus to take care of them and trust that they are in good hands. There’s no need for Prozac; all your problems will be dealt with by an expert. Your needs will all be met, your problems will be solved in the end and your path will be guided. All you have to concern yourself with is what path you will take. It’s a pretty good way to live. It gives you comfort, confidence and courage and your life is enhanced by an appreciation and vision that you never knew was possible.
I’m explaining to you the tools of that other world with which yours has fused, and how these tools can be used to your advantage. If you choose to live without them then you have no reason to question or complain. I’ve explained the check. It is not just a worthless piece of paper. It is a valuable promissory note worth millions. Millions of what? Things that are priceless beyond your imaginings. All you have to do is sign the check, take it to the bank, and cash it.
