Some Thoughts on Christianity
I have discovered a new author whose works I like … at least as far as I’ve read in them. And since what I read today has a lot of relevance to yesterday’s post on baptism, I want to share some excerpts from T. D. Jakes’s Help Me, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up. (Comments in brackets are my own, to clarify, since I’m excerpting and not quoting the entire chapter verbatim.)
Stubborn and hard-headed, Saul [the one who became the Apostle Paul] insisted on doing things his own way. After all, he was intelligent, capable, religious — and proud of it! As a result, it took a dramatic move of God to knock Saul off his “high horse.”
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God was saying, “Saul, why do you kick against the pricks?” In other words … why do you insist on doing things your own way without first consulting Me?Is the Lord asking you the same question … the American translation puts it this way, “Why do you allow yourself to continue to run into brick walls?”
These brick walls represent sin and rebellion. … No matter how sane and rational the sin may seem to you, sin is sin.
Sin always separates us from the presence of God. What a price to pay for wanting things our own way!
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At the same time that Saul thought he had reached his darkest hour, God was preparing a main named Ananias to minister to Saul.
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If you are in a place where you need God’s divine assistance, ask God to send someone to help you. There may already be people in your life who are available to bring healing and deliverance to you. You must, however, be willing to submit, as Saul did, to their ministry. Don’t fight divine connections!
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Some of you may be [like a wounded animal that attacks those who want to help it, due to fear] … People who have called themselves Chrsitans have done hurtful things to you. … It seems to hurt far worse because these people professed to love the Lord.You may have been hurt to such an extent that you no longer trust anybody, not even God.
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God wants to deliver you! He wants to arrest every … demonic spirit in your life — every demonic power, every type of sorcery, every hex, every spirit of unbelief, every spirit of doubt, every spirit of pride. God wants you set free, now!
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Why do you continue in this fallen state? What more does the Lord have to do or say to show you He loves you? Don’t let satan continue to fool you into thinking that God has forsaken you.Stop blaming others for your mistakes. Realize and admit that there is something wrong with you. Quit being mad at everyone and stop trying to adjust the whole world to fit your circumstances.
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Repent and confess your sins instead of spending your time pointing out the sins of everyone else. Admit that you have fallen so that your healing may begin.
So many times, I do just this. I dwell on what others have done to hurt me, what circumstances have impeded my pursuit of goals and dreams, and what mistakes I have made, and I fail to admit that I screwed up.
I think it’s Alcoholics Anonymous that says that the first step to healing is to admit that you have a problem. It is so hard to do that. And then it is even harder to be humble enough to accept help, correction, and instruction from other people. I don’t want people to think I’m dumb, ignorant, or foolish. I want to look capable and pulled-together and competent. Even when I know I’m not.
Anyway, this chapter really whacked me between the eyes today, and I know that I’m not the only one struggling with this. So I offer it to you, my friends, in case you are someone who may benefit from these thoughts.