In life, one sees many similarities between the carnal realm and that of the spirit. Even God said that, “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” (Rom. 1:20) It was upon this subject that I was thinking the other day when I was taking part in a “April Fool’s Prank.” I began thinking of the days before I was saved, when I knew not the riches of my God’s grace and peace. As I thought of all the stupid things I’d done, the unrighteousness I had committed, I suddenly realized that I had been victim to one of oldest tricks the world had ever seen.
You see, I was born in April, the fourth to be exact, and I had felt that my life was secure. I was the son of a preacher, I knew that Jesus was the only salvation for man, and I had been baptized. So, what did I have to worry about? Nothing . . . or so I thought! The years rolled on by, I turned 15 and felt very satisfied with how I had planned my life. I was going to go to college, get a degree, and make money, money, and more money. Yet, there was something missing, something that would gnaw at me in the stillness of the midnight, when everyone had gone to bed and it was just me and God there in the living room. For years, I had put off admitting that I wasn’t saved, after all it was kind of embarrassing. I had been raised in a Godly home, taught that God came first in all things, and even aggressive in doctrinal debates. To all of a sudden come out and say, “I’ve been acting all these years” would seem a bit hypocritical. Yet, none the less, I knew I needed to be saved. I prayed a simple prayer, asked Christ to take over my life and went on to bed feeling about the same as when I started praying.
The next few years was quite difficult for me, I was entering adolescence and I felt as though I had heaven in my pocket (so to speak). Yet, I knew I wasn’t saved, but I never hurt anyone, I tried to be good, and I didn’t do all those really bad sins that most people do. The worst thing I had done so far was just lie a lot, and surely I was growing out of that, so I had it “made in the shade.” But something happened when I turned 17. I had a dream that I was 19 years old and saved . . . truly, 100% saved. Not a show, or a sham; I was saved. I awoke feeling a bit different, kind of worried, but a little relieved too. As the days pasted and turned into months and the months into years, before long my 19th birthday came and you know what happened . . . . . . . . absolutely nothing! Not a flash of lighting, not a glimpse of the glories to come; nothing, just another day. I felt so wronged, so lied to. God was suppose to come down as he did before Moses and say, “Here I am . . . believe in me now.” I wasn’t no more saved then when I was born. It was a horrid feeling.
After that I started living a bit reckless, nothing seemed to dangerous to try just once. Then Dad said something that I’ll never forget. He said, “Son? Why are you bitter against God? Did you want God to reveal Himself to you in a blaze of Glory and make you believe? Well, He isn’t into preforming at our whims. He IS and that is all there is to it. It doesn’t make him feel bad for you to kill yourself with sin. In the eyes of God you are already dead, cold and decaying. He is a God that loveth judgment the Bible says, and if you think He will force you to believe in Him, you are wrong. DEAD WRONG!”
It was just what I needed to hear. I had been on a eight month pity party. I was mad that God didn’t take me from bottom to top in one day. Though I had lived a fairly clean life I was guilty of all things by virtue of not humbling myself at the feet of Jesus Christ. I was just as sinful as the next man, no matter how bad he was, I was just as guilty in the eyes of God. For in Hell there is no record saying what you have done. Just the fact that you rejected the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So, I began to seek God, in the car as I drove, in my room at night, and always praying that He would forgive me of my foolishness and sinfulness and that I might be filled with the Holy Ghost. To be cleansed from all of my sin. Washed in the blood of God. As I read the Bible in earnest, and with an honest desire to understand, God began showing me that all those plans I had made, to go to college, to be rich, wasn’t what I needed. Life only requires two simple things of mankind. We must, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Eccl. 12:13,14) I couldn’t seek for money, or power in this life. I had to lay down my life, kill the man of sin, and be born again a man of God. No more servant to Satan, but to Jesus Christ, happily and willingly putting off the things of flesh to walk in the holy, pure, and righteous paths of God.
Then in the month of December, in the year 2000, Christ revealed unto me that I was save, purchased by His blood those many years ago when He raised from the dead to live forevermore. Though two years have passed since, I can still remember the night, and God willing, I always will.
I mentioned earlier, that I had fallen pray to some sort of trick all those years in sin and you might be wondering what I was talking about and how it might tie into April Fool’s day. Well, after Jesus Christ accepted me into his fold and made me His own, I realized that all those April's that had passed and I gained one more year closer to death, Satan was tricking me. Making me think that it was all okay and I had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t hurting people and I seldom broke the law, so I was going to make out fine. All that time, all those years, I had been his biggest “April Fool.” |
