yet their heart rages against the Lord. - Psalm 19:3 (NIV)
Do you know people who are always complaining?
No matter how much they try, things always seem to go wrong? Do they whine about how unfair life is? If it weren’t for bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all?
It is amazing how often people with this attitude will blame their troubles on God. They say things like, "I don't know why God is punishing me this way,” or, "If God is supposed to be so good and loving, where is he? Why is my life so messed up?"
The people who say these kinds of things are missing an important point: You cannot blame God for the condition of your life if you have never allowed him to be in charge of it.
If your life is a train-wreck, you need to ask yourself, “Who has been running the locomotive for all these years?”
Have you honestly been seeking God’s direction for your life? Have you been reading your Bible to see what God has to say to you? Have you been living in obedience to him? Have you bothered to drag your lazy butt out of bed on Sunday morning and pay your respects to the Lord at a Bible-believing church?
If your honest answer to the above questions is “No,” then you have no one but yourself to blame for whatever condition your life is in. If you insist on running your own life, God is under no obligation to bless you.
If you ignore God, reject his instructions, and then your life sucks - how can you blame God? If you had listened to him in the first place, you wouldn't be stuck where you are now.
If you are tired of the dead-end, hopeless road you are traveling, why don't you consider the possibility of making a change in management? Face the facts, buster -- you're not doing such a hot job of doing things your own way.
“My hand has made both earth and skies, and they are mine. Yet I will look with pity on the man who has a humble and a contrite heart, who trembles at my word." But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. God will not accept their offerings.
Isaiah 66:2-3 (Living Bible)
Let go of your stubborn pride, and ask God to take control of your life. He wants you to offer your life to him — and let’s face it, without the grace of God, you wouldn’t be able to draw your next breath anyway. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
God has reached out to you with the ultimate act of love: the sacrifice of Jesus’ life on a cross, a sacrifice given so that you could have an opportunity to join God’s family. All God really wants you to do is surrender to him.
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (Living Bible)
A simple prayer like this is all you need to begin your new life:
“Dear Jesus, I am asking you into my life right now. I have lived my life without you for long enough. Please forgive me for all the wrong things I’ve done. Help me to live a life that pleases you. I want to put you in charge of my life from now on. Lord, help me to trust you. Help me to follow you. Thank you for dying for me, and thank you for saving me in answer to this prayer today.”
Once you have given your life to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, you will need to find companionship with other believers who can help you grow in faith and understanding. As a baby Christian, freshly born again, you will have a lot to learn.
The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who have gone astray; he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.
Psalm 25:8-9 (Living Bible)
Please don’t let anyone mislead you. You will still face problems and trials. But you will be heading in the right direction. Jesus will correct you when you stray off course, and he will guide you to your destiny. When you follow God, he ensures your ultimate success.
The Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: "I am the Lord your God, who punishes you for your own good and leads you along the paths that you should follow."
Isaiah 48:17 (Living Bible)
