You Know The Way

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.  In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also."
~John 14:1-3

Have you ever listened to a non-believer dispute the Bible and then ask for prayer when some calamity befalls them? As a chaplain, I have spoken with many who claim to be athiest, agnostic, Buddhist, Wiccan, owl loving tree huggers, and a myriad of other nonsensical beliefs. My father, who was raised by a minister, used to tell me, "When you're dead, that's it. There just ain't no more." But the Bible tells us something completely different. Psalm 14 says, "The fool says in his heart there is no God." Fortunately, my father figured that out and accepted the Lord as his Savior thirty years ago.

As a chaplain, I've prayed for many who said they don't believe in God. Some even told me they didn't think it would do any good but I could pray if I wanted to. I've seen many of those same people crying when I said 'Amen'. 
When people are hurting, in crisis, dying, or watching their loved one die, I've found they all want the comfort of knowing death is not the end. They may not all convert but in those moments, they all believe.

There are no atheists in hell. I don't mean that to be humorous, it's a fact. Once we die, we know the truth. We stand before God Almighty, and while I look forward to the day I see Him face to face, I can't imagine what it must be like for someone who has denied Him all their life. 

"How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:29-31)."

I accepted the Lord as my Savior many years ago but the longer I walk with Him, the more aware I have become of what it cost Him. As a wife and mother, I understand cost and sacrifice but I have never had to give up my own life to save one of my children. I have never had to give up the glory of Heaven to ensure all people have the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven. The older I get, the more aware I become of the price Christ paid to redeem my soul. It breaks my heart and makes me want to be a better person, a better Christian, and to share what I have in Him with others. That people can deny His existance breaks my heart.

"Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life (1 John 2:22-25)."

Hell was created for Satan and his demons, not for human beings. Don't let the devil fool you into believing God doesn't exist. 

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)."

Read Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52
Psalm 90
Weekend reading
Deuteronomy 33-34
Joshua 1-6

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha ©2018