I believe the world we live in needs a spiritual awakening sometimes. My favorite author and philosopher C.S. Lewis warns that when it comes to seeking God, we are often sheep among wolves. It is a confusing world out there, for both the young and old - and there is no shortage of spiritual “scales” covering peoples’ eyes. There are groups of people doing whatever they want to do, regardless of what God wants for their lives.
I have found that there are typically three large obstacles that can block our way toward a life worth living in Jesus. I often hear people mention these things when they tell me why they don't attend church regularly.
First, we live in a cynical culture when it comes to the things of God. The Bible says that people will sometimes mock and test God, in an attempt to rant against Him. And when we look around, do we not see this very thing? There are outspoken people in every part of the world, ready to slander Christ at a moment's notice. It is hard to listen to, and even harder to digest for the faithful remnant.
The second hurdle I see relates to the people who attend regularly and have come to represent the religious view in any given community around the country. If these folks happen to be kindly, loving, and caring - then we don't have an issue. If however, people occasionally act as human beings do, then we can have mixed results. When someone walks into a church on Sunday morning, we prefer a handshake and a greeting ... as opposed to someone reminding us how long it has been since we last visited, and then judging us accordingly. The first reaction elicits a feeling of welcome; the second creates a kind of guilt-ridden discord that a prospective member might never forget. Another new convert lost.
Finally, the last hurdle I have noticed is simply a difficulty when it comes to trusting God. Faith is hard sometimes. It makes demands on us. I don't blame people for trying to control everything in their lives themselves, rather than handing over the reins to a Heavenly Father figure. I have often caught myself attempting to solve a problem on my own first, rather than going directly to prayer. Only after weeks or months of failing to fix something do we hit our knees and offer up our difficulties to Jesus.
So, if we live in a cynical world that often consists of people behaving badly, and a culture that tells us we always need to be self-sufficient and never ask for help - it doesn't take long to figure out the dilemma we are in. It would appear that meeting God in our modern world can be difficult, to say the least. The temptation exists to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and who needs God anyway.
But the Gospel of John tells us that if we know the Son, we also know the Father. A real relationship with Jesus grants us the ability to become one of God's own; set aside for good works and faithful living. Not only can you meet God here and now, but you can know what it is that He wants from you during this short life here on Earth. Fight past the cynicism and unbelief around you, persevere through any conflict you may perceive inside the church. Don't be afraid to trust the only being who actually loves you unconditionally. Allow the Father to remove the scales from your eyes; you didn't need them anyway. How much brighter the world looks once we can see things clearly. Rest assured, if you know Jesus, then you also know God.
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