The Story that Reveals the Difference

Some years ago, a friend of ours told us the story that follows. He had a blood pressure history. One day, he had a crisis in the middle of the night. At 2 am, he felt that he could no longer hold until the morning; he checked into the ER of a nearby hospital. The doctor who received him asked him if he owned a fuel tank truck. Puzzled, the guy answered him: no, I only have a VW Sedan!

The doctor explained his question, saying: usually, except for accident victims, the only people I receive at such hours are businessmen who are dead worried about their trucks worthy of millions that they are unable to track, or those who have lost control of their businesses in one way or another. The patient said, “I am a simple guy, I own nothing to be worried about. Even if I had anything, I am a Christian, and everything I have is in God’s hands. I have nothing to be dead worried either way.”

That simple answer reveals the heart of this reflection: the people of God are called to live differently because their security rests in God, not in what they own, control, or can predict. Everyone who is called by the name of the Lord ought to follow this principle: there should be a difference between believers and non-believers. The customs believers follow, the laws that guide them, and the lifestyle they lead all have to be different.

Faith Builds on What is Unseen

Worries, insecurities, and control drive the world. When those under its influence are not in control, they lose ground and are shaken. Things crumble around them. What is even sadder is that they think it is a normal reaction to be troubled, depressed, or worried when things are not in their grasp. This is because they build their lives around what they can see, perceive, or predict. For believers, however, things have to be different because believers build on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 5:7). For the one who builds his life on the book of the law, he stands on an unshakable rock; he is successful in all that he does (Joshua 1:8). The flood, fire, and earthquake will come, but they will leave him still standing (Matthew 7:24-27).

A People Set Apart

The verse above was spoken by an evil man, Haman, as he laid his plan to destroy God’s people. Despite his crooked ways, his words are true: the people who call themselves the people of God are different, their customs are different, and their lifestyle is different. They are not intimidated by anything; they only fear God. They are confident that their God will protect them (Daniel 3:16-17) and provide for all their needs (Philippians 4:19).

When Balaam was called to curse them, he proclaimed, “There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among nations” (Numbers 23:9b, NKJV). We were not a people, but God made us a people who have received mercy, as the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV): “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” These are people whose peace, joy, confidence, and boldness depend not on what is outside – possessions, family, health, or any other external circumstance – but on what is inside: the King of light who resides in their hearts. Such a life is the true life to the fullest Jesus talked about in John 10:10.

Living Life to the Fullest

Someone asked me why I named my blog “my life to the fullest” and not simply “life to the fullest.” It is because I write about my life, my own experiences, and my struggle to reach that life to the fullest mentioned in John 10:10. I aim to live that life daily, not only talk about it. I strive and press on to lay hold of that for which He has called me (Philippians 3:12).

Every Christian is called to that life: to be part of the special people set apart for God. I believe that living life to the fullest is within reach of everyone willing enough to pursue it. Every day, I am challenged to be different and live differently because I can, by the grace of God. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are not left to imitate the fears of the world; we are free to live as a different people with a different lifestyle.

When Waiting Tests Our Faith

Some years ago, my friend had a procedure done while her husband was away, and I sat in the waiting room for her. The time allocated for the procedure passed, but she still had not been wheeled out. I waited for about another hour, and panic began to rise in me. Overwhelmed by worry, I decided to pray. I went to a secluded corner and said, “God, we prayed before, and You told us that all would be well. You cannot lie, can You?” That moment of prayer brought peace over me, and I calmed down. However, an hour later, with still no update from the operating room, I was back to square one.

As I paced through the corridors, the Holy Spirit spoke to me: “Haven’t you written about this already? Aren’t you the one who said that when people lay their burdens at the Lord’s feet, they should not return to pick them back up? You have prayed; God has answered you by giving you peace. Why are you still carrying the burden?” It is not funny to be confronted by the Spirit like that, but I was too worried even to feel embarrassed. Fear had gripped my whole being, and I justified my behaviour by saying it was too hard to stay still and wait in tranquility.

Faith Is a Daily Choice Over Fear

Walking by faith must be very hard for ordinary people. If it were not, worry, anxiety, and fear would not rule the lives of so many. Yet, like everything else in life, walking by faith is a choice, as difficult as it may be. And that choice must be made at every turn. Every single day, we are challenged to choose: will it be faith, or will it be fear? Because it is always one or the other.

Any act, attitude, or thought that is not born out of faith is born out of fear, whether we are aware of it or not. Fear is a tyrant, a despot, and a thief. It takes away peace, joy, and confidence. When we become restless under the influence of fear, we lose focus, make mistakes, and miss opportunities that can only be perceived by a peaceful soul. God will only be exalted in our lives when we are still and act confidently in our walk with Him.

Training the Soul to Be Still

I often say that how and why God does things can be very hard to understand. Because the flesh is used to logic, it is not inclined to blindly trust God. But we have to train our spirits, souls, and minds to trust Him and say, like David, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content” (Psalm 131:1-2 NIV). David’s training method is simple: he does not think too much, he does not try to figure everything out, and he simply tells his soul, “Be quiet. God is still in control.”

For every believer, old or young, educated or not, man or woman, David’s method is the only one that works. It helps us deal with our inconsistent nature: one day we fully trust in God, and the next we are besieged by doubt. Wisdom calls us to be careful, because that inconsistency can happen to anyone. It happened to Elijah, even though he is a man with a great testimony in the Bible. One day, he singlehandedly killed 850 false prophets; the next, he fled in terror from Jezebel.

Be Still: God Is Working

As for me, I am not a role model for “walking by faith,” so I will not tell anyone, “Follow my example,” as Paul did. But I am learning, just like you, and I am sure the Lord is teaching me how to lean on Him. Still, on this learning journey, there are times when I look back and feel like pinching myself, asking why I could not trust God and why it was so difficult to stay still.

The story above is one of those examples. The procedure was delayed because God was dealing with something that had not been anticipated but could have become a source of problems for my dear friend. He was giving the right answer to our prayers. So you too, be still, for He is the Lord, working to bring you the right answer. And when you find that you cannot keep your peace and sit still, remember to pinch yourself and ask your soul, “Is there any reason I could not trust Him?”

The Warning Sign

When I moved to Canada some years ago, I was told that I should strictly respect road signs if I didn’t want to lose my driver’s license. My friends advised me to be more careful and reduce my speed since I tend to over-speed. For the first few months, I made sure to follow the speed limit.

But I realized that many drivers did not abide by the set speed limit. They would drive past me like lightning on the highway, and sometimes I felt like a tortoise. At some point, I got tired, and I said to myself that if they can over-speed, why can’t I? So, I threw out all the precautions, attention, and respect.

Then one day, I felt in my spirit that the Holy Spirit rebuked me. He said, do you think that because many drivers over-speed makes it less of an offence? He then added that this is how Christians are (not all of course); they start high and slowly go downward concerning obedience to the Word of God.

The Spiritual Parallel

That conversation with the Holy Spirit reminded me of the days when we first got saved. Anyone who received the Lord by the conviction of the Holy Ghost can relate to it. We burned with the zeal to serve the Lord. We hated anything that came closer to being called a sin. Some could not even look at the opposite sex without rebuking all the demons of carnal sin. Jesus calls it the first love. The fire of the Spirit consumed us.

But as time passed, things changed; slowly, our first love went cold and got replaced by our daily routine, compromise, and excuses.

This is not written to accuse anyone or to take the place of the Spirit’s conviction. Only the Spirit can convince you and me of our wrongdoings. I don’t want to play the devil either, the accuser of our brethren, who always walks with a notepad as not to miss even our slightest mishap so he can brandish them into our faces.

I am just stating the fact: there are Christians who openly live in sins, who cheat, steal, and do all kinds of evil deeds, who are idle in church or indifferent to the needs of the work of God. They have lost their first love.

The Reason We Grow Cold

From that warning, the deeper question becomes personal: how does a heart that once burned with love for God begin to justify distance, compromise, or spiritual indifference?

What makes Christians lose the first love? We can say it is Satan and it will be true. However, we also have to acknowledge that devil or no devil, the last say belongs to you and me. It will always be a matter of the choice we make.

The main reason people grow cold is the wrong perception, a subconscious perception, that there is no difference whether you do good or bad since those who do bad seem to get away unharmed, and those who do good seem to reap no benefit.

When one’s conviction is not deeply rooted, that is when they say, like Asaph, “In vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence” (Psalm 73:13 NIV). Why should I obey since nothing happens to those who don’t? They even look more prosperous than me! What difference does it make if I am zealous or not? I gain nothing; I have nothing more!

Let not what happens to others affect you. Whether something or nothing happens to them because of their lifestyle, it is between them and their God. And for you, live your life as if you are the only living human here on earth; be only concerned by what is happening between you and your God.

The Call to Return

As I said before, my inner conversation with the Spirit challenged me. I felt bad and humbled, because it affected me at a personal level, in my spiritual walk with the Lord. The fact that many people over-speed does not make it any less of an offence. And the fact that I was never caught by any camera or policeman, does not make me less of an offender before the law.

That is how we deceive ourselves. Because God is still patient towards our sins, we become accustomed and say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice” (Psalm 94:7 NIV). But He sees, and He will punish (Psalm 94:8-10).

As Christians, we must fight that tendency of growing somehow tolerant to sins. Jesus expects that believers grow in love as the days pass, that we love Him more and walk farther away from sins. He wants us to burn with the zeal to serve Him more than how it was when we accepted Him.

It is only through sincere repentance that we can retain our first love and the fire of the Spirit. Everyone should self-examine, repent where they have fallen and return. The call of the Holy Spirit today is, “Repent and do the first works.” And, “Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart” (Hebrews 3:15).