Chosing to follow Christ

Though none go with me still I will follow

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

      As time goes on in life, people draw a line as to which path they choose. There are only two absolutes in paths. One can either choose to follow Christ, or they choose to reject Him. He told His disciples that if they reject Him before man, He would reject them before His Father in Heaven. That in mind, my path is chosen. I chose Christ on July 13, 1992. I chose Him, not just so I could avoid hell and still live as I please. I chose Him because He chose me first and I saw a need for His intervention in the path my life was going.
      Make no mistake about it, because of the sin that I was comfortable in within my life, I deserved hell and condemnation. Had I lost my life in Operation Desert Storm in '91, I would have ended up there. I am now merely a messenger that is on a mission to take as many people with me to the gates of Heaven as I possibly can. I routinely witness to people openly seeking and those that aren't sure what is "up there." God puts them in my life so that I can share my testimony with them so that they will be encouraged to follow Christ as well.
      To be successful, I have to be open and willing to be led by the spirit to share with these folks. My life, as a servant to the living God is one that can definitely have ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, God is either walking right there beside me, or He is carrying me. When I am met with an opportunity to witness to someone seeking, I have the ministerial obligation to be as frank and honest as possible. If a person asks me a question, they had better be prepared for the absolute truth from me. Now, I am tactful in my answers, but I am honest as well. I have to be, otherwise I would grieve the Holy Spirit.
      Often times when I am blatantly honest, I have been accused of judging someone. Hey, if you ask me about weather smoking is a sin and I say that the Bible says that we are to please God in all things, I'm merely quoting scriptures. If I ask them if they think that God is pleased when they light up a cigarette, that isn't me judging them in a condemning way. They are bringing judgment and condemnation on themselves by getting offended, because they knew the answer before they asked it if they really looked at themselves first.
      We often times try to justify our sinful ways by saying, "Nobody is perfect. Everyone sins every day; Christian or not."
      To say that is to believe that we can not go one single day without sinning. Let me submit to the reader that this is a lie from Satan himself. If we are in Christ, we are a new creature. Behold, all things are past away and all things have become new. We were baptized into Christ's death and are dead to sin as well. If we are dead to sin, how can we live in it any longer.
      Romans 6-

¹ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

      It is very possible to go through a whole day without committing one sin. We in and of ourselves can not, but through the help of the Holy Spirit, it is possible. And who knows? If we go one day, then work really hard at going two days in a row, before you know it, you have made a habit out of going through the day without sinning. It is very hard and against our nature, but let me remind you, if you are in Christ, you are dead to sin and baptized to newness of life. Reach out and claim victory in Him.

 

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative