Instant Christianity

Have you ever been into a chapter of your life where you are struggling so hard about an issue in your life that you just can never get over with? Or maybe it’s a sin that you’ve been struggling over and over again. Or even it’s a bad habit that you’ve been trying for years to overcome. I might have something that could be an encouragement for you today. It was like cold refreshing water on a thirsty hot day for me and I sure pray that it would be a hope for your life as well. Have you ever dreamed of being a singer? An athlete? Or even a musician? Those people sure make their job ”look” so easy, don’t they? Take a look at American Idol for example. They make somebody who is nothing into a big star in a matter of weeks. I sure thought it was easy! They’re born with that voice and just pick the right song, sing it well, and put a bit of your own twist just like Simon used to say. However, I realized that those beautiful vocals don’t just drop from heaven. It’s a little bit of talent and tons of hard work. It comes from years of training, sleepless night trying to perfect the performance, and countless hours to rehearse to make sure they can hit those big notes. The same thing applies to an athlete. Marathon runners don’t decide they want to run the night before the race start! They decided months and months before the race. They have to prepare their bodies, train the muscles, and eat nutritious food to make sure that they will have the stamina to endure the race. Those accomplishments are not an overnight process. The same principle applies to our struggles in lives. I’m sure many of us have seen those preachers in the TV, claiming that just pray this and that or send some money to the ministries and your bad habits will go away and your struggle will flee. Or maybe you’ve heard some testimonies on how God deliver them from drugs or other sins. It’s very tempting to think that those processes happen instantly. I sure wish it happens like that and I have to admit that I fell into those traps. I prayed to God, “Lord, why I keep on doing the same thing over and over and over again. I prayed for your help, my pastor laid hands on me, but why I keep on repeating the same sins.” I learned a hard truth today. Take a look at Matthew 6:8 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus told us to go to our secret place, shut the doors down, and pray to the Father who is unseen. This thing that nobody sees in us is the thing that our Father rewards us. He’s talking about your daily devotions, your prayer in your secret place. Have we read the bible lately? Have we given the best time of our day to Him? I’m not talking about the last 30 minutes before you go to bed and you fell asleep during the prayer because you’re too tired. No, I am talking about the discipline of going to your prayer room, seclude yourselves, read your bible, kneel down and cry out to the Lord during the peak time of your day. Jesus is the God of first fruits, NOT leftovers! This is the essential part of a Christian, the price we have to pay and the source of our strengths. Without which, we are just like a marathon runner who did not train beforehand and couldn’t finish the race because his muscle was cramped due to shock. Or like a singer who didn’t train beforehand and ended up with many out of tune notes in the performance. Remember, the quality of our daily devotions will determine the outcomes of our lives, our ministry, and our effort to know Him more. This was the reason all my effort fell short. I was fighting the battle without fully armored and trained which ended up with me beaten up by the enemy. Guys, I’m not acting like I’m holier that you. I’m in the same boat like you are. But let me encourage you today. Don’t let our instant culture fool you around. Nothing is instant in the world except for a ramen noodle or when God wants to heal somebody out of his illness. Remember your discipline! Even Jesus himself secluded himself and prayed to the Father for strength (Mark 1:35). Don’t rely only on emotions or trying so hard to bring back the “just got saved” feeling. God is so much more than just emotion. Live your life with the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the spirit (2 Cor 13:14) May the Holy Spirit give you strength and discipline to train yourselves in this race towards Heaven. When Holy Spirit is in your house, nothing is ever going to be impossible! Author: Sigit Suharta saya sangat diberkati dengan article ini...dan saya harap anda juga turut diberkati...Yesus memberkati kalian..