On God's Terms
I was on that path—the one that feels right, looks right, even sounds right—but leads to destruction. How many of us believe we are serving God while walking straight toward disaster? We cannot serve Him as we want. God is not interested in our versions of worship, in rituals built on human opinions and traditions. His way is holy. His way is written. His way is unchanging.
Then came the moment that shattered my illusions. God opened my eyes and showed me the truth. The weight of it crushed me. My spirit groaned beneath the burden of how far I had fallen. But God—oh, the goodness of God!—is kind, patient, and faithful. He did not leave me in that place of despair. He lifted me, refined me, and began a work in me that only He could finish.
I remember trembling as I read the words in Matthew 7:22-24:
"Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
How terrifying—to spend a lifetime believing you are serving God only to stand before Him and hear, “I never knew you.” This is no distant warning—it is a direct call to each of us: Are you truly walking in God’s way, or are you following your own version of righteousness?
We cannot approach God on our terms. He is holy, and He demands holiness from us. Isaiah 35:8 declares, “A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it.” Holiness is not a suggestion—it is the very road that leads to life. Any other way is false, a deception crafted to lead us astray.
Yes, we come to God as we are, but we are not called to remain as we are. The power of God’s Word transforms! A thief becomes a man of integrity. A drunkard becomes a lover of Christ. The liar learns to speak truth. The proud are humbled. The wild are tamed. Those who once burned for the things of this world are set ablaze for the glory of God!
Without change, our faith is an empty shell. We cannot claim to know God while clinging to the chains He died to break. Transformation is the evidence of true worship. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it must happen. If there’s no change, we are walking in circles, lost in the wilderness of self-deception.
Let us live with urgency. Let us strive, with trembling hearts, to never stand before our Lord and hear those devastating words: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Instead, let us heed the cry of 2 Corinthians 13:5:
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you—unless, indeed, you are disqualified?"
And let us remember the solemn charge of Philippians 2:12:
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
The time for casual Christianity is over. The time for compromise has passed. God is calling us higher—into holiness, into transformation, into true and living faith. His way is the only way. It is narrow, but it leads to life everlasting.
I remember trembling as I read the words in Matthew 7:22-24:
"Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
How terrifying—to spend a lifetime believing you are serving God only to stand before Him and hear, “I never knew you.” This is no distant warning—it is a direct call to each of us: Are you truly walking in God’s way, or are you following your own version of righteousness?
We cannot approach God on our terms. He is holy, and He demands holiness from us. Isaiah 35:8 declares, “A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it.” Holiness is not a suggestion—it is the very road that leads to life. Any other way is false, a deception crafted to lead us astray.
Yes, we come to God as we are, but we are not called to remain as we are. The power of God’s Word transforms! A thief becomes a man of integrity. A drunkard becomes a lover of Christ. The liar learns to speak truth. The proud are humbled. The wild are tamed. Those who once burned for the things of this world are set ablaze for the glory of God!
Without change, our faith is an empty shell. We cannot claim to know God while clinging to the chains He died to break. Transformation is the evidence of true worship. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it must happen. If there’s no change, we are walking in circles, lost in the wilderness of self-deception.
Let us live with urgency. Let us strive, with trembling hearts, to never stand before our Lord and hear those devastating words: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Instead, let us heed the cry of 2 Corinthians 13:5:
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you—unless, indeed, you are disqualified?"
And let us remember the solemn charge of Philippians 2:12:
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
The time for casual Christianity is over. The time for compromise has passed. God is calling us higher—into holiness, into transformation, into true and living faith. His way is the only way. It is narrow, but it leads to life everlasting.
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