The other day I
opened my email
and a spam email
wasn’t directed
to my spam
folder
automatically
but was in my
regular inbox
and the title of
the email was,
“Life Is Short,
Have an Affair.”
Dang. I checked
the box next to
the email,
pushed the
delete button
and it was gone.
I didn’t even
bother to open
it and read it,
because I knew
it was of Satan
and would only
tell me things I
don’t believe
in. Life Is
Short, Have an
Affair—ha. How
about? “Life Is
Short, Find
Jesus!”
I usually open
my spam folder
to ensure
regular emails
didn’t get
directed to the
spam folder, but
I can say that
most of the spam
I seem to get
talk about the
things of the
world like porn,
affairs, secret
encounters, sex
pills,
prescription
drugs without
prescriptions,
etc: bad things
of this world.
It got me
thinking about
how many people
live this way of
life and how
lost they really
are in regard to
their salvation.
I was pretty
disheartened
thinking about
this and was
troubled by the
fact that a
large portion of
the population
is without
Jesus.
The world is
full of
temptations
designed to get
us off our walk
with the Lord.
In front of us,
behind us, to
the left and to
the right, there
is always
temptation. Do
we fall for
temptations of
this world? Yes,
some of us do
and it makes us
feel lost and
disheartens us
in our walk with
Jesus. It makes
us feel like we
are not worthy
of the Lord.
When this
happens, Satan
has succeeded in
what he wants
from us, to take
us off our walk
with Jesus. Yet,
we have no fear
of this because
we are sinners.
We are prone to
make mistakes
and because we
are saved and
can’t
be taken
from the Lord
once we have Him
and He has us,
we can get back
in our
relationship
with Jesus by
asking for
forgiveness and
moving forward
again in our
walk with Him.
“And I give unto
them eternal
life; and they
shall never
perish, neither
shall any man
pluck them out
of my hand”
(John 10:28,
KJV).
For unbelievers,
temptation
surrounds them
as well but they
don’t see it or
feel it the same
way as we do. It
is just part of
life for them.
It is fun and do
they feel guilty
for their
improprieties?
I’m sure
they do and
Satan has won.
He uses
temptations of
this world to
ensure
unbelievers
remain
unbelievers by
making them feel
guilty and
hopeless in
life. It is up
to us who are
saved to witness
and live our
lives as the
light of the
world to attract
these
unbelievers to
us and
eventually lead
them to Jesus.
As an unbeliever
at one time I
can testify that
I fell for the
temptations of
the world on a
regular basis
and felt
hopeless and
guilty, but
mostly I felt
empty. What I
believe is that
the biggest
issues for
unbelievers is
the emptiness
they feel inside
that they try to
fill with the
world has to
offer, like I
felt. Thanks be
to God that I
found Him! Yet
there are those
that haven’t
found Jesus yet
and they walk
and stumble
through life
trying to fill
that void in
their soul that
they don’t know
can be filled
with Jesus.
Remember how you
felt before you
were saved? That
hole in your
heart you felt?
The things you
did to try to
fill that
emptiness? Put
yourself back in
those shoes in
your mind to
remind yourself
of those that
aren’t saved and
how they feel,
the emptiness in
their heart, the
feeling of
hopelessness.
This will give
you the
understanding of
where they are
and how they
feel, it gives
you sympathy and
empathy to their
situation.
Remember the
feeling you had
when you were
introduced to
Jesus? Remember
that feeling of
awe when you
were saved and
felt the
presence of the
Lord in your
heart and the
Spirit of God
fall on you?
Remember the
zeal you had
when you were
first saved for
Jesus, the love
you had in your
heart, that
fullness of love
and hope? Now it
is our job to do
our best to
bring this to
unbelievers by
the gifts given
to you by the
Lord and by the
path He has laid
out for you.
Admittedly,
there are some
unsaved people
that don’t
realize they
have a hole in
their hearts.
Satan has
successfully
filled them with
lies and worldly
things that will
make it hard for
us to break
through to them,
but with the
Lord all things
are possible.
Prayer is our
weapon to soften
their heart to
be receptive to
the message of
Jesus and His
saving grace. We
must be warriors
in this fight
for the souls of
the lost with
Jesus as our
Commander in
Chief to lead us
and help us lead
others to Him.
Is this hard? Of
course it is, we
are fighting
against an enemy
who has had a
lot of
experience and
tools at hand to
deceive many to
stay away from
Jesus. But we
can overcome
this with our
actions, words,
and demeanors
around the
unsaved. We are
surrounded by
the unsaved and
through us
living our lives
for Jesus, we
can’t help but
radiate His love
and it makes
unsaved people
curious about us
and what we
stand for and
what we live
for. By living
for the Lord and
having Jesus in
your heart, you
can’t help but
be radiant in
love and
affection for
those unsaved
around us.
They are
attracted to us
for some reason
like moths to
lights. As we
live for Jesus,
He will open up
opportunities
for us to
witness to the
unsaved and will
give us the
right words to
introduce Christ
to them.
For some
people, this
gift is great
and they are
very successful,
but for others
this is hard
because of fear
of rejection or
fear of
reprisals from
people. We
shouldn’t fear
though, because
God is with us
in those times.
If we introduce
Jesus to others
and they reject
us, does that
mean we give up
on them? NO! We
must pray for
them and
continue to live
and radiate the
love of God to
them. Sometimes
people may
reject you and
your words, but
the words were
given to them
and later in
life when
troubles come,
they will
remember you and
your words and
will come back
to you or a
church for
comfort. On the
other hand, they
may reject us,
and Jesus
completely. If
they do this, it
is in the Lord’s
hand and we have
done our job of
introducing
Christ to them.
Personally, I
take the
approach of
talking about my
faith when asked
or when
approached by
someone who has
questions. I’m
not pushy or
demanding, but
respond with
love and
compassion and
by my words and
actions, Jesus
comes through me
to them and at
that point I can
introduce Jesus
to them. Do I
get scared
sometimes? Yes,
but once I get
talking I feel
more confident
and with the
Holy Spirit as
my voice, I say
the right words.
Do I push Jesus
on people? No,
but when the
opportunity
arises, I take
advantage of the
situation.
Most of my
witnessing
happens online
through these
articles and on
the support
group I’m part
of for my health
issues. I have a
verse in my
signature block
and I get a lot
of people that
email me asking
me more about my
faith and at
that point I get
to witness to
them through
writing, for I’m
a better writer
than a speaker
when witnessing
because I can
get my thoughts
in order better
on “paper” than
verbalizing
them. One of my
gifts of from
the Lord is
writing and I
use that to
better his
kingdom.
Sometimes people
write me back
and sometimes
they don’t but I
have at least
planted a seed
in them.
That’s part of
our job as
Christians, to
plant seeds in
the field of
this world. If
we plant the
seeds to people
they may grow or
they may not,
but that is our
duty, to plant
the seeds of
faith for others
who don’t know
Jesus and let
Him be the water
that nourishes
them. By
writing, I can
reach more
people and touch
more people than
I can if I
verbalize my
words. For
others out
there, your gift
may be different
but you must use
your gifts to
plant the seeds
of faith for
unbelievers.
Whether your
gift is writing,
talking,
hospitality,
etc, we are
charged to use
our gifts to
spread the word
of Christ to
others.
To any
unbelievers
reading this far
down so far,
know that we
Christians have
nothing but love
for you. We want
you to join our
eternal family
with Christ. We
want you to feel
and know the
love of Jesus in
your heart as we
do. We want you
to have the hope
of eternity in
heaven with
Jesus, for He is
the only way to
heaven. You
can’t do it
yourself by
works or living
a good life or
having your own
views of what it
takes to get to
heaven. All the
good you do, the
life you live,
and the hope of
heaven means
nothing unless
you have Jesus
in your life and
heart for
salvation.
If you want to
have eternity in
heaven, if you
want that
emptiness in
your heart
filled, this
moment is for
you. All you
have to do is to
genuinely pray
to Jesus for the
forgiveness of
your sins and
accept Him as
your Lord and
Savior. Do this
now and you will
become a changed
person. The Holy
Spirit will fill
your heart with
an unspeakable
joy. You will
begin to desire
to know the Lord
more and more
and your life
will change for
the better. You
will see the
world and your
life through
God’s eyes. The
Holy Spirit will
guide you on
your walk with
Jesus. You won’t
regret this
decision.
If you are
scared or
hesitant of this
decision, don’t
be. God is love
and if you want
that love to
fill your empty
heart, that
emptiness you
are feeling
right now, He
will do so. He
will never let
you go and will
be with you
always in your
heart and
thoughts.
You will
be a new
creature, God’s
child wrapped in
His comfort and
love. Don’t miss
this
opportunity.
Your eternal
destination
depends on this
decision right
now. Choose
Jesus.
You don’t know
when you life
will end and it
may end today,
tomorrow, or
fifty years from
now, but you
don’t really
know. If you
don’t choose to
have Jesus in
your life, you
will miss the
opportunity to
spend your
eternity with
Jesus in heaven.
We all want to
go to heaven and
the only way to
heaven is to
believe in Jesus
and His promise
of eternal
salvation with
Him if you
simply believe
in Him, His
life, and His
resurrection. He
died for your
sins and you
will be washed
clean and will
be blameless at
the judgment
seat of God if
you simply
believe. Life is
short—choose
Jesus.
God bless.
John Lysaught
John_lysaught@yahoo.com