So often we consider the little things as unimportant, but everything we overcome draws us closer to our Saviour and helps us to be prepared for the next thing He brings our way. This life is our battlefield for overcoming the temptations that Satan throws at us.
For many years, Rob Hagar created the crossword puzzles used in the LandMarks magazine. He has graciously given permission to use his testimony.
“As a young man, I learned that caffeinated drinks were not good for the human body, so I didn’t drink them. Years later, during a personal crisis, I developed a liking for a particularly popular, sugary, caffeinated drink and it became a regular habit. Later, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and this provided me with a good ‘excuse’ for drinking this drink since it kept me going every day after lunch and when driving. The Holy Spirit kept reminding me that I should quit, but I had fallen asleep several times at the wheel and ran off the road and in one accident I totaled my vehicle. This convinced me that I needed caffeine, and I adapted my thinking to accept it as a necessary ‘medicine’ to keep me alive. However, our longsuffering Saviour would not let me have peace of mind and continually reminded me that the human body works best without artificial stimulation.
“I want to thank Jesus for the incredible, unbelievable patience and love He has shown me. He left the incomprehensible glory that He had in heaven to suffer loneliness, sleeplessness, hatred, rejection, and even the most severe physical pain. All this that I might have the opportunity for an infinitely better life with Him in His home if I would only choose to obey Him and follow Him.
“Recently, a friend reminded me that only those ‘who would rather die than commit a wrong act’ will be permitted to live with holy beings in a place so wonderful, so beautiful, so awesome, so filled with real joy that I cannot even imagine how happy I’ll be there with Him and His family. Our Saviour, in His mercy, allowed me to see that in my own strength it is impossible for me to resist Satan’s temptations. But by His grace, He has promised to provide His strength to me for each day. I’ve tried to quit this habit many times over the years, but apparently without really trusting Jesus to help me resist the temptation.
“Now, however, I finally can say, ‘Lord, I cannot resist the feeling that I must have this drink unless You change my heart so that I can yield to You to change my desire. I wish only to follow You, not my warped, sinful thinking, so in Your strength, I’m not going to drink any more caffeine.’ The first few days were hard, but now I can say that God Himself, through His grace, has cured me, and I no longer have this irresistible desire for those drinks.
I can now testify that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. No longer must I live under a constant cloud of guilt for not living up to the light that I have. Finally, I am experiencing that “peace that passes all understanding!”
“Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 159
To God Be the Glory!!