Double Dare

Take a trip back into the times of childhood and see if you can remember when you would challenge your peers to do things that were perceived as adventurous,scary or risky. The common sentence would often begin 'I double dare you...' and would always result in a squeamish girl, wincing at the sight of a muddy garden worm in the grasp of her hand or a bravado acting boy climbing to the highest branch of the tallest tree in the garden. If we were the ones being challenged, a feeling of apprehension would overwhelm us but this was soon followed by a feeling of obligation to your reputation, as well as a sense of curiosity. We were eventually lead to rising up to the challenge. Those were the days eh?!

You may be trying to work out why on earth she is bringing up such an irrelevant memory so let me explain. Following an earlier conversation with an unsaved friend that had called to seek counsel from me. In no time, it turned into another episode of me being a witness of The Gospel and ministering to her spirit. However, I also discovered through her that many people are walking around choosing not to accept Christ's gift of salvation, simply because they are scared. Now you may be asking what it is that I suggest that people are actually scared of, so in a nutshell, I will show you:

1. Some people are scared of all things spiritual: because they have not seen nor heard the things of God, they are scared to allow themselves to be exposed to spirituality.
2. Some people are holding onto the things of the world: money, relationships, material possessions etc...these are the things that people idolise and actually live for whilst failing to realise that they can not leave this earth with them, neither will they bring true contentment.
3. Some people are scared to trust someone that is neither tangible or visible - It's like being pushed backwards whilst being told to trust and have faith by allowing yourself to fall into loving arms. Some people are reluctant to let themselves fall if they cannot see or touch the person that is meant to save them.

There many other reasons for people turning their back on Jesus but the ones mentioned are the common reasons that I hear from people all the time. However, this is worrying so I want you to ask yourself this: Imagine living through a life of struggles, hurt, deprivation, neglect, rejection, abuse and demonic torment, after which you die and end up being sent to hell for the REST OF ETERNITY because you chose to ignore Jesus and His gift of everlasting life...wow; what an tragic, yet unnecessary end to your story. As harsh as it sounds, that is what is going to happen if you die without truly accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. And for all those that believe in the misconception that 'If you do good things all your life, God ain't gonna send you to tell just because you didn't accept Jesus' or 'You don't need to go to church to say you are a Christian or better still, you're going to Heaven'; do not kid yourself because that will not happen in a million years. Sorry to disappoint you but can you imagine inviting someone to your house for over eighty years and they refuse to acknowledge you or the fact that you allowed your only son to be sacrificed for their sins, after which they expect to live in your house when they feel like it - the audacity! Personally, I don't think it is wise to waste such an opportunity so this is my challenge to you:

I double dare you...no, let me start again...I TRIPLE dare you to ask (continually until you begin to see results) The Lord this: God, if you be God and if Your promises are real, then please reveal Your Glory to me and show me just how real You are by giving me a divine miracle sent from Heaven.

I challenged my unsaved friend to do the same thing and guess what she said? No because she knew that God would show her in an instance.

Keep seeking

Effie :)