He Believes In You

"Jesus saves! He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! Jesus is the Master of the Universe, our reason for living, breathing!"


Sure, you have heard it all a thousand times before but do you believe it? Does it even matter to you at all?



Huh!?!


Youth Worker Journal reports that between 65% and 94% of high school students

WHO ATTEND CHURCH will stop attending after graduation!

What? How can that be? I'm not quite sure I caught that right! Say that again.

Between 65% and 94% of ALL students who attend church will stop attending church after graduation, according to Youth Worker Journal.

I am still in shock. To me, that is an amazing statistic and it speaks volumes about what we as parents may be saying to our kids.

Hey kids, what are we saying?

Again, "Huh!?!"

Why are they leaving? Reaching out for independence? Trying to make their mark on the world? Simply do not buy the whole "rose from the grave, died for our sins" thing? Well, that is all probably true to some extent, but there is one underlying problem. There is one little "bugger" sticking it's head out...just peeking. Do you see it? It's called,"our parent's faith".

Many of us were raised in the church. Not all of us, of course, but many had parents who tried to teach us Christ from an early age. They taught scripture. They made us attend every function, every time the doors opened. They had devotions with us. They would sing hymns with us, and to us. They prepared us for spiritual warfare. (1 Peter 3:14-17 NKJ) What did we get out of it? Some would argue that it only harmed us. Ran us away from the church. But did it?

I left the church when I graduated high school! Why? That is something that I have thought about for some time. Why did I, someone who was raised in the church, taught scriptures, had pastors for parents, ran with a Christian crowd, etc., etc...? Good question! Needs an answer!

I did not buy it just because I had been taught it. I had not experienced it! I was functioning on my parents faith, not my faith! They had the personal, loving

relationship with Jesus! I did not see the draw. The seeds that were planted would soon scream volumes, or some kind of fancy, glorious word meaning "lots, great quantity, etc." Not being a farmer I guess I just did not know about seeds at that time. Thank God my parents did!

I asked myself one question over and over. "Why should I go to church every Sunday and pretend to worship a God I was not sure existed?"

There is one underlying "stinker" here. Do you see him? He's not just sticking his head out, he's starting to flaunt a little. Self is his name. What a destroyer of faith! Didn't I learn anything? Didn't I hear anything? Well, sure I did but I just didn't buy it. I had not had reason to believe it. Once I left the protection of my parent's faith and started to think for myself I began to self destruct!

Couldn't I see my parent's faith?

Couldn't I feel that faith?

Didn't I see that wonderful relationship?

Didn't I know the Holy Spirit was there to help me make decisions?

(John 14: 15-18 NKJ)

Uh, No!

Should have, it was right there in front of me, day after day, year after year. The truth is I was just too self absorbed. If it was not about me, it was just sort of on my outer fringes. Instead of using what I had been taught to find a path to a personal relationship I used those same teachings as a "crutch" to escape on. I blamed all I did on "misdirection". Sound familiar? (Romans 8 12:17 NKJ)

High school students face tremendous obstacles! No argument from me, but one can use those obstacles to deny the Lord...or one can use them to find a personal relationship with the Lord. A friendship.

Remember when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness? He was hungry from fasting, so Satan told Him to turn stones into bread. Jesus could. Jesus didn't.

Satan took Jesus to a pinnacle of the temple and told Him to throw himself off. Satan said the angels would help Him to safety. Jesus could. Jesus didn't.

(Matt,4:1-6 NKJ) Get the idea? I would have failed every test.

Where did that leave me? Dangling from a noose tied to chandelier? Pretty close! Did I care? Nope! Didn't see it!

My self absorption dominated my existence. It's a very long story so here's the Footnotes version. Let me start by saying one very important thing. God did not give up on me! My parents did not give up on me! My friends did not give up on me! Get the idea? God, probably in tears, sent me into the world, on a journey to find HIM. (Luke 15:11-31 NKJ) That journey would take me to a mountain, a fall, and then hell itself. Thank God not everyone has to go through that, but I was headstrong and determined to be atheist! Agnostic at least, Anything but a believer!

Oh yes, I believed. Said I didn't but I did.

I denied Christ when I set out on my journey!

I denied Christ when I became a professional musician!

I gave Christ no glory when commercial success started to come.

I denied Christ when I started taking drugs!

Oh, but I found Christ the night a bad LSD trip sent me to hell! In the course of this LSD trip I thought I had a heart attack and died! I thought I had been sentenced to hell. Really, actually, in my heart thought I died. Really, actually, in my heart thought I was sentenced to hell. It was very real to me. My reality was not reality. It's a long story, but here's the good part. Only by the grace of God and my parents training was I able to survive the experience. The only thing that kept me from complete mental meltdown, mayhem, even murder was this...

In my bedroom, on a nightstand was a Bible. Thinking I was in hell, I wondered something. If this was hell, what's a Bible doing here? The Bible is completely contrary to everything hell is! Only because I had been taught this did I recognize that one truth! That one truth kept me sane! It was my only grasp on reality!

I dropped to my knees, confessed my sins and asked God's forgiveness. He did what He does best. He forgave me!

I do not recommend this journey for anyone! This is not the path to take! This path is covered in sharp rocks, craggy trees, dark clouds, and an unachievable goal. Do not do it! Please, please find a different path! (Psalm 1:6 NKJ) But I will say this..

To anyone on this "searching for Christ" journey, you do need to find a path. (John 14:6 NKJ)

You cannot have a relationship through your parent's faith. the seeds they planted through their faith is a sword and a shield. Armament for battle. (Ep.6:10-18 NKJ) The war has been won, we merely have to take up that armament and believe. Repent of our sins. Ask God for forgiveness. Have faith! I know that sounds radical but it really is not. Your parents have their own relationship with Christ. They have traveled their own road. (Mark 8:34-38 NKJ) Now you have to travel yours.

You can chose to believe what you have been taught. That can be faith, redemption or something else. I do not know your personal situation, but God does know. He knows what path you need to take. He will not take you up and over the mountain if He can take you through the valley. He really does not WANT us to go through pain and suffering. Listen! He speaks!

I found faith through mental suffering, but I have kept faith through a personal, loving relationship with the Lord of the Universe. Somehow, nothing else stacks up does it?

Believe for yourself and back it up with scripture. Stay in the Word and know that it is so much more than a history book. It is a road map, and so much more.

Life lessons, and so much more. It is fact!

You do not want to be trying that "bad LSD trip" road!! Too often that road has a much different ending. Cry out to Christ. He will answer. (1Peter 4:1 NKJ)

It all comes down to this...

Rely on Him for all things. Listen for His voice. Do as He asks. He will be there to guide you, to hold your hand, to see you through the garbage of life.

He believes in you and wants what's best for your life.

He wants your praise, your servitude and your love. Give Him that and He'll give you eternity. (1 Tim. 4:8-9 NKJ)

I certainly wish I could have seen that before I went to "hell"!!