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The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel — Part 1

The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel — Part 1

Filled with all its challenges, stressors, sickness, and conflicts, life can be hard. Many people come to see me in the midst of their struggles, desperately searching for a better way to live. But, as I teach them to find practical strategies that will help them cope, I have also discovered that our understanding of reality — how life works — has a direct impact on our understanding of what is happening to us and our ability to cope with the stress.

As we journey down the road of life, everyone one of us will run into bumps and potholes, make wrong turns, and sometimes even have wrecks — but the mindset, understanding, attitude, and beliefs we hold along the way will not only determine the reactions we have when we’re hit with life’s stressful challenges, it will change the paths we choose to steer onto in the first place.

Yes. We can learn to take smoother paths, to anticipate and avoid the potholes of life, and to stay on course for our eternal goals, such that when life hits us hard, while we may be battered and bruised, we will never be defeated.

But not all methods of travel are equally healthy, adaptable, or capable of getting us through those rough patches. As you travel the roads of life, consider which way you would like to navigate them:

Walking in Ignorance

Many in the world today are doing little more than floundering. They have no knowledge of God, no understanding of how life was created to operate, no insight into God’s designs and methods. They are not purposely seeking evil; they are not seeking to harm; they’re not predators. These are hurting people longing for a better life but who are lost in their ignorance. They try so hard to handle the pain of life’s problems, yet they get discouraged when their efforts never bring lasting peace. The apostle Paul speaks of these needy people in this way:

At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God’s chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God’s promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12 GNT).

In this world of sin, there is no hope of completing the journey of life successfully without God. However, the Bible also tells us that there is hope for those who are in ignorance:

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14–16 NIV84).

Those who walk in ignorance don’t have to stay in ignorance. Jesus is the light that enlightens all minds (John 1:9). When we come to know Jesus as God, as our Creator, who is love and whose laws are the reality upon which our lives our built, we not only develop a saving relationship with Him, but our minds also become enlightened to understand how life is supposed to work. We develop new insights that enable us to discern which turns in the road of life to take, paths that keep us going in the right direction (Hebrews 5:14).

Those who walk in ignorance are those who don’t know God and His methods of love. If you are walking in ignorance, I encourage you to get to know God, for this is the road to eternal life (John 17:3).

Walking in Illiteracy

Many who come to my office overwhelmed with anxiety and stress identify themselves as “Christian.” They attend church, and most of their friends are “Christian.” Yet they have essentially no real knowledge of Scripture. They say they believe in God, but they are biblically illiterate. In an online article entitled “The Scandal of Bible Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem,” Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. writes:

Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: “Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.” How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it’s worse than most could imagine.

Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. “No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don’t know what they are,” said George Barna, president of the firm. The bottom line? “Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.” [See Barna Group’s website.]

Multiple surveys reveal the problem in stark terms. According to 82 percent of Americans, “God helps those who help themselves,” is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better—by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one’s family.

Some of the statistics are enough to perplex even those aware of the problem. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham.[1]

As unbelievable as it may be to you, I can confirm all this to be true. When I ask my Christian patients if they know some of the most basic Bible stories, most admit that they don’t.

The Bible tells us that the historic events it details were recorded for a reason:

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did… These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11 NIV84).

The Bible is filled with stories to educate, enlighten, and inspire us—to teach us about God, His character, and His design laws for life and to show us what happens when we choose to break His design protocols for life. These stories also give evidence of God’s goodness, grace, and kindness, showing that He is like a loving parent who never needs to be influenced to be good to us and who is always seeking our good. In fact, as Paul asks, don’t you realize “that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4 NIV84).

It is by reading the stories of Scripture and seeing a murderer, Moses, transformed into a loving friend of God and who is taken to heaven—or a betrayer, adulterer, and murderer (David) experience a new heart and right spirit to become a man after God’s own heart; or a king (Manasseh) who led a nation into the grossest idol worship and participated in child sacrifice be restored to righteousness—that we see the goodness of God and are won back to trust in Him. We can say, “If God can forgive, heal, and save these people, then He will heal and save me too, if I let Him.”

And then there are the stories of people like Joseph or Job. We read how they were faithful and true yet still experienced betrayal and terrible loss because of the evil of others; yet we see that when they kept trusting God through their painful ordeals, they saw God bring good out of the evil. Such stories inspire us with hope and give us a perspective larger than our immediate trouble, allowing for the possibility that we are serving a higher purpose than we can immediately understand.

One Christian author put it this way:

God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him (Ministry of Healing, 479.2).

But if we don’t know the history, the reality, of God’s’ actions through time, then when life’s problems come, we are prone to doubt God—we lose hope, get discouraged, and often simply give up.

Those who walk in illiteracy claim a belief in God but don’t actually know what He’s doing. I encourage you to read about God’s hand in history and to no longer have a faith floundering in biblical illiteracy.

Walking in Infancy

These are also those who believe in God, and have given their hearts to Him, but they have never grown up to understand God’s methods and principles. They walk through life following the direction of some other human being. They put their trust in the testimonies or experiences of others, allowing them to be a guide. They haven’t thought things through for themselves; they haven’t developed their own ability to differentiate truth from error. They constantly look to some other authority (pastor, priest, a list of beliefs, a creed, a Bible commentary) to tell them what to do or what to believe.

Yet these sincere believers live in fear—of making a mistake, of getting deceived, of being led astray, or of not doing something right. They are afraid to think for themselves lest they are wrong, so they defer their decision-making to others. The Bible describes such people:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:11–14 NIV84).

Letting others think for us prevents us from developing the ability to think for ourselves. If we don’t know why the truth is the truth and why a lie is a lie, then we are not settled into the truth. In other words, we remain vulnerable to believe lies, to be led astray; we are not intimately acquainted with righteousness, with living in harmony with God intelligently and purposely, so that nothing can deceive us.

God wants us to grow up, to learn to think and to reason for ourselves (Isaiah 1:18–20; Romans 14:5). When we do, life becomes easier to cope with because we have greater insight and understanding as to what is happening and, therefore, we can make choices in harmony with God’s principles to deal with life’s challenges.

Those who walk in infancy are those who let others lead them through life and never learn to think for themselves. If you have been walking in infancy, I encourage you to grow up in Christ, to develop by practice the ability to discern the right from the wrong, to fix your eyes on Christ and stop allowing others to do your thinking for you.

Next week we will finish our exploration on The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel

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Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 59

I’m a native Ghanan, but am currently in France for my master’s degree. Prior to this, during my final years at undergraduate studies in Ghana, I was introduced to your ministry and I’ve been immensely blessed by what you share, especially about the Design and Imposed Laws. God richly bless you for that.

One of the first things I did when I arrived in France was to buy all four of your books. They not only helped me, but those I shared them with. I shared the message with an atheist student and I marveled at how God worked mightily in his life. Today this person shares the Love of God with others and debunks theories of who God is not. I want to share what you present in your “Heavenly Sanctuary and Investigative Judgment” pamphlet, because the message brought rest to my soul and I live today as a healthy person.

God bless you so much and your ministry.

Michael A., Ghana

 

Testimony 65

I have been tuning into your weekly study classes for a while now and wanted express my appreciation for the teachings that ha been a huge blessing in opening up the true message of the word. Viewing scripture under an imposed law theory always, without fail, raised more questions, concerns, and conflicting scripture interpretations that were discouraging at the very least. Looking at scripture through the design law lens has brought more truth to light for me personally and an understanding of our Heavenly Father that places Him “above all others,” where I am now more than thrilled to witness and serve Him.  I “stumbled” across this ministry a year or so ago and would only watch a few minutes at a time. But the more I listened and the longer I paid attention, the more my spiritual eyes were opened to the ever present truths of scripture. The comprehension of the great controversy and it’s origin by the lies perpetrated and perpetuated throughout the Bible on the attack of God’s character and government is truly priceless. Keep up the Good Work! Your servanthood is desperately needed in such a time as this!

Jeff D., Reading, MA, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 9

I really enjoy with you the view of a gracious God. Thank you for sharing the work you are allowing the Lord to do in you.

L., Queensland, Australia

 

Testimony 4

I’m a youth leader in South Africa. We as a youth group are currently using a lot of the material on the Come and Reason site. Since we’ve started using the material, our youth group has grown.

R. V. N., South Africa

 

Testimony 53

I was so blessed by a friend who gave me your book, “The God Shaped Brain,” while I was sitting in church asking God to please help me learn more about Him and help me not to be so confused and scared. That was about 2 years ago. Your books have helped me to love God even more. I’m not confused or scared anymore! I have listened to all of your bible study classes and feel like I know the wonderful people that attend every week. Thank you for all that you’re doing in spreading the true message about God and His law of love. God bless you and your whole class.

Elssy P., Modesto, CA, USA

 

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 25

I just want to say thank you so much for your conversations via YouTube. I regularly tune in to your lectures, “Let’s Talk” sessions, and many others. Through these I’ve found greater depth and meaning to God’s word. Thanks for all that you do and please continue. I’m currently working in the middle of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. I feel like God really has me in the right place right now and I’m sensing that your teachings might be part of it.

B. F., Silicon Valley, CA, USA

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 15

I have been sharing Come And Reason Ministries Bible study lessons with several folk. You have such a beautiful view of the plan of salvation. If we had this message preached when I was young, my generation would still all be in church.

H. R., New Zealand

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 63

I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

Michael V., Yonkers, NY, USA