I remember seeing those footprints in the sand poems printed on plaques, picture frames, and mementos everywhere I went. I never knew who was carrying whom, I just liked them. I knew I belonged to God because my mother named me Angelo. She said that when I was born, I was her angel. Even after all of the destruction I’ve left along the way, she still believes that. It took me forever to understand, I was beyond the prodigal son. I grew up with a thousand friends and none are here with me today, but I always knew that I was chosen, sanctified, and set apart from sin.
Now I understand how a man can be about his Father’s business. The only problem was me figuring out how to become a man. Romans 7:11 (KJV), “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.”. They say in life, the hardest part is learning how to stay out of your own way. I believe this. It’s been one heck of a road. Paul speaks about sinful nature and how we cannot blame a commandment that has brought sinful nature to life. This is what it was designed to do.
Even after accepting Christ, it doesn’t always mean we will obey Him. This is why we fail in so many ways…our unrenewed mind backfires on itself. If you sleep, now is the time to wake up and understand the truth. We as people have led so many different lifestyles, it’s hard to choose which one is actually you. In the end, we have done all the acting without getting paid. At least Hollywood actors receive a paycheck, but they probably don’t take their alter ego home with them either. Once sin controls our lives, we begin to live a life of complete destruction. There’s so many things that take us out of faith, but mainly it’s the lack of making it our practice to pray diligently every day. Today, we barely pray so how can we believe?! We’ve begun to use lip service as real service and it has weakened the church. False oaths and broken covenants we disguise as the truth, and in the end, we still look forward to receiving a blessing. We forget that it’s the relationship with Him that matters most. For someone who has not served God for half of their life, they want a full life make-over. All of this is completely possible because the God we serve is an awesome God, and He reigns.
For those who are lost, I pray that you will be found. To those who have gone astray, I pray for your safe passage home. For those who are living the struggle, I pray that you will hold on. It’s not enough to say you love God, your actions must speak louder than words. If you’re asleep now, it’s time to be awakened by Christ. This just might be your final call.
