DEFYING GRAVITY

Gravity [Grav-i-tee]: The force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall toward the center of the earth.

What exactly is gravity? You can’t see it or touch it, yet we all know it exists. Gravity is a tremendously powerful force that we must deal with living on this earth. It doesn’t relent and we certainly can’t wish or hope it goes away. Even if you try to deny its existence, you still have to deal with its effects on you. Gravity is a force we must accept and deal with. If not, the results can be catastrophic.

As lovers of flight, taunting the forces of gravity and momentarily escaping its power, is much of the attraction with aviation. When aircraft take to the sky, the constant force of gravity is always there. Adding power sources which cause thrust, a plane can manipulate air movement using gravity’s own constant laws to either remain in the air for long periods of time or to create thrill rides through the sky.

Air show performers are the best example of how the use of power, wind flow and skilled use of their machine, create artistic works of movement in the sky to “escape” the plummet to earth. Millions of people every year flock to watch these powerful machines while masterful aviators take to the sky to perform “daring” feats over their heads as most can only dream of doing.

However, just as gravity affects us here on earth in a very real way physically, so does sin spiritually speaking. Sins are thoughts, feelings or actions that are contrary to what God would have us do. Sin, like gravity, wants to continually pull us down, make us think or do things that we shouldn’t. Gravity is natural and automatic here on earth and unfortunately for us, because of what man (Adam/Eve) did in the beginning of his relationship with God, sin comes naturally to us as well. Where does God tell us what these sins are? He tells us in the book that was written through man but directly inspired and dictated by God through the Holy Spirit, called – The Bible.

Great, but I don’t believe in God or sin!

You choose what you do or don’t believe. However, those choices are often independent of truth, facts or reality. You may choose to believe that God doesn’t exist but that doesn’t prove that He doesn’t exist. You can choose to believe that gravity doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with how it affects you. It’s an invisible force, just like the wind, but you are able to experience the effects of it. If you choose to ignore it, you will have serious problems. It would be foolish to not believe in gravity, right? It’s also foolish to believe that sin doesn’t affect your life or that God doesn’t exist. There isn’t time to go over all the evidence for God here but if you don’t believe that one true God exists, do yourself a huge favor and really check into and investigate the evidence.

God is NOT - Some manmade idea, just a system of religion, a dictator with a list of do’s and don’ts, a manmade god who requires complete blind obedience, hateful toward you, some statue or some yin and yang metaphysical force. Most importantly He does not force Himself on you.

God IS - All powerful, our creator, the real truth, pure love itself, loving towards you, giving, desiring a spiritual relationship with you and much, much more!

Is (The Bible) really God’s Word and not just a book written by men over time?

Yes, it really is God’s Word to us! The evidence is there. If you want to simply go by mathematical probability, the facts are overwhelming! The Bible contains 66 books and was written by 40 different authors over 2000 years. There are about 2,500 predictions (called prophesies) in the Bible; 2,000 have come true to the letter and some 500 relate to the future. Some people claim that there are conflicts contained in The Bible. However, good Bible scholars using the original languages and correct translations have debunked all of the so called inconsistencies or conflicts. Archeology is continually proving that The Bible is a historically accurate book. Every time archeologists believe that The Bible is inaccurate eventually discover or unearth new evidence which proves it correct! No set of men over time could possibly have incorporated all of the information and future events so perfectly. Only God could have orchestrated the writing of this book and weave all of the depth of knowledge into it. If you have doubts or questions, the challenge is to do a real serious study on the actual history of the writing of this Godly historical document.

Sin has a great effect on you!

Even though you may not recognize it. good and evil do exist. Sin, not dealt with, builds up in your soul and becomes a numbing agent to your conscience. Like drugs, the more you allow sin to build in your life, the more it removes your sensitivity to it and it takes more and more to try and satisfy you, all the while trying to destroy you.

Think that sin is no big deal?

Well it is, God cannot allow anyone into heaven for eternity if we are tainted with sin. Sin is something that a holy, righteous God cannot allow to carry over after death into the purity of heaven. If we have not solved the problem of our sin when we die than we cannot be in heaven. Sin also causes problems between us in our relationships and everyday life situations. Sin is the basis that evil uses to cause all kinds of terrible issues with individuals, communities, cities, states, and countries throughout the entire world. The devil (Satan/Lucifer - a rebellious angel who was thrown out of heaven for trying to overthrow God) uses sin to try and destroy what God created.

Does sin always feel bad?

Our nature as a human being is tainted due to man’s original disobedience to God and the onset of sin (as mentioned before) after being dismissed by God from His original, perfect home for us (the Garden of Eden). Because of our broken relationship (spiritually) with God we think, say and do things that come easy to our sinful nature but are unacceptable to God. Just like flying in an acrobatic airplane, the experience can be thrilling, but by disregarding the gravity effect without pulling up near the ground, you are in for a crash! Eventually sin steals the real joy from life. By accepting sin in our life, we feel like we’re flying way up high in the sky where it’s safe, (no repercussions). You don’t think about crashing when you’re doing acrobatics at 10,000 feet but succumbing to sin in your life without a way to clear it away from your heart and mind is like performing those same acrobatics at 100 feet but not realizing that you’re much closer to hitting the ground. You may not realize it, but the danger is always there. Many actions that are taken using recreational drugs, over indulging with alcohol, having illicit sex, having an unloving heart and MANY other sins, often seem fun or easy and may feel “good” or “normal” until they destroy your life. Then we ask “why did I not see it coming”?

I believe that I have been pretty good, I don’t commit crimes and I try to be nice! Do I still sin?

Well, if you have ever thought something, said something or done something that goes against God’s purity even once, then you have committed sin. The Bible says that we have ALL sinned against God. Not ONE PERSON is righteous! Even with one sin you would not be able to enter heaven. We know that we commit many more than one sin in our lives, if we were open and honest about it. Not challenging sin in your life leads to accepting it which will lead to not allowing God to change you at all. Then your fate has been set by your own actions.

Ok, so why can’t I deal with my sins at the end of my life with God then?

You could do that, but let me ask you, do you know when you are going to die? You don’t! It could be today, tomorrow or many days or years from now. What we do know is that death is predictable. 100% for everyone!

Also, sin has to be dealt with before we die and not after. After death it’s too late!

As we intuitively know, you don’t get a second chance in life after you die. God has made it abundantly clear that only He can overcome death. Any situation in the Bible when someone came back to life was because Jesus (God’s Son) or the Holy Spirit (God) was there to cause it to happen. That makes it God’s choice to allow someone to live again and we don’t get to choose that.

How do I deal with my sin with God?

God has provided a simple solution to the sin problem for us, even though it was not easy for Him to do.

God (the Father) provided through His Son (Jesus). Jesus came to earth from His heavenly position and took on human form, lived, taught, died and came back to life again (returning to Heaven), so that He would be a substitute for us. By taking on our sin on the cross and dying, He made it possible for us to have a way to God and heaven when hope seemed lost. By raising Jesus from the grave, Jesus taking on a holy transformed body and going back to heaven, God (The Father) and Jesus (God’s Son) showed us what we could expect at death ourselves when we believe in Him. All you have to do is recognize that Jesus is God’s Son, that He died for you and that you believe and trust that He was brought back to life from the grave, is alive in heaven, and you accept Him as God and that He will save you from your sin! By praying this (just talk to God) and meaning it in your heart and mind, you will be saved and He will change you! It is God’s gift of eternal life to you. Acceptance is all it takes. Nobody buys their own gifts if it is a true gift! So you can’t earn or “buy” this through any “good deeds” that you do.

Why is entrance to heaven only through Jesus?

Jesus came down and took on human form so He could go through the entire process of being human and experience it through our eyes. The only difference was that He was not tainted by sin. Having no sin allowed Him to be the sacrifice for us to God (The Father). God (The Father, the Son-Jesus and the Holy Spirit) operate as One God but take on different aspects of God. It is something that is difficult to grasp in our minds but that is how God explained it to us in His word (The Bible). Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

ALL other “religions” operate through men or other devices that don’t ever solve the sin problem. Muslims (Mohammed-an earthly man), Buddhists (Buddha-an earthly man), Hindus (believe in nature-worshiping the creation itself rather than the creator, they also believe in many manmade gods that relate to man but have no power of change, similar to Greek gods), and other religious beliefs that are false. Since the one true God created everything, only He can make the path to heaven. It might be convenient for all religions to say that they have a way to heaven, but they do not. Only the God that created everything can make the rules for entering heaven for eternity.

By accepting Jesus as the Savior of your soul, you can defy the natural pull of sin like gravity. You can truly “Renew your strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run but not be weary, walk and not faint”! Isaiah 41:30

Can I still sin?

You don’t have to, but you still have the capability to sin because the fleshly sin condition of your body on earth is still the same. Maturing in Christ through experience and time and following God’s guidance and teachings is a way to keep sin from controlling our lives. You will now have a way to stop it and cleanse it from your life. This is done through the internal spiritual power given to you as a helper (called The Holy Spirit). He will assist you in your struggle with sin when you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord (because of what Jesus did for us we give Him control over our lives as “Lord”), which provides the way to fight this negative pull of sin gravity in your life and will give you a new direction in life. It may seem odd to you that the Holy Spirit works in your life, but God provides this as a spiritual help to you. When you are “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit, God will lead you and you will find sin distasteful!  The best news is that ALL your sins have been taken care of when you die! Your soul may now enter God’s heaven when your body dies, because Jesus took your sin and paid the required sacrificial price for it!

This verse from God’s word (The Bible) explains the only way to be saved from sin.

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son-Jesus (the sacrifice for our sins), that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not die but have everlasting life. God did not send His Son (Jesus) into the world to condemn or judge it, but to save the world (from sin). Those who believe in Him (Jesus) are not condemned but those who do not believe are already condemned. The condemnation is that the light (Jesus) has come into the world and men/women loved the darkness (sin) rather than the light (Jesus)”.              

John 3:16-18

**Don’t love this world’s sinful distractions and pleasures so much that you end up apart from God for ALL of eternity when you die!