Subtitle: Are You Searching For Something In Life, But Cannot Find It?

If one takes the time to ponder the human condition from even a cursory point of view, it soon becomes obvious that man is innately “religious.” No matter how sophisticated and urbane he may be, or how uncivilized, he will always worship something or someone—whether viewed in a religious context or not. From the savage’s superstitious rituals of appeasement toward the heathen gods of darkness to the atheist’s deification of self, man is constantly trying his best to “sweeten the odds” where an uncertain future is concerned. He is spiritually restless and constantly seeking for meaning in this insane existence called life. Why do you suppose this is true? Why not just “eat, drink, and be merry” and not give it another thought?

According to the Book of Romans, the sinful nature of man led him to turn his back upon God and wind up worshipping that which was created rather than the One Who created it!

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools--professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves. [23] And by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles. [24] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their [own] hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, abandoning them to the degrading power of sin. [25] Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed, forever! Amen--so be it" Romans 1:22-25 (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary, emphasis mine).

Verse 28 then adds:

"And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome"

In other words, God allowed man to follow the dictates of his fallen nature and the result has been disastrous. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created perfect in every respect. But when they disobeyed God by breaking the sole prohibition placed upon them, they fell from a position of grace and gained a depraved nature in the process. The spiritual aspect of their nature died immediately and the physical process of dying began. The result is that we as their descendants inherit a nature with a gigantic spiritual “hole” in it where God once was. That vacuum in our souls (some refer to it as "God consciousness") is enormous and men attempt to fill it with"religion." But religion, per se, is analogous to the dry and dusty contents left in the bag of the cleaner after the carpet has been vacuumed! No system of belief devised by man can possibly take the place of the Creator, but that does not deter them from trying. And those attempts continue to proliferate as men vainly seek to "scratch the itch they cannot reach."

If this description of the human condition strikes a responsive chord in your heart and you realize you have long searched for a non-existent black cat in a totally dark cave—do I have good news for you!! God will plug that hole in your soul if you seek Him with all of your heart. There is more circumstantial evidence available to prove that God exists and that Jesus Christ is Whom He claimed to be than any honest jury would ever require. But you alone must bear the burden of belief because no one can do it for you. So lest you fall into the same trap as have so many others, let us be quick to add that the kind of belief we are talking about is not mere intellectual assent to the facts as presented. “Head knowledge” does not equate to the kind of heart belief the Greek word translated "believe" implies:

pisteuo, Greek 4100, Strong’s Concordance

pisteuo, pist-yoo'-o; from Greek 4102 (pistis); to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ) :- believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

Implied in the word is complete reliance and is meant to convey the concept that one must trust Jesus Christ totally for the salvation of their eternal soul. Our works and good intentions play no part whatever—it is either total trust in Christ or ultimate judgment and condemnation by Christ.

Another inescapable fact is that the entrance of sin into the moral universe did not catch God by surprise. His attribute of omniscience demands that He had perfect knowledge of Lucifer’s every move and motive because He created him. The angelic being now called Satan was created blameless, but God allowed him to become the author of sin through the exercise of his own pride in rebellion.

"You were the anointed cherub that covers with over-shadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai]. [15] You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity and guilt were found in you" Ezekiel 28:14-15 (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary).

He tried (and is still trying) to supplant God and take His place, but of course that is impossible. And in a way that is nowhere fully explained in the Bible, Satan was allowed to continue his mischief by plunging all of mankind into a state of sinful rebellion. Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings, but were enticed to disobey God and became sinners. Sin, (Gk. hamartia) as the word is used in the Bible, refers to anything that “misses the target” of God’s perfection. He demands absolute perfection of all who desire to stand in His presence, because He Himself is the ultimate standard for holiness and righteousness. The purity of His Being cannot tolerate anything less and remain pure! If only one drop of polluted water entered an untainted ocean, that vast expanse would be rendered impure. Therefore, if only one sinful human were allowed to enter heaven--God would be defiled by their very presence. That being the case, we desperately need a Savior and that is where Jesus Christ, the sinless and perfect Son of God comes to the rescue.

But before we leave the subject of perfection, we need to stress the utter folly of trying to get to heaven by performing good works!!!!! Is there anyone so blind as to think that perfection can ever be reached by a mere mortal? How could an infinite amount of "doing good" ever erase that which we have done wrong? Remember we are speaking of perfection here! One automobile accident forever erases the possibility of a clean driving record and only one sin forever removes the possibility of attaining perfection before a holy God!

God’s hatred for sin is so intense He has decreed that eternal spiritual death is the penalty for those guilty of it (Rom.6:23a)—a penalty which rests on the shoulders of each and every person who comes into this world, because as the offspring of Adam and Eve we are born sinners and spiritually dead by virtue of what is apparently genetic inheritance (Eph.2:1). And not only are we born spiritually dead, but in that state we cannot understand that which is spiritually discerned (1 Cor.2:14). The teaching of the Bible is based upon spiritual principles and dead men cannot fathom its depths. Then to make matters even worse, Romans 3:13 (KJV) informs us “there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Not only does the “natural man”—the unspiritual, unsaved man—not understand, he is spiritually dead and will not seek God of his own volition! Truly he/she is as bad off as is possible!

Because of the enormity of the spiritual chasm between fallen humanity and the Kingdom of Heaven, God had to furnish a means whereby sinful men could be reconciled to His own holiness, or none would ever be saved. This was provided in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ, Who came to this earth to suffer and die as a sacrifice. He took the punishment for those whom God had previously chosen to save (Eph.1:4)—referred to in the Bible as the elect. He poured out His precious blood on the cross and willingly surrendered His life as full payment for the sins of His chosen people and thereby secured their pardon before a Holy God. In doing so, Christ gave them His own holiness and righteousness—His spiritual perfection—that enables them to stand faultless before God the Father. This is what justification is all about. It is the judicial act of God whereby through grace (unmerited favor) He declares guilty sinners to be innocent of all charges brought against them. And once the “not guilty” verdict is rendered, they can never again be tried for the crime of sin against God. Hallelujah!!! A perfection is granted that can never be reversed.

Is it remotely possible that untold eons ago, in the dateless and timeless past, God selected YOU to be a recipient of His mercy and grace? Is there a “hole” in your soul—an “itch” you cannot seem to scratch—a longing deep down inside to know the truth about the mysteries of life—but you just cannot seem to pull all the loose ends together and make sense of it? Are you troubled by your own failures and mistakes—searching for that elusive “something” intuition tells you is far better? If any of this describes your present predicament, you may be on the receiving end of God’s call and He is drawing you to Himself by cords of love. We urge you to listen to His voice and heed His call by seeking Him with all of your heart (Isaiah 55:6). Admit to yourself that you are a sinner by nature and by practice. Admit that you are incapable of achieving sinless perfection by satisfying the demands of a Holy God and therefore stand condemned before Him—under the penalty of eternal death. Get on your knees and bow your unworthy head before Him and pray for forgiveness, begging Him for the salvation that can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

BUT BEAR IN MIND YOU CANNOT DO THIS FROM THE HEART UNLESS GOD CALLS—YOU WILL NOT TURN FROM YOUR SIN AND BELIEVE TO THE SAVING OF YOUR SOUL UNLESS HE DRAWS YOU UNTO HIMSELF

"No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me; and [then] I will raise him [from the dead] at the last day" John 6:44 (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary).

Remember Romans 3:11 says: “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” He must take the initiative and do for you that which you are incapable of doing for yourself. He must regenerate you spiritually by granting you spiritual life in order that you may truly believe. This is the “being born again” that the Lord told Nicodemus about in John chapter three.

Do you want that emptiness in your soul filled? Come to Jesus Christ, confess your need, and seek forgiveness. Genuine belief—total reliance upon Christ—will result in the Holy Spirit literally taking up residence within you, never to leave nor forsake you.

".....for He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will]* not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let [you] down, [relax My hold on you].--Assuredly not!" Hebrews 13:5b (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary, *emphasis mine) *Three negatives precede the verb, according to Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest.

God will be in His rightful place in your heart and the “hole” will exist no more. It is our prayer that He will call you and receive you unto Himself. Seek Him now without hesitation—there is no guarantee of tomorrow because you may die today!

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order—Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.

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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466

You can also E-Mail  Pastor Ronald Riffe  regarding questions or comments about this article.

God bless you.