Are You Lukewarm?

By Nathan Lambert

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  Not many people openly talk about their place with God, but I feel compelled to. Too many youth are silent and willing to do anything to fit in, including putting God in the back of their minds. I don't say this as someone who thinks they are ‘perfect’; in the past, I have tried to fit in and been silent about Jesus when I needed to speak up. None of us can be perfect in the eyes of God, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. People who say they are Christians but don't follow the teachings of the Bible are typically referred to as “Lukewarm Christians." I used to be just like that, sinning with no regret and not making any effort to repent, but a dear friend gave me a push so I might get closer to God. I decided to try to become a better Christian, and that one decision had to be the best I could have ever made. At the time, I was struggling with a harmful cycle. I went to therapy for it, watched countless videos on how to stop it, and confronted my family about it, but the only thing that could help was Jesus. That is what makes me sad about lukewarm Christians; they sin constantly and freely, and they don't truly put all their faith in God, so they can’t receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit. You will be less likely to listen to or hear the word of God if you’re not trying to follow his teachings. He has been merciful to me, but I was too far away most of my life to hear him. When you truly (and I mean truly, because you are putting faith in a being that is nothing as we could imagine) put faith in him, he will rid you of all of your problems. You can't fight the temptations of this world without God. You can use the free will he gave you to try your hardest to live a holy life and do your best to follow the teachings of Jesus.

    What causes Christians not to follow Jesus’s teachings is the questions and doubts the devil feeds into our heads. The devil makes us think God is even real, but what I have heard so many times is how could the world be an accident without an intelligent mind? “I believe that God exists because of the amount of information. The DNA of a single cell is so densely packed. It demands an intelligent mind,” Cliffe Knechtle. The devil tells us that we can't be forgiven for what we did. But there is no sin too big that God can’t forgive if you repent and try not to do it again. None of us is worthy of the gift of heaven, but since God is merciful and forgiving, he gave his only Son to take up our sins. The devil tells us that God lets terrible things happen in this world. God doesn't make everything happen in this world; that is why he gave us free will. God limited his power so that we have a choice, and the devil compels us to do bad, and we have a choice to listen or not to listen. All of these questions are what the devil tells us so that we may curse or doubt God. What we must know for certain is that the devil is the father of lies; every word from him is false.