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I'd like to tell you about a man I once knew.
Before he came to God, he had little hope in life. In fact, each
day he lived, he seemed to sink deeper in sin. Surely, it looked
as though he'd never change. In fact, he was one of the worst
individuals you could ever meet.
He didn't get along well where he
worked. Since he was bitter and resentful toward his employer,
all he did was complain about his job. He was never thankful for
the good things God had given him.
Also, his home was on the verge of
being completely ruined. He liked to drink, and the more he drank,
the meaner he was and the deeper he went into debt.
He liked to gamble too. It would
be nothing for him to spend his whole paycheck and then borrow
money to pay his bills and even buy groceries!
It seemed as though the more he
tried, the harder he was to get along with and the more in
bondage he became. It was like he was in the middle of
a stream with the water rising fast, yet he was unable to move
because his feet were in quicksand. The more he moved and struggled,
the more helpless and defenseless he became.
Also he smoked, knowing all the time
that it was endangering his health. He'd throw his cigarettes
away, only to go retrieve them or buy a new pack and go at it
again. The devil would make him think that he could quit by tapering
off, but he soon found that this wasn't the case at all. He couldn't
help it; he just couldn't quit.
He was not at all pleasant to be around
because he constantly used filthy language and told his dirty
jokes. He couldn't carry on a decent conversation without adding
some filthy words of some kind.
I could go on and on telling you
about this man, but anything I could say wouldn't be pleasant.
There's nothing about him that's even worth telling. His whole
life was just a big failure.
This story would certainly be sad
if it ended right here. However, something happened that adds
a brightness and ray of hope to it. Someone might ask, "What
could happen that could change a story with such a dark picture?"
Well, the man I spoke about died—at
an altar of prayer one night. He was resurrected a new man with
a new heart, new spirit, and a whole new outlook on life! God
put his home back together, helped him with his financial problems,
and broke the bondage of his sinful habits. He was now a thankful
man with a heart full of love for God and his family. To this
day, he still walks a straight path and works to win others to
Christ.
This is a true story. I know, for
this man was me!
II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new."
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