Thursday, November 19, 2009

To the Struggling Young Man - Apples of Gold - November 19, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 19, 2009

“To the Struggling Young Man”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

To the struggling young man:

You’ve been living your life, and you’ve gotten into some trouble.  There just has to be more than this, you think, and you’re starting to think about God.

You were raised in church, said you believed in Jesus, and you’ve even prayed some prayers.  You would call yourself a Christian, but for the most part you’ve been living like the rest of the world.

But now are thinking about a change.  You need something different, something more.  Where do you start?

Well let’s start here.  Are you really a Christian, a born again Christian?  Have you repented of your sins?  Have you experienced godly sorrow for your sins?  Have you bowed your head and humbled yourself before the Lord and Savior?

This is the great transaction, and this is when the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside you.  If this has happened, you should see the fruit of the Spirit in your life. 

But if you have been living a worldly life, you should ask yourself, “Have I really been born again?”

But you know what?  Let’s not get too picky about the past, because what matters is that right now you get right with God. 

Here is what you’ve been doing.  You’ve been living in the flesh.  You’ve been living by your earthly, carnal nature.  You’ve basically been doing what you felt like doing.  “If it feels good, do it.”

James says we are dragged away by our evil desires and enticed.  Paul calls it our “old man.” 

Well if you want a change, you need to put off the old man and put on the new man.  You want to stop obeying your evil desires.  You want to stop living in the flesh and start living in the spirit.

This is not about changing your behavior to start acting like a good little boy.  It doesn’t mean you stop smoking pot and instead join the United Way.  It’s not about becoming a productive member of society or even finding a wife and starting a family.

The goal is not to become a good person.  The goal is not to break away from the crowd you’re currently running with.

The goal is the get a hold of God!  The goal is to be filled with His Spirit and learn to walk in the Spirit. 

This is a radical change of your worldview.  It will be very different.  Your flesh will want to turn back, even if there is no “back” to go to.  Your enemy the devil will try to trip you up, anything to keep you away from God.

Look, the Lord has awesome plans for your life!  He has created you and gifted you in marvelous ways!  The enemy knows that and wants to keep you all tied up and gagged and out of the game.

You can be a tremendous influence on others for years to come!  But you have to start building your life on the rock.  Up until now you have pretty much just been building on sand which seems to be fine – until the storm comes.  Then you realize just what a terrible foundation sand is.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

So you need to learn the words of Jesus.  You need to get into that Bible and find out what Jesus said, then build your life on His words.  Plus you will have the Holy Spirit inside of you to help you understand it and help you apply it to your own life.

Have no doubts, this is a spiritual matter.  It’s not about changing your habits or your friends or your location.  It’s about getting right with God and learning to walk with Him, learning His principles, and learning to walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh.

This will take time.  It won’t all happen overnight, but it can begin immediately.

It starts with making sure you are a born again Christian, repenting of sin and surrendering your life to the Lord.  Then it’s about becoming a disciple of Jesus, learning His ways, submitting to His leadership, denying yourself and following Him.

Believe me, this is the great change you are looking for.  This is what you heart desires and your soul is aching for. 

When I did this, I remember feeling different.  I literally felt like an empty spot inside me had been filled.  I didn’t feel the empty spot before.  I didn’t realize I had an empty spot, but when the Lord filled it, then I could tell the difference.  I somehow felt “solid” inside.

Your enemy will tell you to put it off, that it can wait.  Your flesh will demand to be fed, but you are starting to see where that leads.  It doesn’t fulfill.

But the Lord does.  The Lord keeps His promises, and He is a sure, unwavering foundation.  You can build your life on Him.

So don’t delay.  Make the move.  Do what you know God is calling you to do.  Break away from your past, from the old way, from the fleshly, carnal way, and run to God.  Run to Jesus.  Run to your Father with His arms open wide, ready to accept you as His dear child, lavishing His love and forgiveness on you. 

He has a plan for your life, and believe me, it is the very, very best thing you can possibly do.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000

-vi-

No comments: