Nobody likes to talk about Hell. I sure don't.
But I've been thinking about it because of the title of a movie called Drag Me to Hell. I haven't seen the movie but I've heard the premise:
An old woman curses a loan officer because of her refusal to help her with her mortgage troubles.
The curse consists of a demon tormenting the loan officer for three days on Earth before dragging her to Hell.
Of course, the loan officer spends the movie trying to avoid this terrible fate.
This movie will entertain many people, but it occurs to me that another plot is being played out right before our eyes.
But it hasn't made it to the big screen.
The real story is called "Walk Me to Hell" and millions are living out this plot every day.
They are suffering the fate of separation from God both in this life and the one to come.
In separation from God in this life, they are living lives of desperation:
- Tormented by fear and feelings of inadequacy
- Acquiring valuable goods to make themselves feel valuable
- Caught up in addictions to alcohol, food, sex, pornography, drugs, and other obsessions
- Embattled in their relationship with themselves and others
- Engaged in destructive lifestyles
- Trying in vain to fill the emptiness inside
In "Drag Me to Hell," apparently the answer was for the loan officer to try to save herself.
But in "Walk Me to Hell" you will never be able to save yourself.
Believe me, I tried!
The only one who can save you is God, in the name of Jesus Christ. He loves you. Instead of "Walk Me to Hell," he wants to walk with you and lead you into heavenly places in Him.
Before you were even born, He had a purpose already in mind for your time on Earth. He created your heart, mind, soul, and body for His purpose.
Apart from God, you can have no meaning in your life because you have no way of fulfilling your true purpose and becoming your true self.
For so many years, I tried to do things my own way.
My life was a litany of "if only":
- "If only I was married..."
- "If only I lost weight..."
- "If only I get this job..."
- "If only I win the lottery..."
Deep down, I believed if I gained those things I would at last feel as if I mattered.
I would believe my life mattered.
In my pride, I said I didn't need God and I rejected Him. But I thank Him today that He never rejected me.
He wooed me to Himself and accepted me even when I was at my most wretched.
There was nothing about me that he did not already know and was not able to forgive.
He took my sin and my pain - and turned it into something beautiful. I can love myself because I know how much he loves me. I feel accepted.
Today, I am living out my calling in Him.
Am I perfect? No way!
But day by day, year by year, I can see how much I am changing.
He has replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh - gradually able to see past myself so that I can help others.
He has begun a good work in me and as He promised in His word, He will complete it. It will be a lifelong journey.
It is not always easy, but I have confidence that God will never leave me nor forsake me.
What Drag Me to Hell has made me realize is that Hell is not the 24/7 party some might imagine - one in which you will likely hang out with people you know.
Hell is the ultimate solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is the worst punishment a prisoner can endure. Why?
Because in solitary, you are forced to face yourself. Not the "you" that you project to others.
The real you.
There are no excesses of food, alcohol, drugs or other elements to dull your senses. No worldly distractions.
It is just you: tormented and alone with past memories of your mistakes, lost opportunities, people you hurt, and an everlasting regret.
If you loathe your issues now, imagine being alone with them for eternity!
Imagine the searing loneliness. The emptiness you feel now will widen into a chasm without end after death.
Because without God, you are without hope.
I wrote this post to let you know that there is a better path to take. This path is "Walk Me to Heaven."
On it, you will get to know the Lord and discover the purpose for which He created you. You will learn about His character of love and his desire that you live according to His ways.
He is the author of wisdom. In his ways are freedom, peace, and joy.
How can you walk with God into heavenly places? Start with the first step here:
1. Seek a personal relationship with God.
2. Develop a hunger to learn about God's character, plan, and purpose for your life. The only thing that can feed that hunger is to study God's word. I created a free series of email lessons called "God's Word is Food." Click the link to learn about the free 90-day series and bonuses.
3. Participate in a fruit-bearing church. What do I mean by "fruit-bearing"? You should see evidence of God's character reflected in its members and leader. Here is the fruit to look for: they are people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The bible says that this is the fruit of the spirit of God.
I don't care if that church has a great choir, a dynamic pastor, and the members carry a big Bible and can quote a million scriptures. If you see a different spirit in the church you visit other than the one above, keep on looking. You need to be around mature believers who can encourage and support you in your walk with God. And you can do the same for them as you grow.
My prayer is for everyone who does not yet know God to get to know him and get off the path of "Walk Me to Hell". It takes courage to walk a different path than society exalts. But when you get on the path to walk with God, you will become a new creation and someday, we will sit together and rejoice in heavenly places!
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Weight Loss Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
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