By Billy Graham
Tribune Media Services
Q: I think I would like to be a real Christian but I’m not sure I could keep it up. I have a hard enough time staying out of trouble now, and a friend of mine says the devil will get after me even harder if I give my life to Jesus. Is that true? – W.B.
A: If we give our lives to Christ, we shouldn’t be surprised if the devil will try to discourage us or even turn us away from God. The Bible warns, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
But this shouldn’t keep you from coming to Christ! In the first place, you need Christ and His salvation. To be blunt, if you were to die tonight you would enter eternity without Christ and without hope – and that is a very sobering thought. Not one word in the Bible would make anyone ever want to go to Hell – not one. The Bible describes it as a place of “darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).
But you not only need Christ – you can have Him, and you can be part of His family right now! Listen: God doesn’t wait until we are perfect to welcome us; He accepts us just as we are. And once we come to Christ, He will help us by His Spirit to live the way we should. Even when we give in to temptation, we still belong to Christ, and He will forgive us and help us.
Don’t let another day go by without Jesus in your life. The devil wants to keep you from making that commitment – but remember: Satan isn’t your friend; he is your enemy. Open your heart to Christ and discover the joy and peace only He can give.
Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY. 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@aol.com.
This article was printed in the December 19, 2010 – January 1, 2011 Edition.
