"And they that know Thy Name will put their trust

In Thee. for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them

that seek Thee" (Psalms 9:10).

A new believer was witnessing to a friend of hers who was an agnostic, and after listening to her politely for a while he said "Well, all I have to say is this. If Christians want to make us agnostics inclined to lock into your religion, you must try to be more comfortable with it yourselves. The Christians I meet seem to me to be the most uncomfortable people anywhere around. And I for one do not care to have that sort of religion." The sad truth is we have very few Christians that are comfortable in their Christian experience. Let's consider some of the reasons for this problem.

Our Lord Jesus said His yoke would be easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30). We are told in Galatians 5:22 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace etc., but why do we develop fruits of doubt, fear, unrest, and discomforts of many kind? Why do we doubt God really loves us, and why are we uncertain that He is kind and cares about our needs? Has the Lord promised us blessings that are not attainable to all believers?

Someone once said, "We know what over advertisement is. It is a twentieth century disease from which we all suffer." I remember, so clearly, reading a sign as I drove by a nearby intersection, "Best Restaurant in the Country Opening Soon." I couldn't wait for the opening! We were amazed, when it opened, to see so many of our friends also anxious to try it. We never went back! That was one of the best jobs of over advertising I have ever known! They had two kitchens worth a million each but had neglected to get a qualified chef. Today, that restaurant is empty, and has been closed for some time.

We can be certain that is not the problem with Christians who do not enjoy what the Lord has provided for them. Our problem is that we have not trusted in the only One in the world who is trustworthy! Our greatest need, as believers, is to get to know Him! Paul said; "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (Philippians 3:10). One of Job's friends said; "Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace." Cruden tells us in his Concordance that the names of God signify that which He really is, and are used throughout the Bible to express His attributes, His purposes, His glory, His mercy, His love, His wisdom, His power, and His goodness.

To start with an important fact to remember - the Bible is God's Word, not man's ideas or theories. There is no other book like it! It is the only source of information that reveals the accurate condition of the human heart (Jeremiah 17:9) and helps us to see our need of a Savior. It addresses every problem we face, and has the answer. We can fully trust its contents because it would not be in the Bible if it weren't known to be a fact. When God tells us He loves us, He points us to Calvary where His Son died for His enemies. Through the years, the skeptic has tried to disprove the Bible, only to have the archaeologist's spade prove the Word of God to be accurate.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples; "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them"(John 13:17). If we believed half of the tremendous truths about what God has provided for the believer, we would be the most joyous people on earth. We realize that we have exchanged our sins for His perfect righteousness, we are joint heirs with Christ, we belong to the Royal Family of God, we will spend eternity with our Savior, and nothing we do or don't do con ever change that. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8; "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." His purpose is to put doubts in our mind about God and His Word. He knows no one will give us a hearing when we are depressed, anxious, fearful and doubting the truths in the Bible. We need to know that all negative thoughts don't originate from our Heavenly Father, but from the devil, and immediately dismiss them by replacing them with God's promise to the believer. When our focus is on our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are occupied with Him, we will experience His joy and peace.