CHAPTER 7: ACCEPTANCE 2026
What exactly do I accept about myself? Pay attention, you might find things familiar to yourself. Let’s start with exciting personality traits, worthless all of them. Starting with number one. Sinner. We start there and now the ball is rolling.
Top contenders are: Weak in spiritual strength, limited without scripture, fallen without God, discipleship/fellowship inconvenient, prayers short (just give me what I want), job/life complaints constant, guidance inconvenient, frequently invent different versions of Jesus to suit my situation, pray only in emergencies, “what can I give” is not in my vocabulary generally, unless I’m getting something for it. Mystery of God not necessary, patience, love, kindness, wisdom foreign except when I believe I’m amazing and that is questionable at best.
We continue with the top 100, accountability optional, clever thoughts of sin and debauchery persistent, destructive pathways always the priority, lies justified, mediocre is touted as genius, easily fooled by the devil, truth is now incorrect, incorrect is now truth, can argue scripture incorrectly consistently, and all of this I can do while calling myself a believer in Jesus Christ. Brennan Manning is quoted as saying..
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
When I ask God for help, I need His help, all the time. Scripture is a letter written to me, by God, for me to read and know that God was thinking of me and my stupid before the world was ever created because He didn’t want stupid for me, He prepared me to choose God, He wanted greatness for me in His eyes, nobody else.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
How does a scientist become a scientist without study, a lawman without training, historian, teacher, mathematician, engineer, anything, how does a person simply say I am a Christian without preparation, study, teaching? Simple answer, they don’t. Without it, I will stay exactly the same as I was before I said, “I believe.”
Yes, Christ said believe in me and you are saved. What does believe in Christ mean? How could a believer believe without taught what to be believe? I can pontificate all day long on my concepts of anything, does that make it right? I can believe in God, I can believe in Jesus, I can believe He rose from the dead, I can believe He loves me, I can believe I’m going to heaven, that doesn’t mean I know anything without application of knowledge, study, fellowship of those who have experience and have achieved a higher level of information than myself. How can I apply life to Christ, partner with God if I simply say I believe? How could I actually help the Lord save His people without reading, studying and committing the bible to my heart and to my mind. How can I understand the power of the Holy Spirit if I do not read the words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit?
James 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Romans 12:2 emphasizes transformation through the renewal of your mind, enabling you to discern God’s will and become the person He desires. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking”. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares that when someone is in Christ, they become a new creation, with the old passing away and the new arriving. Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart and spirit, replacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh. So what’s the difference between an atheist and a believer who doesn’t read the book? The answer? No difference. And in the end, the risk is insane.
Matthew 7:23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
So back to acceptance. The Bible says that God reveals His will to those who seek Him with a sincere heart. By studying His word and praying for understanding, I, even stupid, gain insight and exercise better decisions.
James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Atheist does not believe in God, agnostic isn’t sure there is a god. I must accept that, too. None of us are perfect. The trick is how I handle my imperfections, how I handle myself in a non-believing world. I am not perfect, far from it, but I try to represent to the Lord, my effort to continue to try and be better, knowing that Jesus has covered the bet and taken the full penalty for my transgressions. That makes things different. Me trying to be better, makes things different, makes me different, makes the world see me different, allows God to be in me, with me, for me, I accept the following…
Romans 3:23-26 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
How often do I say okay to God. Just okay, I’ll do it. Whatever you say, I’ll do it. No if, ands or buts, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Then truly just do that. Do I accept that God can, will and has already been driving my life? Will I resist because I’m afraid to let go, that God maybe doesn’t get it? Truth is not popular here on planet earth, truth is seen as a part of a populist movement. But that’s not truth, that is opinions and trends. I’m discouraged by that. It happens in the world, and in the church. God has become a concept rather than the clear marker of right and wrong.
I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring. It scares me to think of the world my daughters face. I see evil taking more ground, pushing against the gates with lawlessness in the name of all things good and holy and it’s anything but, more and more people see evil as good and good as evil. I, like Rip Van Winkle, am just waking up and seeing the insanity of my life with God and the world around me.
Luke 10:23-25 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
How many politicians have not read the Bill of Rights, the Constitution or the Bible? How many students rioting for socialism have not read the The Communist manifesto, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Principles of Communism, State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin, how many? How many of those students have interviewed people who have fled from communist countries. How many? None. Or they wouldn’t do what they are doing. How many interviews of people who have died at the hands of christian haters, the families left behind? How many people are willing to accept the world as it stands, as if it is good, when it is not.
How about I just work the job God gives me? How about I work the list of the day and be happy about God protecting me in a godless society? Any chance of that happening? Any chance of me accepting that God gave me the list and to do the list is to walk in the steps of the Master?
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” is found in Matthew 6:34. God, if you read the book, is with you, if you be a true believer.
John 9:4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work,”
What about everybody else you might say. Many of us say, “I compare myself to those more successful, It looks like everybody else is doing better, what about me?”
John 21:22 ” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”
To fight, resist and change the course of God’s purpose for me, is to sell myself short. What will I have to share with people? What will I say God has done in my life? Nothing, if I don’t let Him. What will my testimony be? “God did nothing for me?” You see how stupid that is? The truth is, “I did not let God do anything for me.”
In Luke 8:39, Jesus tells a man who had been freed from demons to “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you,” according to Luke’s Gospel. Now that was quite a story to tell, wouldn’t you agree. What story do you have regarding the same. Can you say, “He freed me from my demons?”Or are you still entertaining your favorite demons, fame and glory baby, fame and glory.
How does that help others find the road to paradise? It doesn’t. How does that help you find the road to paradise? It doesn’t unless like me, life tears you into oblivion and you have no choice but to turn to the Lord. Beware of the lies of the world. What is freedom is not freedom at all, what is god, is not god at all, what is truth is not truth at all. But, how would I know, if I did not have the Truth to turn to? I wouldn’t. If I just pray without the book, how do I know how to pray and who I’m praying to? I don’t. The job of salvation is the greatest story ever told. It is the life of Jesus Christ and it is found verbatim in text of the bible, accurate, unchanging, Truth. You and I are offered true freedom.
James 5:20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
C.S. Lewis quotes: “It is not your business to succeed, but to do right. When you have done so the rest lies with God.”
Rest, eat and prepare, fight the good fight everyday, read the book, pray for strength and clarity, repeat…
Matthew 25:23-24 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
I ask myself sometimes. “Are you a thermostat or a thermometer?” Do you actually change the temperature of a room or simply endure it? In the Lord change for the better is inevitable. Without God, there is no truth, only the reality of lies and the inevitable end in chaos.
—1 Corinthians 2:9 “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
I quoted Brennan Manning at the beginning of this piece. American author, theologian, and former Franciscan priest, widely known for his powerful, bestselling writings on God’s unconditional grace and love. He famously called Christians “ragamuffins”—messy, imperfect people who must rely entirely on God’s mercy.
Did you ever wonder why the devil and his followers were not offered redemption? I have a theory. They actually were in heaven and saw God. They then chose to come against the Almighty. Now, here’s a scary thought. The devil talked one third of the angels into a mutiny against the Lord. Those angels were in heaven in front of God, in the Glory of Heaven and they chose to fall! That old devil talked them into it. That ole devil has some skills. I would not advise coming against such a thing without the Lord. You see, God takes it seriously that you and I have not seen heaven, and still, in Faith, we pick the Lord.
Don’t worry, this has been going on a long time, even the apostles struggle. Thomas didn’t believe the Lord had risen from the dead, until he did. How you going to know this stuff, and use it in your life, if you don’t read it, study it, commit it to memory?
John 20:27-29 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Chapter 7 Acceptance 2026, I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, therefore I exist to follow, engage, and learn in His Glory forever and ever and ever, Amen…
