Testimonies

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PERSPECTIVE APPRECIATION
By Jerome Coffield

“I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day;
the night is coming, when no one can work.”
-John 9:4, Inspirational Study Bible, Max Lucado

For as long as I can recall, I have lived covertly under the premise of the world’s (Satan’s) best lies: ‘If it feels good, do it!’; or, ‘Only look out for Number One!’; and, ‘It’s your thing…..do what you want to do!’ All the while, I have professed in contradiction to be a redeemed Christian (since 1979) that managed over the years to produce (at best) a superficial, listless walk with Christ, as a result. Despite this obvious spiritual “program conflict”, I have been blessed by my Father, even by worldly standards, to have a wonderful wife of over 15 years, a precocious daughter, a newborn adopted son, a quiet 3-bedroom home in the suburbs, a really good-paying job, and served in an excellent, Bible-believing church. However, due to an unchecked and cancerous need for self-centered consumption, I was left only to partake of the “fruits” from following my faulty desires – fear, pride, and apathy – to cloud my Godly perspective, and ultimately pilot me to disaster.

Because of my dysfunctional life view, I took God’s continual grace and mercy for granted, and lived in disobedience from doing more towards His kingdom, along with not fulfilling my Christian potential, and my spiritual commission. Specifically, I allowed myself to devolve into a “token worshipper” of Christ, despite all that my mother and my pastors implored otherwise of me, over the years. My praise rarely extended past Sunday mornings, and was hardly allowed to interfere with the day-to-day bustle of our activities. Moreover, even though I had a daily uneasiness in my spirit, quietly pleading to me that I wasn’t doing all that I could do for Him, I chose to remain unfulfilled, yet “comfortable” at my current life level, rather than accept the “uncomfortable” challenges of true Christian worship and servitude. Worse still, I led my wife into compromise by not being obedient with our tithes, for example, when I deemed the circumstances warranted such a choice, for our other short-sighted purposes.

He, however, had a plan for me, and I needed to “get busy” on working that plan, and the “head of our house”, according to His will. So, the following circumstances pummeled our lives, to “get our attention”. In a span of over 3 months’ time, we:
· had our finances crumble (in a manner similar to the consequences noted in Haggai 1:5-6), miring us in nearly-inescapable debt, despite both of us working full-time jobs
· received a newborn foster-to-adopt son way sooner than we planned, which turned our previous way of life completely topsy-turvy (in a good way)
· suffered from the loss of a dear relative, who succumbed to cancer complications
· had both of our automobiles fall into disablement, costing us thousands of dollars in consecutive months to repair them
· lost a month’s of my wife’s income, due to her FMLA leave in order to bond with our new child
· lost my income completely when I was suspended, then laid off my good-paying job, less than 2 weeks after my wife returned back to her job.

My fractured priorities and lack of perspective caused that last blow to our life, and
jeopardized all that I thought I held dear. In the face of such adversity and uncertainty, I found out two life-altering things, the hard way: first, Satan, while a defeated spirit, will pounce all in your head, to either finish you off by killing your walk with Christ, or distract you from the promises of Christ, no matter what your situation is. Second, God the Father simply wants to be FIRST in my, and everyone’s life. He’s always with us, whether we love Him like we should, and even in our darkest, weakest, or strongest times, and said in His word, that He would NEVER leave us, or forsake us.

In short, I’ve learned to worship Him in sincerity and truth, and now try to treat ALL that I do as I worship, now; in a focused, prioritized, humble and sacred manner. Don’t misunderstand: I can’t over-emphasize how unbearably painful this experience has been for me, and my family. But what has happened as a result of this? Instead of continuing to wallow in fear, remorse, anger, self-pity, and despair, I turned to the only one who was left to help us out of this darkness, and who had been there, all along – GOD!

Specifically, in the midst of my pain and anguish, I prayed for forgiveness, and surrendered to His will for my life. For the first time in my existence, I began consistently nourishing and immersing myself in God’s word, and wonderful books, such as Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life”. Although ravaged almost daily by guilt from Satan, using my realization of not appreciating what all I had until it was gone to torture me, the Lord my God offered healing and a reassuring peace. He reminded me daily about the story of Job; King David’s story in Psalms; about Romans 8:28-29 (‘we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son’); and, my personal favorite, Colossians 3:23-24 (‘And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ’). And I can honestly tell you: God has responded with His compassionate, endless love. He’s kept us in our home; we haven’t missed a meal; we have everything we NEED, and the prospects with this new life direction are extremely bright. Praise God!

I’ve humbly learned many lessons on this road that the Lord is taking us. I understand now that the “road” to successful living as a Christian is clear:
· the admitting and confessing of your sins, then asking Jesus Christ to take over and guide you, according to His will, and not your plan(s)
· we must worship and praise Him DAILY, if not more, by studying His word, and making practical, conscientious choices to obey and apply His word in our everyday lives
· be willing to share the God’s free gift of salvation and redemption, with unbelievers, and believers who could use the testimony your share to buoy their own lives, and walk
· remembering that Jesus sacrificed everything, including His very life, for our capacity to choose, and greatly reward faithful service, encompassed with the right choice.

Indeed, the path towards the Christian perspective is often the “road less traveled”,
because it’s an uphill battle against our vices, temptations, slothfulness, covetousness, lust, greed, and so on. The “easier road” that the world traverses, despite all that it offers, has but one destination, especially if Christ isn’t the basis for your life – eternal death. Christ offers eternal life with Him, and it’s my objective now – and should be everyone’s objective – to stay the course, with the right perspective driving me, my family, and everyone I associate with, closer to Him.

I don’t know what our fate will entail from the consequences of my actions (or more accurately, inaction, because before everything collapsed, I wasn’t a “doer” of the Word, as noted in James 1:22). But, day by day, my wife and I are growing to be less worried about the future….because we know God IS our future! And His word is absolutely true! I now fully appreciate my altered, simplified perspective of serving Him. Life’s pressures and turmoil haven’t changed; going through the fires of change is never easy. However, I have seen evidence – and am now a living witness – that if you endure with Jesus Christ, He’ll wipe away your tears, support and protect you during the storms of your life, and carry you to awesome levels, on this world, and in Heaven! The battle is remaining faithful and obedient to God and His word, despite being in constant warfare with our human nature, and the obstacles this world has to offer.

My final point: while our still-being-written story is now my testimony to God’s majesty, grace and mercy, I suggest to all who read this to do the wise thing, according to John 9:4 (noted at the top of this writing); and, Proverbs 14:16 (‘A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages, and is self-confident.’). Don’t wait until trouble and strife befall you, before you praise Him! Dedicate and commit yourself to Him NOW!

Do this, and I can assure you that an enlightened, appreciated perspective for Him will help you through all times, good and bad.

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