A change of direction

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:5-6

In our lives, when we want to make positive changes, we have to change our mindset. We have to focus on God through all of our adversity and trust that He can pull us through anything. Sometimes, part of changing our mindset involves leaving behind those situations and friends that are contributing to the problem. We cannot remain carnally minded or have those kinds of influences in our lives and expect to find true peace and happiness in Christ.

When I gave my life to Christ, I had a sincere desire to change my existance. I left behind an entire culture and set of friends. It was necessary for me to do this in order to follow Christ. He changed my heart and mind completely and the desire to participate in such things went away. I was a foul-mouthed, cigarette smoking, alcoholic before He came into my heart. My whole life revolved around my friends, my beer, and keeping my head just barely above water ... to keep myself from drowning in a sea of depression and anger. He has given me a joy and peace that is far beyond my understanding, and I have no desire to ever return to my former life.

I am not going to say that I don't have bad days ... I am a human being. But all that I have to do clear my mind is to simply pray and focus my spiritual eyes on God.

Something that I learned through living my life is that there are plenty of people to contribute to your downfall, but no one around to help you stand up. I can remember all of the nights that I layed in bed feeling so alone and lost, even though I had a wealth of friends. My group of friends would go to the Clubs with me and we would party the weekends away. We would laugh and drink, and do whatever it took to have a good time. But, no matter how drunk I got or what I did, there was an emptiness ... a void in my heart and soul ... that no amount of partying, sex, or alcohol could fill. When I gave my life to Christ, all of the negative things were removed and my life was altered. He filled my heart with all of the peace that I have ever needed and more.

Are you having problems that seem insurmountable and you don't know where to turn? I've been there.
Are you suffering with depression so bad that you don't want to get out of bed and can't sleep? I've been there.
Are you headed toward an early grave because of your lifestyle? I've been there.
Are you doing whatever you can to escape and to numb your senses? I've been there.
Are you thinking about just killing yourself because you can't go on? I've been there, too.
I know that feeling of emptiness ... I have had it before.

Christ wants to be your best friend and give you love beyond any that you can experience here on earth. He loves you so much and wants to help you.

Talk to Him. He's listening.