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Pointers along the way #8

What about good luck charms?
- Jacob Ninan

Do you think that by placing a cross in your room you can keep away evil spirits? Can you get rid of bad dreams by keeping a Bible under your pillow? Is God going to bless you if you keep a palm leaf cross from Palm Sunday in your house? Will a "Jesus saves" sticker on your car keep you from accidents? If you claim something in the name of Jesus are you sure to get it? We can go on...

No. These are foolish beliefs that many people have, just like the superstitions in many other religions. There are no good luck charms or magic formulae that work with the God of Christians. He operates in an entirely different way. He is a Person, and He deals with us on a personal level. He is a Spirit, and He deals with our spirit. He communicates with us in our spirit. The more we get to know Him personally, the more we will get to know His ways.

The only way to get to know Him is through Jesus, God's Son. Jesus said that no one could get to know God except through Him (Jn.14:6). Jesus is the One who died in our place, and took the punishment for our sins. It is only when our sins have been washed away on that basis that we can get near God and begin to know Him. Then He shows us that He has adopted us as His children. And then begins a real relationship between us and God, where we talk to Him and hear Him speak to us.

Jesus said that He is the Truth. He also said that when we know the truth, the truth will set us free (Jn.8:32). It is by knowing Jesus personally that we get set free from fear, anxieties, and all other forms of bondage. We get boldness from knowing that God is with us, and then we don't have to be afraid of evil spirits, accidents or what people might do to us. It is not that nothing bad will ever happen to us. But nothing can happen to us unless God allows it. He will not allow it unless He thinks it is something we can bear (with His help) (1Co.10:13). At the end He will cause even those bad things to work for our good (Ro.8:28). He is our good luck charm - if we understand it the right way.

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