Chapter 7

A New You

I'm a salesman by occupation. Sales is a result-oriented profession, as are most occupations. It seems all of us are more interested in what we achieve rather than how we get it. So let's indulge ourselves for a minute and look at the results of your forty days. Let's start with the personal results. First, you are free! Oh sure, Satan is still trying to tempt you with that old hang-up. He will never stop trying to enslave you. But

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you - my friend, my brother, my sister - are a new person, and the newest thing about you is your new inner strength - a strength that laughs at Satan and causes God to smile and say to you, "My child!"

This new, strong person has the ability to function better in this world. You are able to think with a clear mind; and you see the world through different eyes. You now see hope, not only for yourself but for others, for the whole world. You have realized the fruits of your hope and faith, for without faith in God, in Jesus and in yourself, you would not have attempted the forty days. Now that you have experienced personal proof of the reality of God and Jesus, now that you have experienced the power and the truth of the forty-day method He gave you, you realize it's all true. All His teachings are true. You realize your life doesn't end when your body dies. You realize that ahead of you is a glorious life in eternity with God. You also realize God has put you on this earth for a purpose, and now more than ever you must endeavor to fulfill that purpose, being thankful to God for healing your affliction.

There may be a tendency here for you to be overzealous, not in God's eyes but in the eyes of others. Since we are here not to alienate people from God but to win them to Him, be aware of their feelings and reactions to you. Let them see a better you, not a fanatic. Let them see a person they want to emulate. Draw them, attract them to God. How? Simply with your love. Be kind, be good, be helpful and be charitable, be happy -

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because you are happy in your new freedom, happy that such a burden has been lifted. Share that happiness, and help others to lift their burdens. They, too, have addictions, obsessions, guilt, pain and the miserable feeling of being lost. You can be their "good shepherd." You can bring them back to God's flock with your love.

Why do we want to be constantly on the alert for opportunities to give, spread and multiply God's love? Because God is counting on us. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have heard the message have an obligation to become agents for God. Jesus no longer walks this earth. Until His return, we are the instruments God is relying upon to do His work. But why bother? Wouldn't it be simpler to let someone else do all the work? Aren't there plenty of enthusiastic people to convert the world?

Until Satan has been defeated and eliminated from the face of the earth, we all are needed. Just because we think anything can be preferred to doing God's work, we can assume Satan is still influencing us in a subversive way, tempting us to concentrate on anything other than spreading God's love. We simply can't outgive God. As much love as we give, we will receive back much more from God. This love is the one treasure we are able to take with us into the next life, though this is not our motivation. Our motivation must be to open the eyes of others so they may see what we have seen, the path to salvation. We sincerely want to save souls. We sincerely want everyone to feel the peace, the harmony, the ecstasy of living with God.

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There may be a second healthy motivation for our wanting to do God's work: our love for Him. He has saved us from condemning ourselves to hell; and we are grateful. We know there is no way we can ever repay the miracle of our healing, but because of it, we feel compelled to serve Him, and by serving Him to love Him for the rest of our days.

Now we become opportunists for God. He will provide the opportunities for us to display our love. Just remain always open, always mindful, always prayerful, asking Him to open the doors to the path He wants you to travel. We often have a choice between His path and the path of the world. Sometimes the path of the world is disguised to look like God's path. Pray for the gift of discernment and put the opportunity to the test of serving God, of spreading His love. Many causes that seem to be for humanity are just methods to manipulate the many to serve the few. Nazism and communism are examples.

Any movement that claims a man or a woman as its leader may possibly be humanistic in its intent, but it will fail without the leadership of God. Be wary of any organization that presents its leader as God-like. The closer to God the leader becomes, the more he should become the servant acknowledging God as the true leader, the true inspiration. But if he jealously clings to his position of leadership, then he is self-serving and rejecting God's way.

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God's cause doesn't promise physical food or jobs or equality on earth for everyone. God has told us the poor will always be with us. Therefore, we know that poverty, while providing an opportunity for us to serve others and God, will never be eradicated while Satan rules the earth. We will always find someone materially better off than we are. If our reach is for equality by man's definition, we are doomed to frustration. Physical and material conquests are all meaningless and empty without love, for love is the ultimate achievement. Just as Jesus is love incarnate, our path should lead us to become more like Jesus, striving also to become love incarnate. Is this possible? Do we know anyone who is a living example of love? If not, perhaps it's time we opened our eyes to our surroundings. Such people do exist. They're the ones who astonish us by smiling at adversity as simply another opportunity for giving love. These are people we should want to know and emulate.

After our forty days in the desert, we must actively stay close to God because Satan never rests. He will continue to pursue us. If we continue to possess God in our hearts and souls, we can laugh at Satan when we experience his temptations. We must continue to pray for others and for ourselves. God wants to help us every step of our way for the rest of our life. Be aware He is with us even in the smallest things. Nothing is too trivial for our petition. Start every day asking Him to be with you, to guide you, to give you His strength, to give you the strength of Jesus. Look for Him in others, share Him, give Him, give of yourself.

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Hunger and thirst for knowledge of God. Become a reader of books that will add to your spiritual growth such as the writings of Thomas Merton. I suggest you start with a good study Bible, such as the Serendipity Bible for Groups. If you can study in a small group of two or more, you will learn faster and in a more meaningful way. Start with the four Gospels of the New Testament. Then you can go back in time to the Old Testament and more easily see how it foretold Jesus' coming and then forward in time to the remainder of the New Testament to experience the development of the early Christian church.

Two prerequisites are necessary for gaining knowledge of God. First, we must want to know about Him for the proper reason, such as our love for Him or our desire to serve or emulate Him. Second, we must allow God to teach us according to His schedule with His tools, of which the Bible is only one. Other learning tools may be our experiences with other people or, actually, anything in His creation. Be aware of God; be constantly listening to receive His message. He may withhold knowledge from you because He is not ready to reveal it, or may feel you are not ready to receive it. That must be all right with us. After all, He's God. It's not necessary that we know everything; otherwise, what's faith for? He may impart knowledge to you on a need-to-know basis. Be aware

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that it can come at any time and anywhere. An idea may pop into your mind seemingly out of nowhere (He allows nothing to happen without purpose). You may be in a group discussion when you give an answer you didn't previously know, and somehow you know it's the right answer.

If He imparts knowledge of Himself to you, He has a purpose. It may relate to the special service He wants from you. Hunger to serve Him. Be certain, He has something very special for every one of us to do. Pray for direction, and be aware the answers may come when you least expect them and may not always be the answers you want. Be open to His will over yours. This openness can only be the act of a free person without hang-ups or enslavement to Satan. God may wait until you have won such freedom before revealing His plan for you, as was true with the author.

After your forty days, you'll find yourself changed, the same person but better. You'll find yourself easier to like, easier to love because now you are free to radiate love. A burden will have been lifted from your mind, from your inner being, from the real you. As a result, you have experienced a conversion. You realize that this was only possible through God and that you have tapped the ultimate power in the universe. You have experienced a miracle as the slavery of your mind has ended. You are in control for the first time in a long, long time.

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Regardless of your conscious beliefs before your conversion, you now know that God exists. Only through Him was your healing possible. You have a new faith, and you are grateful. You see, this is the person you always wanted to be. This chapter is for the new you, the you who has a new lease on life, the you who was lost and now is found, the you who has a new family, the family of God. Welcome, my brother, my sister!

You now feel indebted to God. This is not a burdensome type of debt; rather you feel compelled to take action. You want to make God first in your life, but you don't know how. Start with prayer and express to God that you want Him to be first in your life and you'll initiate some effort that will strengthen your union with Him. This could be church attendance, regular Bible study or volunteering for charitable work. The action must be meaningful to you and frequent. The greater the frequency the better. The more God fills your life, the less chance Satan has of reentering it. Next - and this is very important - ask God to open the doors He wants you to enter. If you ask Him to give your life new direction, He will. If you now realize He has saved a life that you thought had little value, which was only being lived for itself, you must also realize now He has a purpose for you. God doesn't create waste. He creates bounty, and He wants you to be bountiful. Isn't that wonderful? You have great value. There is a great reason for your existence. You are a great person, and if you ask God to reveal your path to greatness, which is the reason for

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your creation, He will! Realize we're speaking here of greatness not in men's eyes but in God's eyes. If because of God men esteem you highly, accept it with humility and give the credit to God.

Now a second miracle has happened. First, you have been saved from an empty life, a life of enslavement to greed or lust or some other aspect of misdirected self-fulfillment. You are free! Free to choose your way to live the rest of your life. Free to choose GodÕs way; and this truly is a free choice. He will never force Himself on you as Satan does. And this is where the second miracle occurs; this is your spiritual rebirth, a true rebirth in your whole way of thinking, in your whole way of living. Now the clouds have been lifted from your mind, and you clearly see the way to true happiness for the first time. You used to think only religious fanatics were wrapped up in God all the time, but what you have experienced is not religion, for it can be experienced regardless of which religion you profess or whether or not you are a member of any organized religion. In fact, since and because of your rebirth, you can identify the false fanatics and the false religions. Any religion that professes anything but love for any of God's creation is false. No, you haven't experienced religion. You have experienced rebirth, the beginning of a close personal relationship with your Creator. Now you can use religion to nurture that relationship because the right religion will help you to unite with others in spreading God's love.

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End of Chapter Seven Prayer

Oh, Lord, thank You for setting me free. Help me to radiate love to everyone You allow me to meet. Open the doors to opportunities to serve You. I want to make You first in my life. I'll start by _______________________.

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