There have been so many people over the years claiming that a life without God is far superior to one with Him. Unfortunately for me, I listened to those voices and found tremendous pain and more problems than solutions in my attempt at happiness through atheism. I now know by way of experience that a life with faith in God is far, far better than a life without Him.
I love Psalm 84, which says, “better is one day in His courts than 1,000 elsewhere”. I have come to discover the truth of this that just one day of my life of having friendship with God, after my conversion, is better than 1,000 days of my life before my conversion when I did not know the Lord.
At 16 years I decided that I did not believe in God. I did not understand how He could be real, so I gave up trying, and lived my life accordingly. I thought this was the path to take in order to have a good time. While it felt good at times, much damage was inflicted on myself and others by my choices.
To be honest, I was utterly broken. I sank deeper and deeper into anxiety and depression, suffering tremendously as my own brain attacked me every day. In my search for relief, I did more drugs and drank more alcohol, truly believing that these things would save me. This life without God hurt me a lot. Thankfully, I have been able to walk away from it with lessons to share with others who might have similar experiences.
After years of living for myself and living for the party, I realized that there had to be a better way. I recognized that I had tried so many other ways to find happiness that simply did not work.
Thankfully, God was close to me, seeking me out, even though I was blind and unaware. His love had already been poured out for me. He paid the price for my life and He wanted His prize. Regardless of my choices and actions, no matter how far I fell, God loved me and wanted me to live my life knowing that I was His child.
Now, God has me completely. It doesn’t matter what people think as long as I am striving to Love with God’s love. And it truly is God’s Love. It moves, has life, and dwells within us. Like we find dew on the grass on a beautiful June morning, so too does the Holy Spirit show Himself to the world when we let Him love through us.
A life with the Lord is a beautiful life. It’s a fairy tale. When we give up the things that are bad for us, go to Jesus and begin walking with Him, He turns our lives into fairy tales.
Don’t get me wrong, there will still be struggles. I have still gone through tremendous difficulties even after my conversion. Yet still, going through difficulties with God is far better than going through them without Him. Furthermore, after choosing to walk with the Lord, He has helped my life grow and blossom into something truly beautiful.
At first, it was hard for me to turn away from my bad habits and turn toward God. It can be scary to take that first step. We can see a great analogy here with working out. Starting to go to the gym is terribly hard. But once you get that momentum going, you start looking forward to it. Some days still kick your butt, but you feel so good at the end of the day.
I wouldn’t have made it here, I might even be dead, if God did not pursue me like He did. My old life probably should have killed me. Looking back, it’s actually a miracle that I am still alive after all of what I have been through.
If you are looking to come to know God and have a superior experience of life, I have three steps I took that you can begin today that will help you progress toward your goal. Actually, there are more than these, but these will be a great start for anyone seeking more for their lives. These are steps that I personally took and found very helpful in my search for happiness and in growing closer to the Lord.
The first is that I became much happier when I started to try to be more charitable. I began to seek to love and help others more by putting their desires before my own. It was not the same as the happiness I would experience a year later when I went through with a full send conversion, but I was better.
Secondly, I started to speak to God often. I found some time throughout the day to speak to the Lord in prayer and share my heart with Him. Slowly over time, God began to meet me in prayer and lead me closer to Him. This helped me to make better decisions and discover the right direction to take in my life.
The third step that I took is that I spoke with and listened to people who had successfully achieved what I desired. I took advice from those who had found happiness or who were further along toward that goal than me. Seek out those who are more mature in their faith than you are, particularly those who are like how you want to be. Ask them for advice or to lead you to someone who can advise you to point you in the right direction.
Here at Zenith, we offer a one on one mentor program where we meet with people who are seeking more from life. It has been amazing to see people grow in their identity and discover more of God and ultimately have a better experience of life. If this is something that you would like help with, we would love to work with you! Reach out to us today for a free consultation to learn more! You can message us at info@zenithministries.com or cal/text at 404-333-8978.
God is real and knowing Him might not take any your problems, but it will help you navigate them better. You will grow in who you are and He will help you to have a proper perspective on life that allows you to have a deeper, more beautiful experience of it. I wish I could explain it more accurately as it is far better than my words can depict. You will just need to find out for yourself! I promise, if you give God your all, He will not disappoint you.
