How can I get to know God in a personal way in this life and have assurance of going to a better place when I die?

A BETTER PLACE

After reading this study, has your perception of God, of prayer, and of death changed? I hope so. What has resonated with me are two things. The first has to do with a prayer to God concerning intervening in someone’s life to heal sickness from impending death. We’ve learned that there are times when God will heal someone immediately, or will provide healing at a different time, or won’t provide healing at all. Obviously, the most difficult of these three options is healing from impending death that never occurs. This is painful and, in many cases, can cause us to harbor bitterness, resentment, and anger toward God.



Is there anything else that could be said that wasn’t already addressed in this study concerning this topic?

Yes, there is. I found an article that I believe puts prayer into a much clearer perspective. Please read this, and after which, we’ll talk about the second thing that has resonated with me.



UNANSWERED PRAYERS AND THE DIALECTIC OF DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD

Everyone has experienced disappointment because of “unanswered” prayers. Think of a loved one who has suffered, a family member who falls from the faith, a dream that has fallen by the wayside. Trust in God is shattered when God fails to deliver on important prayers. So much hinges on whether or not God really does answer prayer that it's devastating when God doesn’t respond the way we want him to, especially when those prayers are for [things] we believe are good – things that God ought to want to do.

Does God really always answer our prayers? That’s [what’s] taught in Sunday school anyway, but it doesn’t always feel like it. As we grow older, we realize that things don’t always work out the way we had hoped. This shouldn’t cause us to give up on [prayer or,] worse, give up on God. The truth is that God always answers prayer, but in order to see [how] we must have an open mind and an open heart.

There are two ways “unanswered” prayers can turn out – one is coherently, and the other is [mysterious]. There are times when God doesn’t answer a prayer the way we [want, and we’ll] never know why. Something terrible is about to [happen, and we pray against it, but it happens anyway, and there’s] no possible human way to reconcile why God might have allowed it to happen. This does happen. But experience tells me that this is rare, and usually, our disappointment or disillusionment is the beginning of something more.

What we must be willing to consider is that we have a tendency to miss out on the ways God is answering our prayers. If we allow disappointment with God to lead us to the conclusion that God doesn’t [care] or that God doesn’t answer our prayers, we miss a tremendous growth opportunity as well as an opportunity to see God move in response to our prayers. There are numerous ways this can work [out] but consider just a couple [of] possibilities.



[First, God could say, Yes, but wait.]

In many instances, God is answering our prayer, just not at the speed that we may want. God has his reasons and his timing, and sometimes [it’s for our benefit that He] makes us wait. Imagine what our relationship with God would look like if prayer took no effort and God simply gave us whatever we asked for whenever we asked for it. God is no genie in a bottle. If [He allowed us to treat him that way, we'd lose our respect for Him]. Only newborn babies can get whatever they want whenever they want it.

Think of a time God answered a prayer such that the timing worked [toward your advantage].



[Sometimes, God says, Yes, but not like that.]

We can never be too careful about putting parameters on God for how God will work and answer our prayers. It's not up to us to determine how God will fulfill our prayers. God has his way of doing things, and we hurt only ourselves if we insist upon God doing something a certain way. When God does indeed answer our prayer, we continue in our disappointment because our eyes are not open to his way of doing things. If [we’re open-minded about how God answers our prayers, we’ll] be delighted to see that God oftentimes does answer prayers we thought had been unanswered.



[To be realistic, sometimes, God also says no.]

[But God’s no is always, I have something better in mind.] It’s important to [remember that a [no isn’t the same as an unanswered prayer. An unanswered prayer would be one in which you got no response. Think of [no’s] as good. Be thankful you got a response. But also remember, part of the whole reason we pray is to discern God’s will. A [no shouldn’t be taken as God not caring] or God ignoring you. A [no] means that God has something else in mind, and God is always going to do what’s in your best interest. We must learn to trust that and use even the hard experiences of [no] to guide us more fully into the life that God has for us.

Think of a time God said [no.] What [larger,] greater purpose might God have had in mind when he answered your prayer in the negative?

Remember that God wants us to lift up prayers for all things. [It’s inevitable that we will pray prayers that leave us feeling disappointed, but remember that God is a loving Father who wants to give good things to his children; we must never allow disappointment with God to lead to unbelief or giving up on prayer, but must allow this suffering to make us stronger and ever more reliant on His] grace and love. The ultimate goal of prayer is not that we get everything we want, but that we grow to realize more and more that our [lives, our joy, our satisfaction, our essence] is found in our relationship with God. Even in disappointment, God is teaching us how to pray and what to become.38

The second thing that resonated with me in this study has to do with God providing protection of a loved one in respect to their physical safety.

We’ve learned that death can occur to anyone at any time, regardless of whether the person was a born-again Christian or someone who doesn’t believe in God. Do you remember the story about those unbelievers who died when a tower unexpectedly fell upon them, and someone asked Jesus was this because they were sinners above all else? Jesus’ answer was that this wasn’t the case. And then he made this remarkable statement, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. We’ve been asking throughout this study, what does the word repent mean. Well, now is the time for you to know what it means. Are you ready?

The word repent means to change one’s mind and conduct. And the word perish means to not necessarily die in the same manner, but in every case without salvation. Some believe that when a person [dies,] their body goes into the ground, and that’s it. Others believe that when someone dies, they come back as someone else. And there are still others who believe in a better place waiting for them after death. But here, the ultimate question remains.



Is there a way for someone to know for sure what their destiny will be after death?

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus said that He is the way to bring any person to His Father, who resides in a place called heaven.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

These verses give us the clarification we need as to what is required of us to go to a heavenly place at physical death. You might ask, can I get there by giving money? Can I get there by trying to be a better person? Can I get there by going to church? Can I get there by performing good works?

Two things are needed: repent (acknowledge and turn from your sins; proclaim that you are a sinner to God the Father) and believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, as to who He is and what He has accomplished.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

1 John 3:24b …And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

And you’ll receive the Holy Spirit; Who will provide you with His presence, a new nature, and assurance of eternal life, a life that will never end residing in heaven forever and ever.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Heaven, we’re told in Scripture, will be a special place where God shall wipe away all tears (not a tear shall ever be shed there39; wipe away tears from off all faces40), and there shall be no more death (not one shall ever die41); neither sorrow (for the loss of property or friends; for disappointment, persecution, or care; over our sins, or sorrow that we love God so little, and serve him so unfaithfully; that [we’re] sick, or that we must die42); nor crying (all the outbursts of grief arising from affliction, from oppression, from violence43); and no more pain (there will be no sickness, and no calamity; and there will be no mental sorrow arising from remorse, from disappointment, or from the evil conduct of friends).44

Wouldn’t you want yourself, your husband, kids, relatives, friends, acquaintances, etc., to go to this place when they leave this earth so that you can be with them forever, enjoying this incomprehensible eternal state? And wouldn’t you want a sure hope that this destination is assured for us in time by the receiving of the Holy Spirit, who will come inside our body and give us a witness of His indwelling and affirmation of this guarantee?

If you aren’t a believer, then you’ve read this book for a reason, and now a decision is placed before you. When you die, where will you spend eternity?

If you’d like to know that you’ll spend your life in heaven immediately at death, along with having the opportunity to get to know God now in a personal way in this life, then confess this prayer quietly or out loud.

I acknowledge that I’ve sinned in many areas, such as: slandering others; having sexual relations outside of marriage; being jealous; having participated in alcohol or drug abuse; having sex with others of the same gender; having committed adultery; having taken money from others in a deceitful manner; having committed rape; having engaged in pedophilia, having committed murder, etc.

I don’t want to continue in these mental, verbal, or overt sins. I need a new nature.

I believe in you Jesus Christ, as one of the members of the Trinity, who pre-existed time; came to the earth, and took on the form of a man, being born of a virgin (no sin nature); God incarnate (God come in the flesh); deity (possessing a divine nature); lived a sinless life; listened to and obeyed the directives of his Father; went to the cross and paid for the penalty of and forgave the sins of the whole world; rose from the dead after three days, never to die again, walked the earth in His resurrection body for forty days witnessing to over five hundred people; and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father.

Suppose you’ve said this prayer, congratulations. You’ve now received the indwelling Spirit. You’re a new person. Death is defeated. Welcome to your new life in Christ.

Sometimes, at various moments in time, God will saturate you with His presence. At other times, He’ll give you winks that He’s abiding in you. Now, I’d like to pray for you.

God the Father, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, reveal yourself to one of your own. Guide them to a church where the gospel of repentance and belief is preached. Guide them to a church where they can learn about who they are in your Son. Guide them to a place where they can learn about how to address the weaknesses of their flesh and become a daily overcomer in these areas so that, like your Son, they’ll share this gospel message with others, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Thanks for reading this book, and I hope you’ll take the time to take a look at my website: https://wwwmakingtheonerightchoice.com. If you’ve enjoyed this study, then please leave a review on Amazon.com. God Bless you!



Endnotes

38Benjamin Spalink. “Unanswered Prayers and the Dialectic of Disappointment with God,” 2012. City Grace Church. .

39Barnes.

40The Pulpit.

41Barnes.

42Barnes.

43Barnes.

44Barnes.



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