Years ago I knew a man and woman who were offered an all-expense-paid vacation to Hawaii for their 25th wedding anniversary. The wife was over the moon with excitement! She could hardly wait to pack her bags and head for the vacation of her dreams. Unfortunately, the vacation never happened. Instead, the husband quickly put the breaks on the trip with just a few words, “Why would I want to do that?” He was dead serious. Having absolutely no desire to visit a place so far away, the trip never happened. Instead, they spent this monumental anniversary going to the same beach they went to every year and remodeling the bathroom. The opportunity of a lifetime was lost because of a refusal to do something new, change, or leave one’s comfort zone. Even though this incident happened over twenty years ago, I was thinking about it recently as I was talking with someone who said the same thing when they were asked to go on a trip. “Why would I want to do that?” Trust me when I tell you that I cannot understand this mentality! If you invite me on a free vacation, you’d better be serious, because I’m packing my bags for the trip!!! And yet, I’ve seen it time and again—-people who are offered amazing opportunities choose to say, “No, thanks, I don’t like change.” I’ll never understand it. Of course, I feel the same way whenever I see someone who chooses to stay trapped in their issues of sin, bondage, generational iniquities, or addiction. Even after they hear that the Bible has laid out a path for them to find healing, deliverance, and freedom, their response is: “That’s too hard—-too much work. I’ll just stay the way I am. “ Every. Single. Time it breaks my heart. I just don’t understand this choice. The truth is that when Jesus died on the cross, He provided more than just forgiveness for our sins and the promise of eternity in Heaven. Although these are amazing things, His sacrifice also made provision for healing and deliverance. That healing is more than just physical, but it includes the deepest, darkest wounds of your soul. It is God’s perfect will for all of His children to walk in healing and freedom. And yet, God won’t force anyone to take the journey to healing and freedom with Him. Ultimately, it’s each one of our choices whether we will choose to allow God to work on the deepest parts of our hearts and minds, to learn the Biblical principles of healing, and apply them to our own lives. The offer is available to everyone, but it is only accepted by a few. That’s so sad. And yet as someone who has made the choice to allow the Holy Spirit to work on my heart, to take me to the deepest places of pain so that I could experience complete healing and freedom, I can assure you that taking this leap and allowing God to work in your life is a choice you will never regret. Instead, I’ve witnessed that regret only comes when you say “No thank you” to God’s offer for healing. When those who have said, “Why would I want to do that?” to the Holy Spirit look back on years lost in sin, heartache, and broken relationships, that’s where we see remorse and regrets for what could have been. So today I want to encourage you—-don’t be like the man who missed the trip of a lifetime because he didn’t want to leave his comfort zone. Instead, take a risk. Say “Yes” to all that God has to offer and begin your journey to hope, healing, and freedom today. Don’t look back on your life and say, “I wish I would have followed God’s plan and experienced all He had for me.” Instead, say “Yes!” to God’s invitation to find healing, pursue deliverance, and experience joy, healing and an abundant life in Jesus. Go for it!!! It’s a choice you’ll never regret!!!
To Learn More About How You Can Begin Accepting God's Offer of Healing and Freedom, read Finding Healing.
