Asking For Help Does Not Make One Weak

When I was in high school, Driver’s Ed was a required class, and I took it during the 2^nd semester of my 10^th grade year. After the class, I could have gotten my driving permit, but because I wasn’t willing to discuss things with other people, I didn’t. I took Driver’s Training during the 1^st semester of my 11^th grade year, and after the class, I could have gotten my driver’s license, but because I wasn’t willing to discuss things with people, I didn’t. When I finally went to the DMV to take the written test, so much time had passed since taking Driver’s Ed, and since I hadn’t studied, I failed the test twice. I passed the test a year later, but I went from possibly having a driver’s license at 15, to getting it a few months shy of 17; not a big difference, but a difference. 

During this same time, I had amassed enough credits to be able to graduate from high school one semester early. However, when I approached my counselor to tell her that I was ready to leave school, she asked me if I had taken the Civics class that was required for seniors. When I realized that I hadn’t, I was forced to return to school for an additional semester in order to take a single class. As it turned out, if I had spoken to my counselor before my senior year in high school, I would have known about the class, would have taken the class, and would have finished high school one semester early. 

The meaning of this is that young people often convince themselves that older generations are not able to relate to the modern times, and thus cannot offer advice or information that will help the current generation. The truth is that experience is a great teacher, and people who have experienced things can use those experiences as educational tools for the next generations. 

I always tell my children that they need to be willing to, and cannot be afraid to, ask for help. It is possible to learn things on one’s own, but at times, there will be a need to get answers from people who have information that we do not have, or who can give us insight into an unknown situation, like with my driver’s license. 

Asking for help does not make a person weak or inferior. In fact, the opposite is true. Greater strength is required when we admit that we do not know everything, and that help is needed, or that we simply need to speak to someone about our situation. Stewing in a vat of misinformation does not make us stronger. Asking for help shows strength, and receiving help when needed strengthens us even more.

Through God, We Control Our Fate (Excerpt from "Things I've Learned From the Word")

Many of us allow temptation to lead us to sin, and when we sin, we are likely to blame God, feeling that he should have protected us from the temptation, or given us the strength to overcome the temptation that led us to sin. We are both correct and incorrect in this assumption, and the bible, in Chapter 1 of the Book of James, explains this dichotomy, beginning at verse 12:

¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 There will be times in our lives when we will all be pushed to a point of confrontation. Whether it is someone who we work with who is always disagreeable, or someone who we work for who drives us unnecessarily hard. Many was the time when I worked on a job that I wanted to resign because I felt as if the boss was too stern for the level of work that we were doing. I have also been the supervisor who felt as if the staff should have been performing at a certain level and tried to push them, perhaps too harshly, to that level. I have also been a person who endured a good amount of bullying and teasing during my school years. There were those who were jealous of my academic success, and there were those who just didn’t like the way that I looked; but whatever the reason, I was picked on a lot. 

The bible says that the man who perseveres or remains steadfast in the face of trials, will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. So what we see here is that God recognizes that as believers, we will be tested and pushed, but, as believers, God expects a greater level of restraint. Matthew 5:16 says that as believers, we should let our Godly lights shine before men in such a way that they may see our good works, and will glorify the Father who is in heaven. This is to say that we should behave in such a manner that just through how we carry ourselves, others will be inspired by us to give glory to the Lord on their own. 

The reason that the bible says that the man who endures temptation will be blessed is because, as the bible says in verse 13, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone”, therefore, “let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’”. God will not tempt us or allow us to be tempted, but God has given us the power to overcome or to look beyond temptation, and to endure the trials that will come upon us as believers in God.

Some years ago, while I was in a neighborhood that was not the most ideal place to be, and while I was waiting for the person whom I had dropped off to return so that we could leave, I was standing next to my car when I was confronted by two armed men. The men demanded my wallet, and I promptly did as I was told. Once the two men ran away from me and got into their car, my next impulse was to get into my car and attempt to follow them, perhaps hoping to draw the attention of the police while I was chasing the robbers. After chasing them through several back allies and neighborhoods, my pursuit was interrupted when another vehicle crossed my path and impeded my progress. Since I no longer knew where the men had gone, I discontinued the chase, but the first thing that I did was to ask God why he allowed that to happen to me, and then I asked God how he could let me make such a dumb decision. 

To read the rest of this passage, pick up a copy of Things That I Learned from the Word @ Amazon.com (goo.gl/nj7ywA)

Follow Eric E. Jenkins on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook @ ericejenkins65 

Things That I Learned From the Word

Good News! Things That I Learned From the Word, my first completed manuscript has been published and is available to the public. How do we establish a relationship with God? What does it mean to live a Christian life? What obstacles will the world place on the path of our Christian walk? These are questions that Christians, particularly new Christians, are concerned about and Things That I Learned From the Word, helps old and new believers to gain answers to these and other questions.

In this book, I attempt to illustrate the joy of living a Christ-centered life. Things That I Learned From the Word also discusses the hardships of a Christian life, as some in society work hard to discourage Christianity. This book is not just what I learned from the word of God, but what I hope to share with everyone, as the readers of the book attempt to learn more about God and God’s word for themselves.

Things That I Learned From the Word is available at Amazon (goo.gl/nj7ywA). Be sure to pick up your copy today.

The Big Lie (Excerpt from "Things I've Learned From the Word")

Consider for a moment that everything that we have learned from the bible and about the bible is false. Imagine what life would be like if we did not believe in God and if we chose not to follow the Ten Commandments. Our lives might be very different if we didn’t have God. We would not have to worry about what God would do to us if we did not obey the Commandments, so for a moment, consider what life on Earth would be like.

The Sixth Commandment says that we should not commit murder. As we know, murder is against the law, and if we are found guilty of committing murder, we will spend a long time in jail, or we might possibly be sentenced to the death penalty. Aside from this, I know that I would not like to think about the prospect of someone killing or wanting to kill me, so the idea of being a victim of murder is something of which I am not in favor. Also, I have no desire to kill anyone else, and most sensible people do not wish to be murdered, so this is a law that many follow whether or not they believe in God. 

The bible also says that we should not steal or lie, referring to lying as bearing false witness against one’s neighbor. Simply put, no sensible person would want someone to steal their property or to tell lies about them. There have been many people who have gotten in trouble with the law, with their spouses, or on their jobs because someone told a lie that involved them. I have both almost lost a job, and have been punched in the nose because of lies someone else told. I have also had my possessions stolen from me, both by strangers and by people who claimed to be my friends, so I, like everyone else, can attest to the fact that living in a society where people did these things regularly would not be a society in which many would choose to or would prefer to live.

To put this plainly, even if a person chose not to believe in God, if that person was rational and reasonable, that person would not want someone stealing from them, telling lies about them, killing them or sleeping with their spouse while cursing at them constantly, so whether or not they are believers in God, most people obey a majority of the Ten Commandments, and if they are going to obey most of them, they might as well believe in God, live according to the whole word of God, and reap the blessings that God has for those of us who believe. It seems to make sense that if a person lives according to some of the word anyway, that they would want to have the abundant, prosperous life that comes from obeying the rest of the word of God.

We Should Strive to Be Imitators of God (Excerpt from "Things I've Learned From the Word")

Sometimes, there are verses in the bible that simply do not require explanation. If I read Mark 12:30, where it says “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all of your strength”, that means that in everything that you are and in everything that you do, you should love God. There is really nothing to explain. If I refer to Psalm 37:4, where it says “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart”, then the bible is saying that if you place God first in your life, and you do it out of love not out of obligation, then God will reward you with everything that your heart desires. The first verse of Ephesians Chapter 5 is similarly self-explanatory.

Ephesians 5:1 says “therefore, be imitators of God”. While some might know exactly what that verse is referring to, others might ask how they can be imitators of God because God knows everything, sees everything and can do everything. Well, if you read further into the scripture, the bible explains the meaning of that verse.

The second verse of Ephesians Chapter 5 says that we should walk in love, meaning that we should show love for everyone in every situation all the time. Consider this; if a person walks in water, with every step that the person takes, his feet are going to get wet. If a person walks in mud, with every step that the person takes, his feet are going to get dirty. So if a person walks in love, with every step that the person takes, love will flow from his very being. This doesn’t mean that we have to be push overs, but it also doesn’t mean that we walk around looking for a fight. It means that we should be polite, respectful and understanding, and treat people the way that we would want to be treated.

What this means is if someone is nice to us, then we should be nice to them. However, if someone is mean towards us, we should try to understand that they might not know God the same way that we do. In this instance, we would show them some kindness and believe that God can soften their heart, and that God can help them to realize that they are living a life filled with hate and anger.

As we read further into Ephesians 5, the text says that immorality and impurity should not be a part of who we are because, as it says in verse 5, the immoral or impure have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Verse 6 says that we should let no one deceive us with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, so therefore we should not be partakers with them.

As we live today, the world would have us to believe that certain things, things that the bible says are sins against God, or that God would be unhappy with, or that violate the Ten Commandments, or that will not allow you into heaven, are acceptable. However, Luke 11:28 says those who hear the word of God and obey it are blessed. That means that God will bless us more if we hear the word AND live according to the word. Romans 12:19 says that the Lord will enact vengeance against those who have wronged us, so we do not have to seek our own revenge when we are wronged. Just as we turn to God when things are difficult for us personally, we should also turn to God when things are difficult socially.