I have been thinking a lot on death lately. Great Grandma died at the end of January and also Heath Ledger died two weeks before that. It has been brought home to me that there are a lot more important things in life than just our everyday lives.
Heath Ledger, a movie star, was only 28 when he died. He was one of Jocelyn’s and my favorite actors. It was really shocking to see that he had died when I was checking the SSA email account. We did a double check on that, because it was unbelievable and shocking to see that he had died.
They said he died from sleep aid overdose. It is so sad. What really happened though is that he was playing the Joker in the new Dark Knight film and it really freaked him out. He couldn’t sleep, so he had to take medication for it. He got so wrapped up in this movie that he didn’t realize there was more to life.
His death has had me thinking so much about ministering to the unsaved. I am pretty sure he was not saved when he died. I was just so saddened by the news and thinking that he was going to hell. Not that I “know” him or anything, but he is a life lost to Christ’s cause.
What really got me too was he was only 10 years older than me. 10 years may sound like a lot, but if you look at it 10 years is tomorrow. He had a full life ahead of him. A 2 year old daughter to raise. He was taken away from all that. He was taken away from one more chance of hearing the Gospel.
Jocelyn and I were talking a few days after we found out that he had died and it broke my heart because right now he is being tormented by his demons. The demons are showing him every instance he was shown the love of Christ or the opportunity he had to accept him as his Savior, and he didn’t. They are tormenting him and I cannot fathom the eternal sadness that he is feeling knowing he will be where he is forever. It truly wrenches my heart.
I would ask that you keep the family of Heath Ledger in your prayers. It is sad that he was taken from his family like that, and I can imagine they are grieving still for him.

I know people die every day who are not saved. I have really been feeling that lately. It is wrong!
I wish as Believers we would stop wasting our time on petty things and take a look at the big picture. We are too worried about our everyday lives and friendships. They consume us sometimes and take our focus off the reason for which we are alive.
Our everyday lives are nothing in the eternal scheme of things. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
Why do we worry about every little thing that happens to us? As you know we have been going through so much this year. Much loss and sickness. Well through it all I have come to see that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, and don’t look away, then we will walk across the sea and not sink. We wont see the waves coming up besides us and we won’t be scared. AS LONG AS WE KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS!
Another thing is that no matter what is going on, none of it matters because God is in control and everything will work out for His glory and in His time.
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
As long as we love God and follow His Word, then everything is going to be alright, because He holds the whole world in His hands. I know our world is wacky and unsaved and not really a safe place all the time, but knowing that God is in control and has everything in His hands, gives a sense of peace to me.
While writing this post, it reminds me of a song I used to like because the words were just so true. One of the lines was:”There’s got to be more to life than chasing down every temporary high just to satisfy me.”
That is just so profound because if we just realize that what we want is just something that won’t last long and its not really important, then we can realize the important things that are going on. Unsaved people dying and going to hell is important. It is so very important to God that He sent His only Son to come and make a way so it didn’t have to happen. And yet, we Believers live our daily lives and only think about the petty things that are happening in our everyday lives.

We need to quit worrying about whether we have friends or not, whether we are more popular or not, and all the other insignificant things that we worry about, and we need to start worrying about the unsaved people that are dying everyday.
Now, I am not at all saying that we need to go out and launch a full-fledged missionary trip. There are unsaved people living in your town you pass by everyday. As children, you obviously you can’t just go up to someone and start talking about Christ, but you can show them the love of Christ and if it is God’s will then He will open a way for you to minister. I believe that you can walk up to someone as a young adults though. My point is stop worrying about your life. Worry about the unsaved. Pray daily for them that they can hear the Word of life and be saved. We can do that!
You can talk to unsaved family members. I have plenty of those that I am waiting and praying for the opportune moment to witness to and ask them if they are ready to receive Christ. Right now, all I can do is pray for them.

Everyone, we have a duty as Christians to minister. We may not all be called to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“, but we are all called to pray for the lost. That is what I am aiming for.
Mom has a really awesome video about ministering to the unsaved. Please go and watch it. You will be refreshed and pumped up for Christ and His message!
We actually just got our No Greater Joy magazine today and there was an article that goes along perfectly with my article.

Witnessing
I am a homeschooled teenager involved in several of the local public high school’s programs – track, math, etc. I have a tremendous opportunity to witness to my unbelieving peers. Last year, I tried many times to witness to my teammates, but their hearts are so hard. They became angry, or didn’t listen, or took it all at a purely intellectual level. I can’t blame them, though. Oftentimes, I find that my own fear, pride, and stubbornness prevent me from speaking to them when I should. I pray for them often, but nothing I say to them, nor how I try to stand apart from the spirit of the world seems to affect them. I am thinking that I, being a “weird homeschooler” (at least in their eyes), am tainting their view of who God is. How can I effectively witness to my non-Christian peers, especially when they have such alien worldviews and anti-Christian attitudes?

Michael answers: There are two ways to witness. The first is the most direct and is similar to what a street evangelist would do. You get right to the point, discussing sin and righteousness and the consequences of dying without Christ, challenging them to repent toward God and believe the gospel. You can expect most of them to reject your message, but you keep fishing, knowing that out of the hundreds, there may be one who will be prepared by the Holy Spirit to believe your message. This is not normally the approach you take with co-workers, fellow students, next door neighbors, or family members.

If you have the time, the most effective method of reaching someone for Christ is to:

1. Treat everyone you meet as if they are Christian brothers and sisters who are dear to you. In short, love them as they have never been loved.

2. Be continually joyful. Everyone is attracted to joy, and no one will fault you for it. They will want what you have.

3. Be successful. Be the best at whatever you do. Everyone admires success and sincere effort. They will respect you for it.

4. Be helpful. Pour something into the lives of everyone you meet. Make them feel better about themselves in a clean and pure way.

5. Be generous. When others see you giving, they will recognize God in it.

7. Be open. People are scared of the unknown. Let people get to know you and see that you don’t bite, you’re not “preachy”, and you don’t have any secrets.

8. Don’t do religious things to be seen of men. Let your righteousness be purity of heart and intention.

9. Speak of God and Jesus occasionally when it is spontaneously true. For instance, you might say, “Isn’t it a beautiful day God has made?” or “God has blessed me with good health.” Upon occasion, you might say something like, “If it were not for Jesus Christ, I would be on my way to hell.” <

10. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in knowing who is ready to receive the message. In time, someone will open up to you and ask a question like, “Why are you always happy?” or “Why don’t you XXXX?” Answer them honestly, telling of your commitment to Christ and of your conversion. When the moment seems right, tell them the gospel story in detail. Win just one person, and it is all worth it.

Don’t think in terms of impacting the entire school. Just one needy soul is enough. And when you have one convert, it becomes much easier to impress others with Christ.

Is that just not perfect? If you are not sure how to approach someone with the Gospel, just read that. It is really good!
I hope you are encouraged by this article, and I pray that each and everyone of us will be able to witness to the unsaved and that we will be able to keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk across the sea of life!
Take care and have a SUPER weekend!
Love, Blessings and Prayers As Always,

Thanks for stopping by “Daily” at the “Planet”!!
©AmandaDixon2008

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