Betrayed! My girlfriend was living with another man . . . in my home!
I suspected that she was cheating on me. She was staying out all night partying with her "friends from work" then coming home either drunk or hung over. Then there was this guy at work she was always talking about. I confronted her and demanded to know if she was having an affair. She lied to me and denied it. I was furious. In a jealous rage I stormed out of the home, slamming the door behind me. I left and moved to my parent's home nearby.
My world was shattered. How could she do this to me? We had been living together for five years. I loved this girl. I had offered to marry her. Didn't that mean anything to her? What about all the good times we had shared?
To be honest, I hadn't been the best guy to hang around. I was a regular drinker. I hadn't always been considerate of her. Maybe we could talk this out I reasoned. A week later I found out that the guy from work had moved in with her. I was outraged! I called her on the phone. She still denied having an affair. She insisted that this man she was now living with was "just a friend". Yeah, right. She said that she "didn't want me out of the picture yet." What did that mean? I could feel my rage boiling over. I threatened to kill her and her new lover. I slammed down the receiver.
One of my buddies at work tried to console me. "Forget about her. You'll find another one." He took me to bars, but it didn't help. I really couldn't talk to any women. I was angry with all women because of what my girlfriend had done to me. I became depressed. I tried to fill my life with pornography. My thoughts became darker. I contemplated suicide.
One day I was sitting in front of the television set channel surfing and I stopped and heard a pastor preaching a sermon on forgiveness. His sermon was about forgiving others so God could forgive us. He said that God cannot forgive us unless we forgive others. He read a scripture from the book of Mark. "If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses." I realized that I was a sinner and that I needed forgiveness of my sins.
I also realized that I needed to forgive my ex-girlfriend for what she did to me. The pastor prayed a prayer of salvation and I accepted Jesus into my heart. When I got up from my knees praying I felt the load of sin and depression lift from me. The Lord had given me peace. A peace that I had never had before. I felt God's unconditional love. God had sacrificed Jesus, His only Son, for me. Jesus willingly died on the cross and took the punishment I had deserved so that I could have abundant life, and when I die He has a place for me in Heaven. Even when I didn't know God, He still loved me. If I had been the only person on earth, God still would have sent Jesus to die for me. And that would be the same for you. He did it for all of us.
Do you need peace? Maybe you aren't struggling with loneliness, anger or depression, like I was. Whatever it is that you are fighting against, Jesus is the answer. He can help you overcome anything. Are you sick? Jesus is the healer. Are you addicted to pornography, drugs or alcohol? Jesus will set you free.
God loves you and has a great plan for your life. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future." Jesus said in John 10:10, . . . I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly."
How can you receive the abundant life Jesus has for you?
In John 3:3 Jesus said to Nicodemus, a religious leader, "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom," In Romans 10:9-10 the Bible says "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and rose again you can be assured that you will go to heaven.
Pray this Prayer:
Dear God, I know that I have sinned and that I need help. I believe in my heart that Jesus is your Son, that He died on the cross for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead. Jesus, I ask for your forgiveness of my sins, wash me clean with your blood. Jesus, I open my heart and invite you to come in. Make yourself real to me. I confess you as Lord and Savior in my life. Please help me to walk with You and learn Your ways. I give You total control of my life. Amen.
Where do I go from here?
Pray every day. Read your Bible beginning with the New Testament. Attend a good Bible believing Church that operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and teaches the full gospel of Jesus Christ. Receive full-emersion baptism. Fellowship regularly with other believers in Jesus Christ.
Oh, to be a Child, Again!
