FINDING THE ANSWERS

I daren't come and drink, said Jill

Then you will die of thirst, said the Lion

The Silver Chair, by C S Lewis

We are not going to tell you that there are easy simple answers to those big problems in your life. But what we do know, is that you don't need to face the problems alone.

The key that unlocks the door

There are some very important truths to see:

• That God really loves you and cares for you
• That He made you and understands how you feel
• That wherever you are, He can be with you in the problem.
• That He wants to help you and set you free

It may seem unbelievable, but it's true. Millions of people have found it.

He is there. Talk to Him.

Many people call it praying. But prayer is only speaking to God. It doesn't need special words. It does not need to be done in a special building of worship, or standing, or bowing down in a special way. You can pray any time, any place. As you are driving, or walking, or travelling. Ask Him to help you NOW.

What is on offer? Nothing less than to have the God of the whole universe, as your own special friend! This is mind-blowing! The Bible speaks of Jesus as one who stays closer than a brother.

The way through the door

To get God's help in our lives, we must first find Him. There is only one door, and that is a person - Jesus. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

To find Him, we must realise that there is a wall between us and Him. Who made it? Not Him! The problem is that since we were born, we have been running our own lives, doing things our own way. Think about it. Do children need to be taught how to put themselves first, how to be selfish, how to be unkind? No - it comes naturally. There is in all of us a tendency to do wrong things. Our lives centre on what we want, whether it is right or wrong.

We may not do very wrong things. Or perhaps we do. We often think them. But we are living our lives for our own benefit. And the problem goes deeper than that. It is not just the things we do, but what we are inside. The Bible describes it as 'fallen'. We have a 'fallen nature' which wants to do wrong.

This 'nature' - the way we are, and all the things we do wrong, add up. They build the wall between us and God. Only God can break the wall down. He has made a way for this to happen. Quite simply, He has paid the price for the wrong things we have done, and can break the power of evil in our lives.

We all know that every sin deserves a punishment. We know that it is right that criminals should be punished. But what punishment would be big enough to cover everything we have all done? And who could pay such a penalty?

God sent Jesus, who was perfect, to pay that punishment. He was executed, killed, having done nothing wrong. He had no sin, but He took the punishment we deserve.

	Since the penalty is paid We can be forgiven We can go free. It is as easy as that!
	God actually comes into our life. There is a something missing from our lives, that only God can fill. We may try to put other things in that space, but they don't work. God fills the space with His love, His power, His new life, His Spirit.
What do we lose?	A miserable life, full of problems. A life with no purpose. A life with no reliable friends.
What do we gain?	Forgiveness The God of the universe as a friend. The Joy that God gives. Happiness. He sets us free to be ourselves.
It really Works. Why not try it?