Before we go any further, I want to provide a simple warning.
In the next few chapters, I will attempt to have a trial—your trial—and we will be calling witnesses forward to testify. It will be a mock trial, certainly, but its design should make a vital point I believe will change your life. The witnesses, nonetheless, will be real. They will be ones you will continue to run across every single day of your existence. They will, without hesitation, make active contribution to your life.
You will not just encounter these witnesses every single day; they will continue their testimony, either on your behalf or against you, with relentless fervor throughout your daily activities for the rest of your life. You will become aware of their presence like never before. Their testimony will be a constant and continuous reminder of how you should live.
Eventually, you will see them as helpful entities, encouraging you toward godly living. But until you understand the point that God is using them to make, you are probably, like many, living a life that does not take seriously enough this vital Bible-based directive—to allow faith to have a voice. However, once you hear their testimony and the conviction they bring, I am confident that important changes can begin to take place.
These witnesses will be forever in your face; you can count on it.
Presently, they are in your home and in your neighborhood. They will be waving at you as you drive down the highway. They have something very important to say. So, listen carefully when they begin their testimony. Even now they testify, stating for the record vital information that leads to your conviction.
You will see that we are required by Scripture to have both heaven and earth called forward to provide witness against us. With this being the case, I have reason to believe that it may not go well, as the witnesses are countless. Part of this book addresses the witness of heaven, to be sure, but wait until you hear what the earth has to say. This is where all reasonable doubt concerning your innocence, and mine, will be dispelled.
Don’t worry, for I, too, face their testimony daily. I hear their commentary. Their remarks are penetrating, oftentimes uncomfortable. However, I cannot deny their report. They have witnessed to me of a great principle and undeniable process established by the Creator Himself. I have been fully convicted by their persistent, uncompromising message. When I realized the massive number of witnesses bearing testimony against the way I had lived previously, I knew that this amount of evidence would convict me of the kind of lifestyle I should now begin to embrace for godly, faith-filled living.
When convicted, you will not be committed to a penitentiary, but you will feel incredibly compelled to commit yourself to the restraint of newfound and perhaps revisited disciplines that, ironically, will release your life into new freedoms and effectiveness.
If you have paid attention to this book so far, you already know some important details that will help you understand the witnesses better.
So, prepare yourself to be placed on trial.
0 Comments