It is not often you can convey your thoughts, and have people agree with you. They are usually so tied up in the things of this world and don't really care. I think the Holy Spirit of God gives us understanding and peace of mind when we are in His will. When I asked Jesus to come into my heart, save me and fill me with his Holy Spirit, He did just that, one night when I wasn't expecting it.
I had been to church and came home. I got a great out-flowing that I cannot explain. It wasn't what saved me, but it gave me the boldness to confess Jesus as my savior, something that I never had before, which I very much needed - working around the people that I work with in the coal mines. I learned to stand fast in my faith, take criticism, and tell my workers about Jesus.
I never had to push my beliefs on people, setting a good example and witnessing when you get the chance. I have learnt to be content with whatsoever state I am in or what comes my way. What is in your heart is what will usually come out of your mouth when disaster strikes.
I was working with five men one night on a continuous miner underground. I started to fall and I grabbed a tool box to keep from falling. The jar caused the lid to slam down on my hand, it should have cut my hand off. The pain was bad. All I said was “praise the Lord - thank you Jesus” with a lot of moaning and groaning. One of the meanest guys there got saved and became a faithful church member. It wasn't something that I thought to say, it was what was in my heart. Sow sparingly and reap sparingly.
God touches our hearts to spread the Gospel of Jesus. I think we should. That gives me piece of mind, that only comes from being in God’s will. We should focus our attention on pleasing God and being in His will.
He that “knoweth to do good and doeth it not” - it's a sin (James 4:17). I have to judge myself daily and not get mad or be offended when someone points out my mistakes and I make plenty of them. Before I got saved I had a bad temper, I came to learn that everyone can have a bad temper, but not everyone can control it. It takes a bigger man to control it than it does to lose it . “Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath (Ephisians 4:26).”
I get my help from verses I have memorized Romans 8:28 [“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”]. It is a verse that has helped me through the years. . It seems like all the bad things in my life turns into something good.
I had a guy in the coal mines that was really giving me a hard time, and one of the other men noticed and told him, that he had noticed that when people treated me mean that something bad always happened to them. The guy didn't bother me after that. Vengeance belongs to the Lord; I try to do something good for someone that treats me bad.
Most people only see the bad things in us, and we all have them, I try to look for something good in everyone and everyone has something good about them.
If one person would repent of their sins and ask Jesus in their heart to save and give them a new life, then the small things and efforts we make will be worth it all. If no one gets saved it will still be worth it all. God knows our hearts and intentions and rewards accordingly. It is treasure we are storing in Heaven.
I drove around town and scattered tracts at the kids bus stops. I know of one young boy that got saved by reading one of the tracts and it thrilled me so, Back when I was flying I thought about dumping tracts out of the plane over Madisonville, but didn't follow through with that, I think I missed a blessing.
I pray each day that God will help me to see the needs of others and give me the will, means and courage to help when I can. There are a lot of wicked and lazy people in this world, I pray that God will put a hedge around us and protect us from them. Give us the courage and strength to do what we feel God calls us to do, and never be offended, because things don't work out the way we feel they should.
When someone does something to offend us, it's their sin, when we get mad and seek revenge, it’s our sin, Lord lead us not into temptation, give us what we need to stay in Your perfect will.
In Christ
George Cissna (April, 2010)
