-ALTAMONT, AN ATHEIST ON HIS DEATHBED
This guy was obviously in very bad shape! Unfortunately, he believed a lie that most unbelievers who go to hell believe - that they have sunk too low for God to forgive them. I wish I had been with this man when he died, because I would have told him that there is no sin too great for God to forgive.
As you venture out to accomplish your Mission 3:16, you are going to meet some people who are like Altamont, and they may not be on their deathbed. They may still be causing lots of trouble and making life miserable for themselves and everyone around them. Some people are so deceived by the enemy, they believe they might as well act like the devil because there is no way they can change. They are trapped in their culture, their environment, and their way of thinking and doing things.
That is where you come in! You are the light to shine in their darkness. When you enter their world in the power of God, speaking His truth into their situation, and taking authority over the enemy so he cannot lie to them anymore, the light will expose the lies and the deception will be shattered. You are the guide sent from heaven to show them the way out of their hopeless, helpless life and into a living, loving, dynamic relationship with a Father God who loves them.
The next time you meet someone who is living like the devil, who believes there is no hope for them, Do not give up! Pray for them, love them, speak truth to them, and then expect God to move into their life and transform them. In some cases, your faith in them will make the difference in their ability to accept the truth that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and the Holy Spirit is longing to live in them and bring them peace.
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing