It’s been said time and time again that all people are on a quest to find God. They say every lost soul is searching for Him, but just haven’t found Him yet, as if it’s a game of hide-and-go-seek and it’s incredibly hard to find the Lord; it’s as if He’s as elusive as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Others have referred to these lost souls (unbelievers) as “pre-Christians,” signifying that everybody will one day accept Jesus and spend eternity in Heaven. The problem with these beliefs is they don’t line up with Scripture.

Psalm 10:4 says, “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’”

People are not out searching for God. Simple as that. Many are happy with their way of life, happy with their demons, and not looking to be set free. Even when presented with Truth, it is cast down to the ground and trampled underfoot. There is no reliance upon their Creator; instead they rely upon their own abilities, believing life is what they make it, and believing it’s possible to make it to Heaven on their own.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up on the last day.” John 6:44

It is the job of Holy Spirit to draw all men unto Him. By saying everyone who is lost is out searching for the Lord, we’re saying all people actually want Jesus, and that salvation comes through man’s power and ability to search Him out. The truth is, it’s not by our power or might, but by His. No man (or woman) can save himself, and we ourselves are incapable of saving another.

Jesus died for the entire human race, that we may all have eternal life. However, it’s not automatically applied to every person. Why is that, if everyone is actively searching for God? If everyone deep down inside wants to follow Jesus, why didn’t He recognize that, and automatically apply salvation to everyone? Enter freedom of choice. Jesus stands at the door of the hearts of mankind and knocks, but many choose not to answer the call. In their hearts they believe there is no God. If they were actively searching for Him, they would have found him immediately. If anything, people hear Him knocking, but run the other way!

Fear is also waiting by the door, loudly announcing all the things they’ll “lose” by following God, lying to the people in order to prevent them from inviting the Lord in. “You’ll be miserable!” fear exclaims, “It’s too hard. You’ll never be able to give those things up!” If only they understood that by inviting Jesus in, they would lose nothing, because they had nothing of value to begin with, but they would gain eternal life, and everything pertaining to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Our job as believers is to come alongside others, and help these ones overcome the lies and misconceptions of the enemy, and let our lives reflect Jesus, which in turn draws them unto Him.

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” Matthew 10:14

Not everyone is going to accept what we have to say. Our attempt at sharing the Gospel may be met with disdain. Spending oodles of time preaching to someone who has said they don’t want to hear it, who has said they don’t want Jesus, is manipulation.  Jesus draws people into His Kingdom; He doesn’t manipulate or force them in. I’ll just say manipulation is as witchcraft, and leave it there.

Hell is real, and there are people who are going to spend eternity there by choice. The Gospel has been shared with them, God has made every provision for them to be reconciled unto Him, He has revealed Himself throughout all creation, and yet they still choose not to follow Him.

Revelation 9:20-21 says, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear, or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

“People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of Heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.” Revelation 16:10-11

All hell can break loose; people can be in anguish and STILL not repent and turn to the Lord! Scripture says they actually curse God! No amount of preaching or loving on these people is going to change their hearts (remember, Jesus loved them perfectly and died for them!).

However, we don’t always know who those people are, so we must continue to have compassion, preach the Gospel, and always be prepared; waiting with open arms if the decision to follow Jesus is ever made. We’re not giving up on people; we’re simply allowing them freedom of choice as God has extended to us as well. Sometimes leaving an individual to themselves is what it takes for them to finally turn and make that decision to follow Jesus.

If you have been one of those people who have run from God, and have now come to the point that you realize you need Him – know that you are loved, His love for you has never waned, and you are never too far gone for God to reach down and pull you up out of the muck. Simply acknowledge Him, that He died on the cross for YOU! He died for you, that you may live forever with Him, surrounded fully by His goodness and mercy. Life with him enables you to overcome everything that you will ever face. Ask Him to forgive you for trusting in your own abilities, and receive His forgiveness. For the one reading this who is involved in computer technology – in computer terms, allow Him full access to your life. Give Him all the access codes to the files of your life. He will erase all the “viruses” on your internal hard drive (your heart), and make you completely new. You can then consider yourself a new creation in Christ. Hallelujah!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17