There are many things in this life that we do not want to do, yet they are in essence forced upon us, we have little choice in the matter. Even with the free will that all mankind has been blessed with, we can no more not respond to the invisible things of God (Romans 1:20) than we can determine to stop breathing and continue to live.
Everyone knows, at least one time in their lives, they know without a doubt that there is a Creator and Sustainer of all that is, and it is their decision to recognize Him as such. Once that initial thought, that truth is recognized, the free will of every person ever born begins to either contemplate that truth or begins to deny it. Immediately upon this point one of two things happens to the one who decides to pursue this avenue of thought, they will begin to seek for the Truth, or they will be deceived into believing a lie. “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” (Luke 8:12)
I cannot explain with so many human beings how this can happen, but it does, the Satanic horde is innumerable to us, and in many, if not most cases, there may be no need to even bother, that free will is in rebellion to the Most High from our youth, (Jer. 3:25) and so the need for demonic intervention may not be necessary every time. But when it is, when the man begins to desire the knowledge of the Truth, the knowledge of God Himself (2 Peter 3:18) then deception is required on the part of our adversary.
Here is the beginning of all religious cults, which is what every single one of them is that does not lift up the name of Jesus Christ as the only means to salvation offered by the Almighty. Works on our part are always the initial wrong step, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8) and Satan always does and offers the inverse of what the Lord God has said.
“Jesus Christ plus something on our part” is the order of the day, thereby attempting to annul what could only be done by the Lord on the cross. From here, if the initiate is deceived, all manner of lies can be offered, traditions, emotion-based faith, rules and regulations and deeds that must be performed to keep the Almighty appeased. In many cases He is simply replaced with an idol of man, the tens of thousands of gods in India, the unknown deities of eastern mysticism, even attempting to place that position of Godhead upon men themselves, state organized religions. Anything but grace will work just fine for most human beings.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26) Here is the place all who have been crucified with Christ must continually abide in, that place of willing service in all humility, we must desire above all to be shown the Truth, and the means to apply it to our lives.
Without recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, (Rev. 19:16) without complete submission to the will and Word of God through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, without the total acceptance in all humility of the Sovereignty of the Almighty, no man will find the truth that is offered to all men.
This is no walk in the park, this is a race, (1 Cor. 9:24) this is a battle, and only those who see Jesus Christ as the prize worth their very lives will enter into His kingdom.
Each day will bring something that we don’t want to do, each day must be lived with the knowledge that “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.” (Romans 8:28) And the truth that the day that is before us brings us one day closer to when all these burdens of life will finally be removed, and we can serve fully Him who first called us.