A few years back I really enjoyed watching NASCAR racing. I thought from time to time that I would have been a good racecar driver simply because I like driving fast. I’m glad God had other plans for my life but there always was one thing I regretted not doing and that was the NASCAR Experience. What that was, was an opportunity to actually drive a racecar at the Richard Petty School of Driving.

You really got to know what it would be like to drive a fast car on a NASCAR track. It was an experience. You see, I watched races on television, went to the races, and even sat in a few racecars but I never experienced what it was like to race the actual car. The reality is all of us read about something or see something on television but never experience it. I’ve watched someone skydive but I haven’t done it. I’ve seen pictures of Paris, France but I’ve never been there. But there is one thing I know that I have experienced and that is salvation.

So many people see churches on the side of the road and maybe they even attend church. They hear preaching about God’s judgment and His grace. They see others rejoice in the Lord and yet they never experience saving grace themselves. Many go to church their whole lives and idly sit by and observe others growing in grace and rejoicing in their salvation but they themselves never experience the same excitement, zeal, joy, peace, and love that Jesus put in my and other Christians’ hearts. They have not experienced the change the Lord makes in a person’s life when He brings them out of darkness into His light. They do not know what it is like to pillow their head at night with God’s peace filling their heart and assurance that if they never awaken on this earth again they will be in Heaven throughout eternity. Many have heard God’s call, listened to the preacher’s invitation, felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit, and knew they should step out by faith, but they continue to sit still and observe others experiencing the amazing grace of God.

As you begin 2013, my plea is still the same. If you have never been saved, I ask you to look and realize you are a sinner. No one deserves salvation from sin but the great news is there is an escape. Through Jesus Christ you can escape the condemnation of sin. Ask Jesus to forgive you, save you, and if you sincerely believe, He will save you. Maybe you have already been saved but you are not going to church for some reason. Don’t put it off. Pray and ask God where He wants you to attend church. Until you know, visit good, Bible-believing churches, and seek God’s will. You are not growing closer to God by neglecting His house. So go!! Finally, pray. Have a fellowship with God through prayer and reading His word. You will begin to understand and truly experience what so many have come to realize we can’t live without and that is “The Experience.”

Tune in to WBCU 103.5 FM Sundays at noon for the Shining Light Broadcast. I preach a 15-minute message that I pray will be a blessing to those who listen. If you have a prayer concern, comment, or question, please write to: Voice of Victory, Attn: David Burrell, PO Box 1221, Pacolet, SC 29372, message me on Facebook, or e-mail me at daveburrell@live.com.