To Understand God: The Old Rugged Cross

By Walter Ellis Cole Jr.

This book, The Old Rugged Cross: To Understand God, will help you adapt to life's situations with the help of understanding God's purposes for us. It will lead you into the depth of its existence, starting from the creation. After you read it, it will give you hope and faith. It will guide you step by step. There's nothing in this book that you won't be able to relate to. It will have you laughing and crying. It will give you so much knowledge after reading it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645446798

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To Understand God

The Old Rugged Cross

Walter Ellis Cole Jr.

Copyright © 2020 Walter Ellis Cole Jr.

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-64544-678-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64544-679-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Overcoming Your Weakness

Understand the Lord

Why Me, God?

Overcoming Your Fears

Testifying God’s Work

Getting Through Hard Times

Understanding Your New Birth in Christ

When Serving Christ, How Will I Know?

Fellowshipping with Other Believers

Sacrificing for Christ

Spiritually Dead

Are You Comfortable Where You’re at in Christ

Tolerating Others Through Christ

Spending Time Alone with God

How to Love The Enemy

Spiritually Inclined

I’ma Smile for Jesus

Embracing God

Cleaning My Closet for Christ

Just Hold On

Taking The Stand For God

Mind Defeating

First of all, praises to God for giving me the courage to write this book.

I would like to dedicate this book to my beautiful mom, Ms. Tondalay Martinez Cole, who encouraged me to keep my eyes on God. Love you, Mom.

To my siblings, Anthony Cole, Sabrina Cole, Tysonya Cole, Tonisha Scott, Alona Williams, Tosha Cole, and Kejuana Cole.

To my beautiful fiancée, Lora Leese.

Last but not least, to my baby brother, who’s waiting for us in heaven—Kejuan Cole. I love you, Kejuan.

Oh! And all my nieces and nephews. Can’t forget them.

Oh! And you, too, Ashley. But I have one special request. Please look after my niece Syree while she battles cancer symptoms. I love you, Syree. We’re going to beat this.

This book is a special dedication to my niece Syree Baby Nash, who is struggling with cancer. I love you, Syree, and keep God in it.

A Christian must learn to live in the world and don’t let the world live in them. You see, in John 5:24–25, he tells us about believing in the word and that we will not endure condemnation. The time is coming when the dead should hear the voice of God and those that hear shall live. These are the issues we have to face every day if we’re not ready.

I’ve been a part of the world a long time, trying to do it my way. How many other people in this world are still living by those standards? It’s a road to destruction. For me, it took years of imprisonment and loneliness, hurt, and pain to consider turning my life around—not to mention losing loved ones. I always knew there’s a God, but being old enough to know and understand was something different. At that time, I didn’t know how God works. It was always Uh-oh, I’m in trouble. Get on my knees to God. But I didn’t know the beauty of serving him and trusting and believing until I started facing the issues of life that we face every day. Death, imprisonment, financial losses, loneliness, depression, these are some of Satan’s greatest weapons. We have some medication that exists today, and guess what? To the believers and nonbelievers, he’s free of charge, and the prescription is the Word of God. For every one of your needs or issues, it’s in the Word of God.

Why does it take for something to happen to us to trust or call on him? You know Philippians 4:6, it says, Be careful for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, let our request be known. It is good to pray daily. Yes, in Matthew 6:9–13, he teaches us how to pray. You can also have a daily conversation with God. I make sure I talk to God regularly even if it’s just to say hello. I learned to implement God in everything I do. He is my adviser in life. Every good religion that I can imagine has something in common or the same objective and that is to live eternally, and our goal as Christians is to make sure our name is in the Book of Life says the day of judgement in Revelation 20:15: Whosoever was not written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Reading the Word, I see some of the turmoil and predictions that were foretold that were living right now. We as Christians have work to do, and it can be beautiful doing his work. Here’s an exercise you can do as a believer. Every day, ask yourself if Christ came now will you be ready. Keep a daily journal. Christ should be in that journal every day when you go write. Make a list of your request while remembering he blesses you when he’s ready not when you’re ready. You know us, when we want something, we want it now. It doesn’t work like that with the Lord. It’s when he thinks we need it now. So I know and I have learned to have patience living for God. You know that saying he might be late but he’s always on time?

I try to have fun living a godly life, and now I learned when I have a matter or a choice to make, I ask myself, would God approve of this? A lot of times, I didn’t like God’s answer, but like I said, I have personally made him my adviser, and maybe you should to. He has all the answers that you’re looking for. All we have to do is reach for it and just put your trust in him. Philippians 4:7: "The peace of God passes all understanding,