For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
4 those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is Lord over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Psalm 12 (NIV)

Psalm 12 fills me with wonder because it could have been written today. That’s because people don’t change. The fact that people don’t change isn’t a negative or pessimistic perspective. Not when it’s true. On the other hand, God doesn’t change either.

The truism that people don’t change falters when we incorporate God into the picture because people who seek the Lord find him, and when they find him, they are changed by Him. Thus, the idea that people don’t change doesn’t refer to individuals as much as it relates to humanity, so perhaps saying “humanity doesn’t change” is more accurate. The reason why humanity doesn’t and can’t change on its own is because of sin. Romans gives us insight into what happened when sin entered the world.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Romans 5:12 (NLT)

Again in Romans, we see what happens when people sin.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Therefore, humans cannot stop sinning on their own. Thus, humanity cannot change through any exertion of its will, with perhaps one exception. Accepting Jesus as Lord as savior.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says something that confuses some people.

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

John 6:44 (NIV)

Yet, Jesus says something else in John that should remove any confusion from John 6:44.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

John 12:32 (NIV)

Consider what Jesus says here.

“I and the Father are one.”

John 10:30 (NIV)

Now, if no one can go to God unless they are drawn, and Jesus and God are one, then Jesus drew all people to him the moment he was crucified. Given that everyone since Jesus’ crucifixion is now eligible for salvation, no one isn’t called to salvation.

Since we are called to salvation, we need only believe it. This is the exercise of our will. The one, perhaps most significant, exception to the notion that we cannot change on our own. We are given this insight about how to receive the gift of salvation.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

The hardest part about believing is that it’s in your heart. It’s not in your head because it’s not an intellectual exercise. At least, it’s different from exercises where we can figure things out. It requires faith to believe. At the very least, and most significant, faith in God. That God is good, real, and loves you. When trying to convince his Jewish opponents that Jesus and the Father were one, he said this.

“Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 10:37-38 (NIV)

This is where the “intellectual” part comes in. Although, as I said, it’s only intellectual in so much as it’s based on faith. Yet, through logic and reasoning, we can believe. The belief that God is good, real, and loves you. This is where we, as Christians, are essential to the process.

If you and I are friends and we’re both gang bangers, we likely think and behave in similar ways. If I am saved, I will change.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Consider the last two verses of Psalm 12.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race (emphasis added).

Psalm 12:7-8 (NIV)

As gang bangers, we “honored” those things that were vile. However, now that I am a new person in Christ, I no longer honor those things; I turn entirely away from them. When you, my friend, see the change in me, you want to know what happened. Now, as Christians, we must tell our testimonies because they reveal the goodness and reality of God. As well as his love for us. Many might believe that God is real but question his goodness and love. Hence, the importance of our testimony.

This doesn’t just apply to people in gangs. Although we might not think of it this way, we are all in “gangs.” Cliques, if you will, of one sort or another. Our friends are typically comprised of people like us with similar thoughts, lives, etc. However, we might not think of it as a gang. Regardless, before we were saved, we “honored” the vile things of this world.

When we see people like us be changed by God, we can then reason that if God changed them, he could change us too. If God helped them, he could help us too. And this is how we can change the world. One person at a time.

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.