Format Disk

O

ne of the most deflating experiences is to sit down in front of your computer, turn it on, and be greeted with a warning that its internal systems are not functioning properly. All your important information is locked in the computer with no way for you to retrieve it.

Although you know it won’t help, you restart the computer several times, check all the connections, turn the screen on and off, and fiddle with the mouse and the keyboard, hoping against hope you can get the thing up and running again.           

This happened to me several months ago.   If you are one of the lucky one’s who has missed out on this little joyride, all I can say is pray it doesn’t happen soon and make sure you back up your information.  

 The computer had crashed, leaving me only one course of action. I picked up the phone and called the customer service hotline. As soon as I read them the message on the screen, they confirmed what I already knew. Hearing it again didn’t make me feel any better.

The technician told me to type in a command to format my hard drive. This would effectively remove all the information on the computer so I could begin restoring it.

I put in the command and the computer asked me the following question: Are you sure? Y or N. I just sat there and stared. I knew that if I selected no, my computer would remain just as it was, broken. However, selecting yes meant that all the information on the computer would be eternally destroyed.

Essentially, I was being asked if I wanted to kill my computer! After a few minutes, the technician reminded me what I had to do, so I did it. The computer erased the hard drive, leaving it completely empty. With help, I slowly began rebuilding my hard drive, replacing all the programs with brand new copies and restoring it to working order.

This is a wonderful illustration of God’s plan for our salvation. Internally, there is something wrong with us. It is called sin. Although we may not be aware of its presence, it is there and it is an integral part of who we are.

We come to a point in our lives when we must make a decision.  We must completely destroy all previous information, completely do away with our old habits and our old nature, and completely erase all that we once were. This comes as the result of the will. We must decide to retain our old nature or to kill it and let God rebuild us. This is what the prophet Ezekiel addressed in his writings. In Ezekiel 36:26, God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

You want to talk about a complete overhaul of your system, this is it!   In the same way that the hard drive stores all the computer’s  information, the human heart stores everything that makes us who we are. As long as there are flaws in our programming, as long as there are glitches in our internal system, and as long as we store faulty information, we do not work the way God intended.

However, when we allow God to format our hearts, removing all the bad programming, all the messed up files, all the flawed thoughts, and all the sin in our lives, we then stand ready to receive his new programming. He replaces the old system with a new one.

With the right programs now running, we are able to build new files, store new memories, and experience all the joy and the wonderful relationship that come with God’s salvation  The choice, however,  is up to us. We must decide whether we want our hearts formatted.  God does not force this decision on us; but he is always ready to help us make that change when we ask him. Format Disk? Are you sure? Select yes! You will never be the same again! And that’s a good thing!