Revised Edition – Part Five
This has been one of the hardest series I have ever written.
I have been sitting on these pages for well over a year, unsure if I should share them. More than once, I almost kept them to myself. But with everything happening in our world today, and after much prayer, I believe the time has come.
This is not just another story. It is one of the most personal battles I have ever written about. It takes me back to one of the darkest moments of my life, when everything seemed to hang in the balance. If you missed part one through four, I invite you to go here , here, here and here, and read it before continuing. It will help you understand the journey that led to this moment. My prayer is that, if you see yourself anywhere in these words, you will also see the grace of God waiting to meet you.
“Crazy thing is, out of all life done taught me… Before you get one win you gotta take a thousand losses.”
– Rob Wave –
Jesus then said, “Lock!” as He laid His cards on the table. As He did, I couldn’t help but notice the marks on His hands from the nails that held Him to that “Old Rugged Cross.” He took those nails for me, and here He was again, laying down His life for me. He knew His hands would be pierced by those nails, yet He willingly went through it all for my salvation and yours. My heart was filled with awe as I thought about His love, His courage, and His willingness to give everything for us. He didn’t just tell us He loved us. He showed us through His actions just how much we mean to Him.
We can be so caught up in our own wants and desires that we forget about God and turn away from Him. We always seem to want more, and we want things to happen our way. When God doesn’t answer our prayers, or when we have to wait for an answer, we may start to think He doesn’t care about us, that He is ashamed of us, or that He isn’t listening. But none of that is true. Those are lies the devil wants us to believe so we will turn away from God. The truth is that God loves us and is always there for us, even when we cannot feel His presence. He remains faithful, and we need to keep trusting Him even when life is hard and we don’t understand what He is doing.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – New International Version
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Dear loved ones, let us remember that God is not only our provider but also our protector. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, and our deepest desires. He knows we are not perfect, and He understands our struggles. That is why He is there to guide us and help us grow. He knows what we want, but He also knows what we truly need. Sometimes, He doesn’t give us what we ask for because He sees something we cannot. He knows what will help us grow, change, and become better people.
It is often during our hardest times that we need God the most. When we struggle to love others, forgive those who have hurt us, or do what is right, we can turn to Him for help. We can find comfort in knowing that He will never leave us, no matter what we face. God showed us the greatest example of love through Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. What more could we ask for as proof of His love? His love never ends, and He wants us to love Him in return. With His help, we can find the strength, hope, and courage to face things we never thought we could. May we keep trying to love others, repent when we fall short, forgive those who hurt us, and help those in need. Even when we struggle, we can trust that God will never abandon us.
God has already placed His chips on the table by giving us His Son on the Cross. What greater proof of love could there be? Giving His only Son shows us just how much He loves us. God didn’t just tell us He loved us. He showed us through the greatest sacrifice of all. Nothing was too precious for Him to give up so that we could have the hope of salvation. Through Jesus, God gave us the perfect example of love that puts others first. His love is beyond anything we can measure, and it does not depend on our perfection. Every time we look at the Cross, we are reminded of how much God loves us and that He will never stop being there for us.
John 3:16 – New International Version
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus laid His cards down and showed that He had a Royal Flush. As I thought about this, I couldn’t help but remember the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band. One part of the song that stands out to me says, “Devil, come on back if you ever want to try again, because I told you once, you son of a (Let’s just say gun), I’m the Best there has ever been.”
Revelation 1:8 – English Standard Version
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “Who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Even if the Lord had only a pair of matching cards in His hand, He would still have the power to defeat Satan. Our God is mighty and powerful, and He never holds back when it comes to fighting for us. He doesn’t fight halfway or give anything less than His best. God’s power is greater than anything Satan can throw at us. The devil has no power that can overcome our Almighty God. When the Holy Spirit lives within us, we can trust that God is with us, fighting for us and protecting us. He is our shield and our strength, helping us stand firm when the enemy tries to bring us down. We may feel weak at times, and we may not always know what to do, but we can hold on to the truth that we are not fighting alone. God is with us, and His strength is greater than our weakness.
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Join me in Part Six as we go deeper into the story of The Gambler.
To Be Continued …
Coming Soon – Part Six and the Conclusion –
Willie Torres Jr.
10/21/2026
@BeingCrazyForChrist
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