God Is Alive!

Friedrich Nietzsche spent much of his life consumed with restless struggle and doubt. He was filled with questions. Born on this day in 1844 in Saxony (in present-day Germany), he came under the influence of Plato, Aristotle, Arthur Schopenhauer, and other philosophers who encouraged this skepticism.

As a result of his struggles, Nietzsche rejected commonly-held beliefs about religion. Defying traditional restraint, Nietzsche was one of the first thinkers to completely break with religion. He proclaimed the importance of human willpower, developing these ideas in a book called (in English) Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

He wrote about “super man,” and his conviction that “God is dead.” He proclaimed that there was no single “way,” and advised people to question all assumptions and “try out the ways themselves.” And he urged everyone to reject the influence of believers, to stop being like sheep following “herd” instincts.

For years, he struggled with health issues until he collapsed in 1889. He spent his last 11 years in mental asylums. But his ideas continued to gain momentum, even after his death. He remains influential today.

Many people have adopted the kind of questions and doubts he inspired. Like Nietzsche, many do not believe that God is real. They certainly don’t have a personal relationship with Him. They do not know that the message Paul proclaimed to the Athenians is true, that God not only exists, but He can be known by each of us.

Today, renew your faith in God. Don’t give in to the doubt and skepticism encouraged by men like Nietzsche. Remember: God is alive! He cares about you, and everything that is going on in your life. Call on Him right now!