Lord,
I pray that this work of YOURS is a blessing to many. I pray that you would draw in many more through those you have already brought close to hear your Word spoken. Move in the hearts of these hearers that they might pass along the good thing they have found in You. Lord, I pray that if these words are not in line with your holy scriptures, that you would bring bold brothers/sisters in Christ who will be willing to reject all that is not of you. Lord, cleanse my own heart from all anxiousness, and wickedness, and let me live a life of holiness before all men. Lord, put a guard about my mouth that I would not speak anything that is not pleasing to you. Lord, I pray for wisdom in writing, and in all areas of my life. I pray for patience and perserverance, and even long-suffering. I pray that you might manifest the fruit of the Spirit in me, so others might see You through me. Lord, let me be transparent to all, and give me Your righteousness to wear, so that others may see your goodness in every situation. Lord, bless this blog, and the hearers who faithfully come to read it every day. Bless them richly in the name of Jesus. It is in His name I pray, Amen.
Sarah
I, for one, thank God that He is an encouragement to me through the Holy Spirit. I am thankful that He knows my thoughts, and even the depths of my heart. Without Him, I would be lost and suffering in this world. He knows when I need stern rebuke and discipline, and when I need a soft, kind word from Him. He is the perfect being. I love my husband, I love my family, and I love my children dearly, but none can compare to the Almighty God. He is the lover of my soul, and my friend. I can't imagine at times WHY he would choose to remain my friend after everything I have done to him, and every time I have moved away from him....but the Word tells me that it is because of His great mercy in my life.
I don't know how many of you think of the crucifixion in the light that it was done FOR YOU. Because of the omniscient nature of God, He KNEW about you when He was hanging on that old rugged cross. He knew your name and your life, and He knew he was taking YOUR sin. He did it because of His great love for you and me. He longed to restore fellowship with each of us, and to give us a way to return to His Holy Presence....and to live with him forever. He knew before you were born that you would sin, and which ways you would sin! But He made a way to escape the fires of hell. All we have to do is accept His way! Once we are reborn into the Spirit of God, then we can have day-to-day fellowship with Him. It is not some craziness and a universal lie of all Christians....it is the TRUTH....but one cannot know it until they are "born again." Until we are born of the Spirit, and baptized into Jesus' death (allowing Him to pay for our sin once and for all)...a relationship with God seems like complete foolishness. Trust me, it was to me before I learned the truth.
Many people would argue that Christians can't be the only ones who know God, or that talk to God. What about Muslims? They know Allah, right? I would venture to say (based on scripture) that Muslims do not have a personal relationship with Allah. They pray, they seek to please him, but their salvation is based on works....like every other religion except Christianity. For Christians, salvation comes from God alone....as a free gift of His mercy and grace. We cannot earn salvation through our works. There is absolutely NOTHING we can do to earn our way into God's Presence (heaven). It just isn't possible. But God made the way to Him very easy. He said all you have to do is confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior, that He rose from the dead, and that you believe that salvation comes only through Him. Then Christ pays the penalty for your sin once and for all....just like He knew He would while He hung on the cross. He knew exactly why he was doing that....and it was worth it to Him.
I don't know about you, but I have struggled in the past with the idea that God of the Universe would die for ME, personally. Die for the wickedness, iniquity and sin of the world....MAYBE. But ME....poor, weak, crazy old me? It is so easy for us to feel distant from God, and believe that He just did a universal act of kindness when He died for us....but how many times have you really thought about how personally God knows you? When He died, it was for ALL, but it was for YOU personally. He wants to spend an eternity with YOU....and He was willing to do anything to make that happen. There is just one catch. Like a person that you fall in love with, who may or may not love you back.....you must wait for them to decide to return your love....or even accept it. There are people in the world who are in one-sided relationships simply because they are still hoping that other person will change their mind and love them back! That is how God is before you accept Him. He is the stalking (but loving) person who wants your full love, heart and devotion, and will give up at nothing to get it. He will not give up on you accepting Him until you die, when He simply has to accept that you did not love him back. He waits patiently for your heart to turn to Him, and utter those words....accepting Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He wants to be to you in the future....and asking for His forgiveness for turning your back on Him in sin. Then He forgives you, gives you His Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you, and carries you through to eternity. What could possibly be holding you back?
You say..."I just don't believe that Jesus was God." There is nothing I can do to change your mind. I can tell you all day long that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died for my sins and yours, and that He will take me into heaven to be with Him, but it takes faith and His revelation to your heart of how much you need Him. Then, I CAN promise you that your life will NEVER be the same.
There are a couple scriptures which tell us this truth:
1 Peter 3:18 (NASB):
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit."
Romans 5:8 (NASB):
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16 (NIV):
"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."
Christ died on the cross for YOU. Will you accept His act of love today? Maybe you even want to return to Him by giving Him your life.....and receiving His eternal salvation? Think about it!
Loving my Savior Jesus,
Sarah
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Potter and Me
I took a short nap today...because I have been feeling very sleepy the last couple of days. Sometimes, God will speak to me through dreams or when I am asleep. Today, I heard Him loud and clear. He kept saying to me over and over throughout a dream which I do not remember...."The clay does not ask the potter - What are you making?" Those of you who are unfamilar with scripture might not have any idea where this would come from....but the Bible speaks of the relationship between a potter and the clay that He is molding. He is creative and is forming a masterpiece out of something that formerly had no shape or recognition as anything.
Isaiah 45:8-10 (NASB):
"Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--An earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'
This season I have been going through has probably been the hardest one ever since meeting and accepting Christ in my life. God has had to wade through old emotional scars, my lack of trust for others, my stubborness, my laziness, and my pride (and probably a lot more!) God is revealing parts of my heart that are dark and ugly....and causing my sinfulness to become visible. He is bringing it out as part of the potter/clay molding process. In order for him to create his intended masterpiece, He has to continually work with the clay (ME) which can be stubborn and often fall apart.
It is a wonder in itself that He ever took on the project to begin with....but even worse, He has the clay always asking Him "What are you doing? Why is this happening this way? Why aren't you doing it this other way? Why does your touch often hurt? The scripture He gave me in my dream clearly states "Woe...." to people like me. He is warning me against my continual doubt of His perfect nature, and His strength and ability to complete the work He has begun in me. What I need to do instead is start trusting God and stop asking so many questions. Is asking questions a bad thing? No, in prayer, God can give guidance....and He should be asked for direction in our lives in everything we do. What I should NOT be doing is questioning His judgment and His direction for my life. It is a totally different thing. I have been hypocritical lately in that I have judged others for doing the exact same thing I am doing.....and for any of you that recognize this in me, I am sorry. That is my sinful nature coming through....
The Bible says:
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB):
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
So, my encouragement to you from the deepest parts of my heart is that next time something does not go the way you hoped or expected, and you have put your faith in God as the potter of your shapeless life (clay)....remember, that it is HIS work that will be completed, not YOURS. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we hand our lives to Him and ask Him to help us. We ask Him to guide and save us. We DIE to ourselves, and our own wants and desires. Sometimes, this means that the life God intends for you will not be everything that you had imagined....and sometimes, He will give you the desires of you heart in the most amazing way possible. What I have learned in the past couple of months is to not get offended by God when He takes my life down a different road that I expect.
Matthew 11:6 (NKJV):
"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
Phillipians 1:3-6 (NKJV):
"I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."
James 1:2-5 (NKJV):
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Everything we are going through as Christians is for our OWN GOOD, and the glory of God. Even when things seem to be completely wrong and going in the opposite direction of what is expected, we still need to keep our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. He is working something in us that is beyond our comprehension. I need to stop doubting God's plans for my life, and just "get with the program."
Lord,
I thank you today for your vast mercy and patience with me, your child. I thank you that you put up with my doubt and my complaints, and my foul mouth which be perverse to your ways at times. I thank you for the work you have begun and will complete in my life. I thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me, even though I do not deserve in the slightest bit to have you by my side. I ask today that you would speak a fresh word from your lips into the hearts of the people reading this blog, and bless them richly in the name of Jesus. I pray that you would continually guide them into truth and knowledge of salvation that comes only through You. Thank you God! Please help me, God, to cast away all doubt in my mind and to follow you without needing explanation of your plan. Please help me to grow in You, and to do Your will on earth as it is in heaven. Bless your name, O God! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Clay in the Potter's Hand,
Sarah
Isaiah 45:8-10 (NASB):
"Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--An earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'
This season I have been going through has probably been the hardest one ever since meeting and accepting Christ in my life. God has had to wade through old emotional scars, my lack of trust for others, my stubborness, my laziness, and my pride (and probably a lot more!) God is revealing parts of my heart that are dark and ugly....and causing my sinfulness to become visible. He is bringing it out as part of the potter/clay molding process. In order for him to create his intended masterpiece, He has to continually work with the clay (ME) which can be stubborn and often fall apart.
It is a wonder in itself that He ever took on the project to begin with....but even worse, He has the clay always asking Him "What are you doing? Why is this happening this way? Why aren't you doing it this other way? Why does your touch often hurt? The scripture He gave me in my dream clearly states "Woe...." to people like me. He is warning me against my continual doubt of His perfect nature, and His strength and ability to complete the work He has begun in me. What I need to do instead is start trusting God and stop asking so many questions. Is asking questions a bad thing? No, in prayer, God can give guidance....and He should be asked for direction in our lives in everything we do. What I should NOT be doing is questioning His judgment and His direction for my life. It is a totally different thing. I have been hypocritical lately in that I have judged others for doing the exact same thing I am doing.....and for any of you that recognize this in me, I am sorry. That is my sinful nature coming through....
The Bible says:
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB):
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
So, my encouragement to you from the deepest parts of my heart is that next time something does not go the way you hoped or expected, and you have put your faith in God as the potter of your shapeless life (clay)....remember, that it is HIS work that will be completed, not YOURS. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we hand our lives to Him and ask Him to help us. We ask Him to guide and save us. We DIE to ourselves, and our own wants and desires. Sometimes, this means that the life God intends for you will not be everything that you had imagined....and sometimes, He will give you the desires of you heart in the most amazing way possible. What I have learned in the past couple of months is to not get offended by God when He takes my life down a different road that I expect.
Matthew 11:6 (NKJV):
"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
Phillipians 1:3-6 (NKJV):
"I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."
James 1:2-5 (NKJV):
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Everything we are going through as Christians is for our OWN GOOD, and the glory of God. Even when things seem to be completely wrong and going in the opposite direction of what is expected, we still need to keep our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. He is working something in us that is beyond our comprehension. I need to stop doubting God's plans for my life, and just "get with the program."
Lord,
I thank you today for your vast mercy and patience with me, your child. I thank you that you put up with my doubt and my complaints, and my foul mouth which be perverse to your ways at times. I thank you for the work you have begun and will complete in my life. I thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me, even though I do not deserve in the slightest bit to have you by my side. I ask today that you would speak a fresh word from your lips into the hearts of the people reading this blog, and bless them richly in the name of Jesus. I pray that you would continually guide them into truth and knowledge of salvation that comes only through You. Thank you God! Please help me, God, to cast away all doubt in my mind and to follow you without needing explanation of your plan. Please help me to grow in You, and to do Your will on earth as it is in heaven. Bless your name, O God! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Clay in the Potter's Hand,
Sarah
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I'm Not Who I Was...
I was listening to a song in my car today called "I'm Not Who I Was." I got to seriously thinking about the lyrics of the song which talks about how God was always with me, even when I was doing everything wrong. He still loved me, and He saw all the mistakes I made in life. I remember feeling many times as though no one ever really loved me because I thought I was too horrible to love. I had done so many things wrong, hurt so many people, and been angry and depressed most of my life. I remember life being a daily struggle, and it never seemed to get any easier. I remember having conversations with people about how life will never get better, this is "just the way it is going to be." I am sorry for all the people who suffered from my cynical nature, and my pessimism toward life. All I really ever wanted was to love, be loved, and be happy! I wanted peace in my life, and for every day to be a joy rather than a curse. I remember waking up each morning without much hope of that day being better than the previous one. Sure, there were happy moments in life. The birth of my daughter, and my son, and the day I got married were all wonderful DAYS. But, I was a single mother when I exited the hospital the first time....twenty years old with no wisdom. My parents helped me, but I needed more help than they could ever give. Marrying my husband was a wonderful day, but shortly after, I found out that marriage was very hard for me as well because I lacked a solid knowledge of how to love my husband. Oh, I could be nice to him sometimes, but most of the time I was with him...I was not happy. I always felt stressed about everything, and we often took our stress out on each other. Neither of us was happy in our marriage. The birth of my son was absolutely amazing, but the stress of having two children, and a struggling marriage left me with little satisfaction. I felt, at times, as though I was all alone. Sometimes, I would just cry and wonder if I would ever be TRULY happy and have PEACE in my life.
These days, if I have the slightest interruption to my day, I begin to get restless and think "what is wrong." I realize that this is because life is good every day, even on the "bad" days. The only thing I worry about anymore is my relationship with Christ and whether I am moving forward in being closer to Him. When I feel distant from Him, I get anxious. These past couple days, I really got to thinking about how GREAT life is for me after I met and accepted Jesus Christ. I kept thinking to myself...."people can think whatever they want about Christianity, or the gospel message, or think I am crazy....but no one can EVER convince me that God did not change my life dramatically." No no can ever take away my testimony, or even really come against it. The fact is -- I AM NOT WHO I WAS. This pattern of thought really sunk in last Thursday in my bible study where we memorize God's Word. In the study, we do cross-referencing on a specific scripture. God started to give me a revelation about who I really was in Him and the totality of what He had done for me on the cross. These are the scriptures He gave me along with the revelation He gave me about them:
Galatians 2:20 (NASB):
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me an gave Himself up for me."
Romans 6:23 (NASB):
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Hebrews 9:27 (NASB):
"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB):
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
Isaiah 53:6 (NASB):
"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."
Romans 5:8 (NASB):
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB):
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
and finally.....
Romans 6:2-4 (NKJV):
"Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life."
So.....how do these all go along with the point of this blog. Here is what happened to me. I was living in sin (falling short of God's standard of holiness)....and He used many hardships in life to bring to the place of being aware of my own sin....and asking Him for forgiveness. When I finally surrendered my life and heart to Jesus Christ, He gave me a new life in Him. When I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believed in my heart that God raised Him from the dead....I was saved. I have heard many other theologies that talk about "losing your salvation." This is an issue that I have wrestled with since the day I GOT SAVED. I had been fearful of losing my salvation....and believing I was saved by faith but had to work to continue onto my "true salvation in Christ" when He returns and takes His people to be with Him forever. I know there are scriptures that talk about the race we are running, and that we must hold onto our faith until the end, and this is all true. But God showed me something amazing through His holy scripture....when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, and are baptized into His death, and resurrected into new life.....we are a NEW creature. We are no longer what/who we were before. God makes us something completely new. Then He continues to show and prove through scripture that once this regeneration occurs, our salvation rests in His loving and capable hands. We need to devote our lives to Him, continue to seek out and grow in a relationship with Him, but the ultimate responsibility for our salvation is taken out of our own hands. We no longer carry the burden of having to save ourselves from certain death and eternal torment....He promises to continue on the work that He starts in us, and He will complete it unto salvation. I have heard many other Christians talking about the fear of losing their salvation, or never having been saved in the first place. There is much talk of sanctification, which I believe is real and necessary in the life of a Christian....but does it determine salvation? That is something for each person to discover in scripture....but in my heart, I have concluded through study of scripture that when a person accepts Christ, that person is saved.
What I know from experience is that I was given new hope, new life, and new purpose. All things became new and the old passed away.
The revelation that God gave me was that when I accepted Christ, I died to myself. I asked Him to take over my life and live through me. Then I was baptized into His death (once again, I am dead....and He lives in me) and I was raised to new life in Him. I became a new creature, and the ONE time I was appointed to "die," will no longer be a spiritual death....I have already died. I am a spiritual being living in a physical body (which will die)....but Paul said to "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." I believe that when I die, I will immediately be in the Presence of the Almighty God and my Savior. I will not experience the sting of physical or spiritual death because I have already died, and been resurrected spiritually with Christ. The scripture says so. When God was finished giving me this revelation, I felt myself to be lighter than ever, and without worry in the world! I trust God even more than before because I know that He will complete the work He started in me--for His glory and His name's sake. Not for mine. I am already dead. It is all about Him now. But....as I live, He showers His grace upon my life and His blessings. Even in my death (to my dreams and desires of the flesh)....He is giving me everything I ever dreamed of!!!
If you are afraid today that surrendering your life to Christ, and dying to yourself forever....is going to be PAINFUL or that you are going to lose something.....that is a LIE. There is nothing to lose, just everything to gain. Yes, God will rule and reign in your life....but trust me, He does a way better job than you ever could. Will it turn you into some spiritual crazy person who is always preaching about Jesus? Possibly....but in the end, you will be rewarded eternally for that as well! And in the midst of this wicked and crazy life, you will have PEACE. You will have an open line of communication with the God of the Universe in which you ask, you believe, and you receive. You will know a depth to love that you never imagined before, and you will be assured in the deepest parts of your soul of the riches and glory yet to come in Heaven. You will know a relationship with a spiritual divine Creator that seems impossible to the human mind....but is absolutely real through your re-birth into Christ.
I can tell you until I am blue in the face about what you might be missing.....and you may still reject it....but I am going to keep telling the world until somebody listens! I have found treasure, and I am not about to hide it from those I love most. I have to share it, so that everyone I love may join me in the wonderful life I have here, and will be assured of their final resting place in Heaven as well.
The scripture says in Phillipians 3:17-21 (NASB):
"Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, who end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
I know now that I am citizen of heaven....I am stranger here on earth, but I feel a deep need to tell as many as possible about this great thing of salvation I have found in Jesus Christ. I pray that you would ask God to show you how real He is. Ask Him to bring you to knowledge of whether you need to saved, and the truth found in His Word. As I said before.....not one person might accept Christ because of these words in this life.....but no one can take away from me the eternal life promised to me by Christ, and the testimony of what He has done in my life. May God bless you with this knowledge and wisdom as well, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Waiting for His Return,
Sarah
These days, if I have the slightest interruption to my day, I begin to get restless and think "what is wrong." I realize that this is because life is good every day, even on the "bad" days. The only thing I worry about anymore is my relationship with Christ and whether I am moving forward in being closer to Him. When I feel distant from Him, I get anxious. These past couple days, I really got to thinking about how GREAT life is for me after I met and accepted Jesus Christ. I kept thinking to myself...."people can think whatever they want about Christianity, or the gospel message, or think I am crazy....but no one can EVER convince me that God did not change my life dramatically." No no can ever take away my testimony, or even really come against it. The fact is -- I AM NOT WHO I WAS. This pattern of thought really sunk in last Thursday in my bible study where we memorize God's Word. In the study, we do cross-referencing on a specific scripture. God started to give me a revelation about who I really was in Him and the totality of what He had done for me on the cross. These are the scriptures He gave me along with the revelation He gave me about them:
Galatians 2:20 (NASB):
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me an gave Himself up for me."
Romans 6:23 (NASB):
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Hebrews 9:27 (NASB):
"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB):
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
Isaiah 53:6 (NASB):
"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."
Romans 5:8 (NASB):
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB):
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
and finally.....
Romans 6:2-4 (NKJV):
"Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life."
So.....how do these all go along with the point of this blog. Here is what happened to me. I was living in sin (falling short of God's standard of holiness)....and He used many hardships in life to bring to the place of being aware of my own sin....and asking Him for forgiveness. When I finally surrendered my life and heart to Jesus Christ, He gave me a new life in Him. When I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believed in my heart that God raised Him from the dead....I was saved. I have heard many other theologies that talk about "losing your salvation." This is an issue that I have wrestled with since the day I GOT SAVED. I had been fearful of losing my salvation....and believing I was saved by faith but had to work to continue onto my "true salvation in Christ" when He returns and takes His people to be with Him forever. I know there are scriptures that talk about the race we are running, and that we must hold onto our faith until the end, and this is all true. But God showed me something amazing through His holy scripture....when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, and are baptized into His death, and resurrected into new life.....we are a NEW creature. We are no longer what/who we were before. God makes us something completely new. Then He continues to show and prove through scripture that once this regeneration occurs, our salvation rests in His loving and capable hands. We need to devote our lives to Him, continue to seek out and grow in a relationship with Him, but the ultimate responsibility for our salvation is taken out of our own hands. We no longer carry the burden of having to save ourselves from certain death and eternal torment....He promises to continue on the work that He starts in us, and He will complete it unto salvation. I have heard many other Christians talking about the fear of losing their salvation, or never having been saved in the first place. There is much talk of sanctification, which I believe is real and necessary in the life of a Christian....but does it determine salvation? That is something for each person to discover in scripture....but in my heart, I have concluded through study of scripture that when a person accepts Christ, that person is saved.
What I know from experience is that I was given new hope, new life, and new purpose. All things became new and the old passed away.
The revelation that God gave me was that when I accepted Christ, I died to myself. I asked Him to take over my life and live through me. Then I was baptized into His death (once again, I am dead....and He lives in me) and I was raised to new life in Him. I became a new creature, and the ONE time I was appointed to "die," will no longer be a spiritual death....I have already died. I am a spiritual being living in a physical body (which will die)....but Paul said to "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." I believe that when I die, I will immediately be in the Presence of the Almighty God and my Savior. I will not experience the sting of physical or spiritual death because I have already died, and been resurrected spiritually with Christ. The scripture says so. When God was finished giving me this revelation, I felt myself to be lighter than ever, and without worry in the world! I trust God even more than before because I know that He will complete the work He started in me--for His glory and His name's sake. Not for mine. I am already dead. It is all about Him now. But....as I live, He showers His grace upon my life and His blessings. Even in my death (to my dreams and desires of the flesh)....He is giving me everything I ever dreamed of!!!
If you are afraid today that surrendering your life to Christ, and dying to yourself forever....is going to be PAINFUL or that you are going to lose something.....that is a LIE. There is nothing to lose, just everything to gain. Yes, God will rule and reign in your life....but trust me, He does a way better job than you ever could. Will it turn you into some spiritual crazy person who is always preaching about Jesus? Possibly....but in the end, you will be rewarded eternally for that as well! And in the midst of this wicked and crazy life, you will have PEACE. You will have an open line of communication with the God of the Universe in which you ask, you believe, and you receive. You will know a depth to love that you never imagined before, and you will be assured in the deepest parts of your soul of the riches and glory yet to come in Heaven. You will know a relationship with a spiritual divine Creator that seems impossible to the human mind....but is absolutely real through your re-birth into Christ.
I can tell you until I am blue in the face about what you might be missing.....and you may still reject it....but I am going to keep telling the world until somebody listens! I have found treasure, and I am not about to hide it from those I love most. I have to share it, so that everyone I love may join me in the wonderful life I have here, and will be assured of their final resting place in Heaven as well.
The scripture says in Phillipians 3:17-21 (NASB):
"Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, who end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
I know now that I am citizen of heaven....I am stranger here on earth, but I feel a deep need to tell as many as possible about this great thing of salvation I have found in Jesus Christ. I pray that you would ask God to show you how real He is. Ask Him to bring you to knowledge of whether you need to saved, and the truth found in His Word. As I said before.....not one person might accept Christ because of these words in this life.....but no one can take away from me the eternal life promised to me by Christ, and the testimony of what He has done in my life. May God bless you with this knowledge and wisdom as well, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Waiting for His Return,
Sarah
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