As a Christian, have you ever doubted your salvation? Perhaps you are thinking, “Gosh, yes most days I do not feel like a Christian!†Well, dear Christian, if you are counting on your feelings to assure your salvation you have much reason to doubt.
Our feelings lie to us daily; that is because our soul becomes corrupted by sin. Our salvation assurance does not come from our soul, it comes from the Word of God and verified by the Holy Spirit within us:
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“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…†(Romans 8:16)
Well if that is true Bro Dave, why do I constantly feel attacked? Because Satan may have lost your soul but he is not giving up on destroying your Christian walk or at least hobbling it. Hence the guilt and doubt in regards to your eternal security. Doubt is to our spirit what pain is to our body; it is telling us something is wrong. If you are struggling with guilt, or perhaps doubting your salvation, ask yourself this question. Other than when the pastor told you to, when is the last time you opened your Bible to hear from God?
Beloved, we need to hear from our Heavenly Father daily if we want to walk in the security of Christ. There are too many things in this workaday world to cause us to stumble. Only God’s Word can keep us on the straight and narrow, reminding us that we now belong to Him. This is what Paul was trying to explain to the Roman church:
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“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.†(Romans 8:1-11)
Dear friend, if you are a born-again believer, blood-bought by the Cross on Calvary, the condemnation you are experiencing is not from Christ. The Apostle Paul clearly says that there is “no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.†Now, we do have a dual nature and we can still walk according to the flesh instead of according to the Holy Spirit. Our souls still hold our wills and through our will we can give preeminence to the Holy Spirit or to the flesh. The former guarantees clemency; the latter condemnation.
Maybe you were sold a false bill of goods by some prosperity, name-it and claim-it preacher who told you that you can live a life of happiness, your best life now, and none of that has come true. Trials and tribulations have come and you wonder if you were ever really saved. Don’t give into to that lie; whether it be from man of the Devil, trials will come and believe it or not, there are for our earthly and eternal good:
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“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.†(Romans 8:18-28)
Losing my son Eddie was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced on earth. And during that loss the Holy Spirit was never more alive in my life. The growth I experienced during that terrible time is still serving me today and I imagine it always will. I learned that the Holy Spirit will come to my rescue even before I know I need it. My daughter Becky testified to me of that fact the night before Eddie’s funeral. We can count on Jesus in our most trying times; we need not faint or give up.
Beloved, we don’t need to be living our best life now; we need to be living the victorious life forever. I asked you a question at the end of yesterday’s devotional: are you conquered or a conqueror? If you are living in the flesh I guarantee you’re being conquered every day. But if you are living in the Spirit, Paul says that we are more than conquerors; we are super conquerors!
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“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.†(Romans 8:31-39)
I think sometimes as Christians we forget that Jesus won! Too many are waiting for Jesus to return to be considered our Victorious King. An Olympian who wins a gold medal does not win it when he or she is presented it; they win it at the finish line. Our Jesus won on the Cross; “It is finished†were His words on Calvary. Warren Wiersbe put it this way:
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He gives us victory and more victory! We need not fear life or death, things present or things to come, because Jesus Christ loves us and give us the victory. This is not a promise with conditions attached: “If you do this, God will do that.†This security in Christ is an established fact, and we claim it for ourselves because we are in Christ. Nothing can separate you from His love! Believe it—and rejoice in it!
When is the last time you rejoiced in your victorious life?
Maybe you’ve never received this life, which is life everlasting. It is there for the taking; all you must do is believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and confess it and you will be saved it says in Romans 10. You must believe that you are a sinner and no amount of righteousness within you or works performed by you can make you acceptable to God. Only the blood of Christ can atone for your sins. Blood is the only acceptable atonement for sin and they long ago stopped doing blood sacrifices. And for good reason! Jesus said, “It is finished!â€
So in what are you trusting? Your feelings? Your works? You? Why not trust in Jesus?
There is security in Christ, that which you’ve never experienced before…
I’ll be praying for you.
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
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Copyright © 2011 David Jeffers
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