How sure are you in what you believe? John wrote these words: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Many times Christians struggle with whether they are saved because they have came up in a religious system that tries to force them to be good enough. Like being born again is not enough. They treat being born again like it is only some initiation or something and then for the rest of their life they then have to prove themselves to God. So many people think they have to be good enough to go to heaven. Let me ask you this, How good is good enough? Ask 15 different people you will likely get 15 different answers. So what is the answer? You can’t be good enough! Jesus was the only one good enough that is why He suffered and died on a cross. That is why He came in human form. Our judgment was placed upon HIM. It is like having a debt you cannot pay and someone comes along and pays it in full for you and not only for you but He pays enough so everyone for all time to never be in debt ever again. It is about Jesus and what He has done not what we have done. Our place is to believe that, accept that, and refuse to believe anyone preaching contrary to that. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). When it comes to salvation we are all placed on a level playing field. Some would say, “That’s not fair”. Thank God it isn’t fair! God gives us what we don’t deserve instead of what we do deserve. That is what is called GRACE. What if it were up to us? Then people who were rich and had more resources than others to do more good would be saved and those who had nothing could not be saved. It isn’t about us.
I have heard that scripture twisted out of context that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). James was addressing a particular congregation that seemingly had no desire to do the work of the kingdom. He was concerned because if you are truly saved you have a desire to witness to others, help the poor, etc. Not because you are trying to please God or earn your salvation but because you now have a heart and desire to do the work of the kingdom and help others out of love. You have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) as one scripture puts it. The apostles were constantly trying to balance out the newly born church of the second century with this concept. You had one that was all about works, doing lots of good things but for the wrong motives. Then you had others that were floating along doing nothing at all. Works should be a natural thing for a born-again believer to do not because he has to but because he wants to. Do you know what I tell my kids when they say, “Aw, Dad, do we have to?”. I tell them,” No you don’t have to, YOU GET TO!”. Do you see the difference? There is one scripture that says, “man looks upon the outward appearance, God looks upon the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God knows why you are doing what you are doing. He knows the motives of your heart. He desires that your works flow from a genuine desire to help others, not because it is forced. Scripture says, “God loves a CHEERFUL giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). I’m going to really tread on ‘sacred ground’ here but it is the truth: if you are tithing because you think you have to you are doing it for the wrong reason. If you have a genuine desire to give financially to the work of the kingdom and you can’t help but want to give then give it but don’t come under bondage to it. Don’t think if you don’t do it God is going to curse you or something. I am amazed at what so many preachers pound people with. It is, more times than not, on tithing and giving financially. Never on being at peace with God, rejoicing in what He has accomplished for you in His Son, Jesus. If you fall in love with Jesus you won’t be able to contain the joy that flows in you and you won’t be able to contain all that flows out of you onto those around you. I’m just saying, do it for the right reason not out of bondage or fear, do it out of love. The Word says it should flow from your innermost being like rivers of living water (John 7:38). It should be a river that cannot be contained. Instead, so many congregations and denominations welcome you to their altars, you get saved, then it is like they lock all the windows and doors and say, “We got you now”. Then the control and condemnation begins. Jesus told the Pharisees once that they proselyte people and then make them twice the child of hell that they themselves are (Matthew 23:15). And the Pharisees were supposed to be the shining example of God’s people on Earth in their time. They made it impossible to live for God. They elevated the law above the person. The law was never meant to condemn and control people. It was meant to give you a glimpse of how holy God is, how high a standard it would take to please Him knowing full well we couldn’t do it on our own in hope that we would turn our hearts to God and cry out for His mercy, grace and strength which He has imparted abundantly in His Son and in the Holy Spirit.
You will never have peace, you will never be sure of your salvation till you know who you are in Christ. In Ephesians 6:15 part of our spiritual armor is our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” What is He saying here? What are we to be grounded in? The answer? PEACE. There is not a soldier whom one piece of his armor would do any good if his feet were cut out from under him. And the Christian won’t be able to stand if he doesn’t have a sure standing and foothold in PEACE. This is what holds us to the Rock. Our peace and assurance we have in knowing that no matter what comes against us we need not be afraid or shaken. We can experience peace because we know in whom we trust. We can have peace knowing that His word is true. We can have peace knowing on whom we have believed. We can have peace knowing that we have confessed our sins to Him, repented and believed that our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27) and we need not fear His wrath because it is in Him whom we trust and believe. Then “having done all to stand, Stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
“Cast not away your confidence” (Hebrews 10:35). How sure should you be? When someone speaks you should not compare what you believe to what they are saying. You should compare what they are saying to what you believe! Paul was confident enough to call the gospel, “HIS gospel” (Romans 2:16, 16:25. 2 Timothy 2:8). He was that sure of it. He was one with it. It was he and he was it. That’s how confident you should be. I am amazed at the things people have faith in but can’t have faith in almighty God. Paul puts it this way: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32). You have faith that the chair you sit in isn’t going to fall flat. You have faith that the brakes on your car will work and stop you when you use them. You have faith in a doctor that sticks a needle in your arm and injects some substance in your body that it will help you and not kill you. HAVE FAITH IN GOD! HAVE FAITH IN WHAT HE SAYS IS TRUE!
If you don’t know it already, I’m going to tell you. The biggest part of the battle you will fight is in your mind. Oh yeah, Christians are made or they lose depending on where their mind is established. The Bible says, He will keep a person in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). And again, It is written, He has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and peace and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Romans 12:1-3 says, “ 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Phillipians 1: 28 says, “ And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.” Don’t be terrified. Don’t be filled with fear. The enemy can smell fear. That is his weapon. False Evidence Appearing Real. What is real to you? The Word of God needs to be more real to you than the storms around you. Why is it Jesus could rebuke the storm? Because He was peace. The storm could not withstand Him. And the storms of life cannot withstand you if you know in whom you are established, who is your peace.
I think the worst enemy we have sometimes is ourselves. I think sometimes God allows us to go through some things until we learn to rest in Him and to be at peace. Give it to God. As long as you want to fight it yourself God will let you. As long as you fight it the way you think it ought to be fought using all those weapons of the flesh you won’t do anything but get worn out. Sure, it may not be easy but the Bible says God laughs at his enemies (Psalms 2:4). God isn’t scared of anything and that same God is on OUR side! We have to find that place where we can have joy in the midst of our problems. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). What does that tell you? If devil can rob you of your joy, he robs you of your strength. Why do you think he works so hard at stealing our joy? He has no use for our stuff. He wants our joy. If he can rob us of that he has our strength and he knows it.
So, where do we get this joy? Psalms 16:11 tells us: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. “ Spend time in His presence. Read the Word of God. Memorize verses. Study it. Let God speak to you through it. He is your strength. Say the Word of God out loud. Why? Because when you do, your ears hear it and it gets in your mind and soul and spirit. The devil hears it and flees. God hears it and honors it as you come into agreement with Him and His word. This is the ‘preparation’ part. Remember your feet shod with the PREPARATION of the gospel of peace? You can’t wait till you are in the storm and then study. No, prepare yourself every day whether you are going through a storm or not. So many Christians wait till they are going through something to pray and cry out to God and search His Word. Prepare ahead of time! Let the Holy Spirit guide you daily. He knows what is ahead not you. Read Romans 6:8. Pray and ask God to get the revelation contained in these verses into your spirit. His Word imparts life and peace and anointing. Know in what you believe. Know who you are in Christ. Let demons fear you, not you fear them. He has done His part over and above what we deserve for sure. Now, you must do your part and that doesn’t mean beat yourself up and condemn yourself and try in your flesh a little harder. It is knowing who you are in Christ, and standing on what you believe. He will do the rest. Just don’t “quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) let it flow, break down the dams in your life and let it flow and wash out all that junk in you and you will be free, free at last.
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