Ever wonder if you are really saved? Ever
think that you are doing most of the things
you should each day but you are missing real
joy in your life? Ever miss church
a few Sundays, or didn't read the Bible for
a week, and didn't miss it that
much? Ever go days without praying, and when
you do, all you pray about are
the things you need? DO YOU EVER WONDER IF
YOU REALLY ARE A CHRISTIAN? Doubt is one of Satan's most effective
weapons. One of the common
prayer requests that I get daily here at
Liveprayer is from people
struggling with doubt. Doubt that God
exists. Doubt that the Bible is really
the only Truth. Doubt they are even saved.
These are very common and normal
thoughts that ALL Christians deal with from
time to time. Doubt becomes a
tool the enemy uses to try and paralyze
Believers from growing in their
faith, from effectively serving the Lord,
and from enjoying the joy of their
salvation.
The answer to doubt of course is our faith.
Faith in a God who created
the heavens and earth. Faith in a God who
created each one of us in His own
image. Faith in a God who loved us so much
that He sent His only Son to die
for our sins so that we could be reconciled
back into fellowship with Him
for all eternity. Faith in a God who has
given us His Word to guide and
direct our journey here on earth.
While we all get weak at times and have
doubts, the answer to those
doubts is maturing in our relationship with
the Lord. This is the key to
what being a Christian is really all about.
Many people who are truly saved
and going to Heaven when they die are being
constantly tormented with doubt,
struggling in their daily lives, and not
only missing so many blessings, but
not fulfilling God's plan and purpose for
their life because they have never
experienced a real, intimate, personal
relationship with the Lord! They are
saved, but have never developed a real
relationship with Christ.
The reality is, in many cases it is isn't
even their fault. How is a
person supposed to know what to do next
after they get saved unless someone
tells them? They feel the same, live in the
same place, have the same job,
hang out with the same friends, and most of
the time keep doing all the same
things they used to do. Mentoring new
Believers, discipling those who are
new to the faith is something we have
stopped doing.
Why? It takes time, effort, and commitment
to disciple someone and
people are simply too selfish to pour their
lives into someone else's. Every
Believer should be mentoring or discipling a
younger Believer! I have tens
of thousands of emails from over the years
sent by people who tell me they
have been in church all their lives, but
until they started reading the
Daily Devotional, had no clue, no idea how
they were supposed to live to
make their faith in Christ real in their
every day lives.
Let me take a few minutes right now and give
you the most important
and basic element of what being a Christian
is all about. It is about having
a personal, intimate, vibrant, one-on-one
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Your relationship with Christ is like any
earthly relationship you have. IT
REQUIRES AN INVESTMENT OF TIME, ENERGY, AND
EMOTIONS if it is going to amount to
anything. If you are married, think where
your relationship is
with your spouse today as opposed to the
first time you met. What is the
difference? Lots of time, energy, and
emotion! YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST WILL
ONLY BE WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT!
Most people never grow as
Christians, get beaten down by the
day-to-day problems of life, end up
doubting their faith because they have never
developed a real relationship
with Jesus Christ. You don't do that in an
hour on Sunday, or at a Bible
study once a week. You grow in your
relationship with Christ the same way
you grow in any relationship, by investing
the time and effort and emotion
into it each day!
I counsel people to get up 45 minutes early
each day and read the
Bible and pray before you do anything else.
Start your day with Jesus. It
may take discipline at first, but after a
while, you will look forward to
that time when it is just you and the Lord.
Spend 15-20 minutes in the
Bible. Take the rest of that time and just
hang out with Jesus. Share your
needs with Him, make sure you take time to
thank Him for all He does for you
each day, and make some time to just be
silent. You can't hear when you are
talking. Be quiet so God can speak to you!
I will be praying for you today. Praying
that God will really speak to
you through these words and that you will
begin to make the time EVERY DAY
to invest in your relationship with the
Lord. He loves you so much and
desires to have a relationship with you!
Imagine that. Jesus wants to have a
relationship with you! All of the doubts,
and fears, and questions will
start to fade the stronger your relationship
with the Lord becomes. You will
live each day with great confidence in
knowing that it is not you in
control, but JESUS who is in control. That
is what it means to walk by the
Spirit and not the flesh.
The key to what being a Christian is all
about lies in your daily,
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It
will become not only the most
important relationship you will have during
this life, but never forget that
it is the only thing that you will take from
this life into eternity!
If you have never made the conscious
decision to accept Jesus as your Savior
by faith, take a few moments and go to this
following link. I will be
praying for you as you read the words, watch
the short video, and make the
most critical choice anyone can make in this
life...accepting Jesus into you
heart and life by faith!
http://www.liveprayer.com/plan.cfm
