When My Life Changed

I was 6 or 7 years old, sitting in the back of our station wagon at Firestone bank in Lisbon, Ohio. Dad went in to do something, I remember it was raining and making streaks of water trickle and run down the windows. I tried to follow each one with my eyes, and sometimes my fingers, until I couldn’t see it anymore. They were tiny rivers weaving their way around or merging with other drops, which always made them slip away faster.

Mom was in the front passenger side, in front of me. I don’t remember how the conversation started but I do remember we were talking about Jesus. Mom told me the story of how Jesus came to save sinners from the penalty of sin (disobeying, having a bad attitude, being mean) – which is death and hell and total separation from God. He came as a baby, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life (he never sinned!), then died on the cross to bear my sin… All I needed to do was acknowledge and accept that. In my little mind I could see it clearly – Christ suffering up on the cross, Him loving me enough to endure what He did. I could see the blood and the wounds of the beatings, the stabbing crown of thorns on His head. Then I could see how big He was. The whole world was and is in the palm of His hand, yet He allowed them to beat, humiliate, kill Him, because that was the only way I could be with Him. My heart was broken, I felt the shame of knowing my guilt, I felt the pain of knowing that I was part of why He had to go through that. I knew I loved Him and wanted to spend eternity with him. I acknowledged that I truly was a sinner in need of a Savior and accepted Jesus’ as that Savior. The Bible says in Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Hallelujah! 🙂

At that point I was saved, I was a child of God, forgiven and washed clean. It wasn’t until I was 24 years old, however, that I started spiritually growing. It wasn’t until then that I had assurance of my salvation. Growing up, it was always “You’re not acting like a Christian, maybe you aren’t really one” or “If you can act like that, you couldn’t be saved” and various other comments that caused me to constantly fear for my eternity. It led to multiple times asking Jesus into my heart and many heartfelt repentances. Yes, even as Christians we sin, and yes with the help of the Holy Spirit’s convicting and leading, we are to turn from that sin (repent), but that does not mean we have lost the eternal security guaranteed from the moment we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10:28-29 says:
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. (NKJV)

Romans 8:38-39 says:
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.

Satan loves to create doubt in the mind of a believer. Anything he can do to discount or belittle our testimonies is the goal. If we live our lives doubting (guilty!), or worrying (guilty!), or complaining (guilty!) we make our lives unattractive to those who don’t have the hope we do. Why would someone want to be like us? Why would someone want what we have? And that’s exactly what Satan desires. He’s lost us, he can never snatch us away from the Father, but if he can keep us from sharing the Good News, he won’t lose any others. The more hearts he can hide from the love of God the better. We have lights fellow Christians! Our torch is our Savior, the Light of the world! And He has promised to never leave nor forsake us, so what do we have to lose? Make a commitment with me that we will let God use us, as He sees fit, to share His Son with as many as possible during our little lives. 🙂 Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

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