Learning about God’s wonderful gift of salvation opened up a whole new dimension of my relationship with God; it became a turning point in my life and in every sense of the word life was never the same! The concept of salvation was as new to me as the revelation of who the Holy Spirit is. And I’m not talking about when I was a young girl or woman; I’m talking about at the age of 58, which was not that long ago. As I shared in Prayer Made Simple, my knowledge of the Holy Spirit was so little, and what I thought I knew, couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Not knowing the Holy Spirit personally, kept me from knowing Jesus, from having an intimate relationship with the Son of God who offered Himself up for my sins. And it kept me from knowing God, God as He truly is, because if you don’t know Jesus, You can’t know God, and that sad fact kept the most precious gifts He had to give me out of reach, His Word, His Son, Jesus Christ and eternal life. So I share with you what I have learned, experienced, and embraced about this gracious gift of grace from God our Father. It has changed everything about my life. I hope it makes a difference in yours.
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11
We are all born with a sinful nature because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, which created separation from God. But then God sent His Son, His beloved Jesus, to deliver us from our sin.
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39
Jesus, Who was without sin would become sin for all of us and be crucified.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
It is Christ’s death that brings us victory over sin. He paid the ultimate price and made it possible to enter into the kingdom of heaven and have eternal life. How? Salvation - God’s glorious gift of grace that delivers us from the power and penalty of sin.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. 2 Corinthians 5:19
Salvation is a gift from God.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-9
There is nothing we can do to earn it and it is a gift of grace that requires a response from us.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10
We accept God’s invitation to spend eternity with Him by believing and professing:
We are sinners - we must confess in order to be forgiven
(Romans 3:23)
Christ is the Son of God and that He came to pay up all the debt of our sins - He came to redeem humanity (1 John 4:15)
Jesus died on the cross for our sins - through His resurrection, he claimed victory over sin, death, and hell (1 Cor. 1:18)
We turn from our sins and ask for forgiveness – God gives it to us by His love and grace when we ask for it (2 Cor. 5:17)
We invite Jesus to come into our heart, to take control – our life is transformed by His power (2 Cor. 1:21-22)
And through our faith in Him, He brings us access to the Father, the promise of eternal life.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
When Jesus comes into our hearts, He comes in as the Person of the Holy Spirit and He is our seal, our guarantee, of what is promised.
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
God gives us the Holy Spirit so we can be free from sin’s control in our life; His power is what helps us live a changed life. And even when we sin, because of our sinful nature, it is the Holy Spirit who will convict us of that sin so we can confess and be forgiven.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
This power of Christ that lives in you and me becomes greater than the power of sin.
I thought discovering the Holy Spirit was exciting! When I discovered the gift of salvation, it was simply the most beautiful revelation. It humbled me and moved me beyond words that God loved me that much, and I was that important to Him. And being given the gift of salvation was the beginning of my gift of eternal life, because eternal life doesn’t begin when we leave our earthly home and go to heaven, it’s much more than that, it begins the moment we receive salvation. Eternal life is to know God and to know His purpose for you: to change you so that your life becomes His life.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
I realize now why I was unaware of these critical, vital words of wisdom, Words of Truth - I never read the Bible. The Bible is the plan for salvation! Unfortunately, the Bible was beyond my comprehension. Until a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible is like reading a book in a foreign language. It’s difficult to grasp the deep meaning; it is impossible without the Holy Spirit and it is one of His roles to open the understanding of one’s heart, to help the believer understand.
Now I hope there are many of you reading this, scratching your head and wondering how in the world did this woman live and function for the majority of her life as a “Christian” and be so clueless. That would mean that many of you already received salvation. Praise God for that! But for those of you who are like me, so involved in the “religious” aspect of religion and not the relationship; using our head to create and sustain a relationship with God, never fully engaging the heart and inviting Jesus to come and live His glorious life through us, what greatness we are missing. To not know who God truly is, never to hear His voice, never to have within us the power that raised Christ from the dead, never to experience what Christ’s life was and is, as we allow Him to accomplish great things through our ordinary lives, what glory we’ve denied God.
May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Hebrews 13:20-21
When you receive Christ into your heart and yield your life to Him and let Him work through you, His power can take you to places you’ve never seen or imagined, you will accomplish things you would never believe possible. And you know when Christ comes into your heart…you just know! Your life radically changes the moment the Holy Spirit fills you and He continues to fill you. It’s not a one-time filling. As you yield your life to Him, amazing things happen around you and within you, you are a new person in every sense of the word – literally! Your words change, your outlook changes, everything is brighter. You are forever changed! I just find it so humbling, that Christ chose my heart to call His home.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
We all experience God differently, and I don’t want to suggest you will feel what I feel, but I want to share how my life has changed. Looking back at myself before and after I received salvation, the contrast is amazing! It appears as if I am talking about two different people, and I am – without Christ, old self, with Christ, new self.
Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24
The following is my own little assessment of my walk with God. It runs much deeper, and hopefully in future articles I can share more with you, but for now, I hope this might prompt you to take a close look at your own relationship with Him. It’s important to be aware of just how vibrant and alive it is. Sometimes we find we are just coasting through life and in our relationship with God, instead of being actively engaged with Him, and in His work. Again, my experiences are not what you should be setting your standard by. But we should all have the same goal, which is to become more like Christ, because God wants to look at you and I, and see Himself.
The power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:21
Relationship: Before: Weak relationship with God the Father and God the Son; did not think about God and Jesus often, was wrapped up in my own daily life; did not know the Holy Spirit at all After: God is the center of my life and Jesus helps me live a life that honors and glorifies God; He gives me everything the Father has given Him, and helps me to hear God and be an obedient servant; I receive personal, one on one coaching from Jesus; I have my own advisor and counselor in the Holy Spirit, who helps me understand the Bible, and helps me to live a life in the likeness of Christ Knowledge: Before: Limited knowledge of the Blessed Trinity, no understanding of the Bible After: Jesus teaches me the gospel and the Holy Spirit opens up the understanding of my heart to understand it, the Holy Spirit helps me understand the deeper meaning of God through the pages of the Bible; God’s Word comes to life in my heart and is expressed in how I live my life Scripture: Before: Scripture meant very little to me, unable to understand it After: Reading Scripture is like reading a love letter, intense love and devotion felt as God’s Word fills my heart; personal tutor in the Holy Spirit who helps me understand the Bible, Jesus is revealed to me through the pages of the Bible; God talks to me through Scripture Emotions: Before: Occasional anxiety, fear and worry about life’s daily challenges After: Peace, fearlessness, confidence, rock solid trust in God; able to give my worries and myself to the Holy Spirit so Christ’s power works through me, giving glory to God – incredible feeling! Prayer Life: Before: Lifeless, inconsistent, frequent periods of prayerlessness, memorized one-sided prayers; prayers sometimes went unanswered, frustration and doubt entered my mind; never spent quiet time listening for God After: Meaningful, personal dialogue with God through the Scriptures as He speaks to me and I pour my heart out to Him, praying specifically and always in Jesus’ name; quiet time to listen and hear from God, to meditate on His Word, journaling – writing down what God says to me and writing my prayers down; when I stay close to God, He hears my prayers; I focus on being where He is Temptation: Before: Difficulty/struggle in resisting temptation, occasionally made poor choices After: I have the power against sin and temptation made possible through Christ’s sacrifice, His victory gave me freedom from sin’s control in my life; using daily the Word of God (Scripture) against Satan, and the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18); surrounding myself with believers who pray with me and for me. (For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20)
What was missing in my life to create such a contrast - a relationship with God, knowing Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I sat in church every Sunday in the presence of God, but went home without Him; I was receiving communion every Sunday but I wasn’t carrying the Living God, the true bread of life within me, Jesus Christ, because had I been, it would have been so apparent. I’d be overflowing with His power, joy, and strength and I’d feel confident and fearless; I’d be filled with peace, grace, hope and faith beyond measure.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
When the Living God lives within you, His power works through you, it is by His strength you are able to bear glorious abundant fruit, all the while giving glory to God. And you become involved in His work! To me, that is exciting and I wanted to be part of that!
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
It is not easy going from having complete control over your life to total surrender; it may be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. God knows that, and He’s given us the Holy Spirit to help us make the transition. The Holy Spirit wears so many hats, He is an absolute necessity, and there is no one better equipped to equip you than He.
I found it helpful to take life and divide it into moments, little specific “events” - an unexpected bill, a difficult situation or person, an important decision, a piece of bad news, an illness. I found it easier to take one thing at a time and say to the Holy Spirit, “Holy Spirit, I need Your help now – please take this situation, problem, person, illness, etc. from me. I trust You completely to show me what I need to do, even if it is to do nothing and allow You to work it out.” Then step back, PRAY and believe!
Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40
God watches your heart; He is watching to see if You trust Him. If you give it to God, He will not let you down. Now it doesn’t always mean God will give you what you think it should look like, we need to trust Him in that He knows best, because God never gives out second best.
As you move successfully through each situation, it will feel amazingly effortless. Before you know it, the “moments” turn into days and the days into weeks and it becomes your new normal. Soon, no matter what challenge pops up, your faith and trust in turning it over to the Holy Spirit will help you navigate through life with confidence and with a peace that words cannot begin to explain, all the while giving glory to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
The Holy Spirit will wait for you to take the first step, He is a gentleman. I was the only one who could give up control and yield my life to Him. And If I ever did not feel His presence in my life, I knew it wasn’t because of Him. I often found my head was engaged in my daily commitment to surrender but my heart wasn’t. My head was here but my heart was somewhere else.
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. The Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
It is the same way when I don’t follow where God goes. God is not going to go where I am; I need to be where He is. I need to be in sync with God; I have to be committed to following Him.
They turned to the Lord and sought Him, and He was found by them. 2 Chronicles 15:4
God will let you know where He is going through Scripture, what He lays on your heart, through someone He sent you; He relays His message many ways and He requires you to follow Him so you can be a part of what He is doing.
If I’m not following God, we become separated and that is not what I want to be. I still take it moment by moment, and I still mess up occasionally. God knows I’m not perfect and that is why believers have been given the Holy Spirit, to help you and I in our weakness.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Romans 8:26
We need to remember daily to allow Him to help us by yielding to Him, one moment, one situation at a time. It will become the new normal if we persevere. One day you will look back in absolute awe at how God is working in you, through you, and with you. It will actually become hard to remember a time when you had the weight of the world upon your shoulders, trying to figure it all out. Instead of being exhausted, you are rejoicing. You are gratefully embracing God’s plan for your life as He reveals it because you are right there with Him, and you are glorifying God as you lovingly allow Jesus to live out His life through yours.
We praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us. Ephesians 1:2
If you’ve received salvation, you can understand it, appreciate it and you’re already giving glory to God through the fruit Christ is bringing forth in your life.
If you’ve received salvation and are not experiencing what I’ve described above, make sure you have prayed the salvation prayer by faith. Be sure your heart believes without a doubt that you’ve been saved and trust God enough to give yourself to Him fully. Write down the date in your Bible and then go live the best Christian life you possibly can for God; give yourself to God fully and make Him the center of your life.
Remember, the same power that raised Christ from the dead has been given to every believer.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11
There should be evidence in your life that this power is being lived out. When God gives you something to do, it is Christ doing it through you. But in order for Him to do it, you need to obey Him and yield to Him. Remember faith without action “is dead.”
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17
Action only begins when our faith moves from our head to our heart and from that critical point it becomes belief. It becomes evident and unmistakable in the way we live our lives, and in the way we trust God to stand by His Word.
My word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
I am not a writer, I didn’t have the first clue on how to write a book, let alone publish it – but I trusted He did. God gave me an assignment and I obeyed; the Holy Spirit showed up in a mighty way and equipped me to complete the assignment. And I just know God’s involved because of how it all came together - joyfully, effortlessly, lovingly; in a matter of just several short months, Prayer Made Simple was written, and in print. To me, that was a little bit of a miracle.
If you haven’t prayed to receive salvation and you’re prepared to commit yourself to God, and become an active and willing participant in His plan for your life and you want to experience a love relationship with His Son Jesus, open your heart and invite Jesus in. You will have the power of the Holy Spirit touch and change your life and ultimately the lives of those around you. You will participate in amazing things, by Christ’s strength, according to God’s plan and you will point your finger directly to the throne room of God and give Him the glory, for He is doing the impossible through you.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3
There will be times when we have difficulty believing, it’s part of our nature. But we have the most amazing intercessor just waiting to help us in our unbelief. Take up fellowship with the Holy Spirit and talk with Him, ask Him to help you. Ask Him to pray for you, ask Him to rise up the level of your belief to meet the level of God’s promises.
And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 1 John 2:25
For no word of God ever fails, so neither shall our faith.
“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37
I hope my article gets you thinking, and if you haven’t yet invited Jesus to be part of your life, please visit the Salvation Prayer page. Receiving God’s gift of salvation is forever. You don’t lose it if you sin or make a poor choice. Jesus paid up all our sins – past, present and future, and because we will always sin (hopefully less and less), we confess our sins, turn away from them and ask for forgiveness. We will continue to do this for the rest of our life, until Christ comes again. God does expect you and I to live a very different life now that Jesus has taken up residence in our hearts and in our lives, and that is why He’s given us the Holy Spirit. We could never do it on our own; we need the Holy Spirit to lead us, so that the Christ within us shines.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Join me next month when I will feature an article on how the Holy Spirit affects the life of the believer. God has given the believer an amazing gift, the Holy Spirit, who helps you connect the dots and put all the puzzle pieces together. The Holy Spirit’s mission is to walk you and I to salvation and into the eternal kingdom of Christ Jesus.
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