I figured since I am periodically bothered with the question that I will address in today's thoughts, perhaps you too are troubled with similar
questions. I am sure that my slant on
the subject and Bible truth concerning the matter will help alleviate your doubt
and/or despair.
Before dealing with the question itself, I want to take you on a quick
journey to explore the topic of faith, hope and charity, and tie it in later
with the question that buffets me.
When a person makes up their mind to live for Jesus rather than merely
existing without Him in the routines of life, this step of faith is the first
step to abundant living. It is a walk of
faith; not by sight.
I did not have to be at the tomb where Jesus was buried to visually see
that He rose to life on the third day after being crucified on the cross for
our sins. I accept it by faith and
believe that God indeed raised Him from the dead, because the Holy Bible tells
of this epic truth. Our hope of eternal
life in heaven is based upon this event.
The salvation of one’s soul is through Christ alone and none
other. It is the substance of that which
is hoped for, while experiencing, firsthand, the evidence of things not
seen. This is exactly what faith is all
about. Without faith there is no hope.
Believing that God’s Word is truth embodies our faith in God. It is totally within our aptitude to trust
that He protected the Bible from any errors for our benefit and gain. Trusting that the content therein is the
inerrant Word of God is faith at work.
I was set free from the bondage of sin in my mid-twenties when I asked
God to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He did exactly that. But you may ask, “How do you know for
sure?”
There was no doubt in my mind that something wonderful happened that
day. The burden of sin that was crushing
me transferred to the Lord, because He chose to carry it. His great love for me made it possible to cast the heavy load I was carrying upon Him. I
remember taking a deep breath and saying with excitement, “I can breathe!”
(Psalm 55:22), “Cast your burden
on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to
be moved.”
My personality changed; I had a smile on my face; and no longer were my
desires centered on wrongdoing, because I wanted more of Jesus who set me
free. I felt the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. It was at that moment I
took the deep, cleansing breath of freedom.
(1 Peter 5:6-9), “Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time,” vs.7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” vs.8 “Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour.” vs.9
“Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”
My experience of the “new birth” was indeed real and my friends could
see the difference in my countenance, disposition, and attitude. Upon leaving the sanctuary of my bedroom
where I knelt to pray the sinner’s prayer, Satan immediately began harassing me
with the question pertaining to this writing:
“How do you really know you’re saved and going to heaven?”
This question troubled me deeply.
The more I gave ear to the father of lies the more agonizing the
question became. While reading the Bible
I learned that if I resisted the devil he would leave me alone, so I put God’s
Word to the test, and it worked!
(James 4:7), “Therefore submit to
God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.”
God strengthened my faith the more I read His Word. I was pleasantly surprised with (Romans 10:17) that faith actually
becomes stronger when we read the Bible.
(Romans 10:17), “So then faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
If Satan is causing you to doubt your “born-again” experience and tells
you that heaven is not for you, just resist him and he will go away. Yes, he’s going to return sometime in the
future to test your faith again, but the Bible says that God is greater than
the devil. We need not concern ourselves
with his lies and deceitful claims.
(1 John 4:4), “You are of God,
little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater
than he who is in the world.”
My mom always pleaded the blood of Jesus when the devil was on the
offensive, because there is all power in His blood. The blood He shed on the cross made it possible
for you and me to enter heaven. This is
the promise of God, which is the hope of every Believer.
Before coming to Christ, I wasted many years refusing His outstretched
hand through the efforts of people that tried to share with me the good news of
God’s grace and mercy. I did not want it
or desire to hear about it. Change was
not for me, because I thought I was happy with the statuesque of living life.
Actually, I was running from God, while looking for my niche in society
without committing my self-serving character to Him. But it wasn’t working. Though I had ample money to buy most anything
I wanted, there was still something missing inside me.
Girlfriends and the popularity of my peers became less meaningful,
while the value I placed in these relationships fell to a superficial and trite
state of decline. Nothing was working to
fulfill the longing of my inner being; my soul.
All was vexation of spirit.
So when Satan bangs at my heart’s door with the question, “How do you
know you’re going to heaven?” I plead the blood first and then think back to
how miserable I use to be and the filth that I was involved with prior to
becoming a child of God. Then the peace
of God comes and dispels all doubt.
It is amazing how unstable I had become and how far adrift from the
sense of belonging that I wanted so badly.
It was beyond my reach until I gave my heart to Jesus. Though I was out of sorts with God, He
continued His quest to make me His son.
I am thankful that He didn’t give up on me when fame, fortune, and
status were all encompassing. Jesus
saved me from a negative state of mind and the tailspin that I was in, of which
I could not correct on my own.
When my mental instability was collapsing and I was at rope's end of self-sufficient living, and the fanfare of parties and other
entertainments failed to bring peace, Jesus was waiting patiently for me to
take His hand when I was going down for the third time. He is our only hope for survival in a world
having no peace and lacking hope.
(John 14:27), “Peace I leave with
you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid.”
So when the agonizing question I referred to in the title brings fear
and uncertainty that heaven is outside our reach, STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN to
what the Holy Spirit is telling you through God’s Word. It will deliver you from any doubt that you
have, because the Bible is alive in truth, which sets at liberty those that are
tormented by the devil.
(1 John 4:18), “There is no fear
in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in
love.”
When an individual surrenders their will unto God they are made perfect
in love. This act of faith gives them
entitlement. They become a child of God
and joint heirs with Christ.
When we accept Jesus as Lord, He saves us from the punishment we
deserve. Though I know this, a battle of
the mind still ensues, because Satan wants to dissuade me from the things of
God, but I stand with my feet firmly planted in faith.
The truth of God’s Word puts Satan to flight, especially the scriptures
dealing with son ship and the chastisement of God. They support the certainty that I am heaven
bound, because my heavenly Father, in love, convicts me of sin just as I
corrected my children when raising them in order to bring out the good when
disobedience wanted to raise its ugly head.
(Hebrews 12:5-8), “And you have
forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:” ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the
Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;’ ” vs.6 “ ‘For whom the
Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ ” vs.7 “If
you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there
whom a father does not chasten?” vs.8
“But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then
you are illegitimate and not sons.”
God gives sinners the faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and
that God raised Him from the dead. That
is exactly the amount of faith a person needs to become a Christian. I did not have to see the nail scared hands
and feet of Jesus, nor the wound in His side to believe that He died for
me. The Bible declares it and I believe
it—such is faith.
Faith increases the more we read the Bible, which gives us more power
to resist the devil. Questions will
become less and less a problem when more and more of God’s Word is hidden in
our heart.
Faith pleases God. Those patriarchs in the Bible, men and women like you and me, exercised
faith, which are examples to us of the willingness of an omnipotence God to
intervene when all else fails. We
must strive to live by faith and not by sight.
As we do this, agonizing questions will flee; dispelling all doubts and
fears.
(Hebrews 11:6), “But without
faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that
He is, and that He is a re-warder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Written by,
Papa Boyd
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