Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Agonizing Question

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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