Having a Life in Christ: Testimony Part 3
It is God’s spirit that fills us with the ability to love Him and profess Jesus Christ as our savior.
This three-part post attempts to look at some of the stages we may experience when we give our life to Christ, such as: 1) hearing the call and 2) adjusting to our new life in Christ.
Just as the spirit fills us with the ability to turn the tide and choose God, we must also pray for strength to follow His call and stay the course.
God Gives Us Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
Newly married with a newborn, my husband and I have experienced challenges with our communication. Three months ago we had a particularly trying time, and we gratefullyaccepted an invitation to spend the weekend with his parents. We needed the space, we needed our family’s support, and most of all, we needed spiritual intervention.
(And yes, I definitely did write a post about how to move past an argument not too long ago. Just goes to show!)
So that Sunday we went to church and during the opening worship, while praying to Jesus and asking Him to remove what needed to go in my life, I felt a strong call to kneel down.
My mother-in-law and her friend were sitting to my right, and their friends were sitting all around. Would I look ridiculous?
I heard it again and looked at my husband feeling almost like I was going to break out in a sweat. Then against all the awkward, nervous, discomfort at that moment, I kneeled. The adrenaline raced, but I prayed that He would pull whatever needed to go out of my life. I sat again when I felt the call subside.
The message that day filled my spirit, almost quenching it. At the end, the pastor asked if any of us would like to come forward and give our life to Christ.
I sat for a second. I had given my life to Christ in my heart, but now it was time to stand up. He asked again, I put my Bible down and walked (then kinda jogged… yes, I know, awkward) down the aisle. My heart POUNDED and my stomach turned. I sat down in the open first row.
Heart, stomach, heart, stomach.
I just sat there and prayed to God whatever was happening, I knew He was in control. Another woman came, and that day we both gave our lives to Christ in front of everyone.
God’s Spirit Helps Us Stay the Course
So what does it feel like?
It’s only the very beginning of an ongoing journey. It feel wholesome and right. It’s good to stay steeped in Christ. To walk with Him, get to know Him and most of all, trust Him.
And how do we know that we’re doing it right?
Because there is nothing we can do by our works alone to be saved. We are invited by God and convicted by the Spirit. We accept and love Jesus Christ as our savior because He chose us.
Could we be doing more?
It’s not by the works we do but by grace that we’re saved. When He directs our path, we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, which helps us love others genuinely. There’s no work we can do to get in better with God. We do what’s good because of God.
Reading the Bible regularly, praying, participating in Bible studies and small groups–these are all great ways to stay in good soil because temptation looms (and it’s usually stronger than ever as we draw closer to God). Even though we want to live as saints, our human side is still drawn to sin like a moth to a flame. We need to die to ourselves over and over again every day and keep God as our focus.
I pray that God blesses this post and that it falls into the right hands. Many, many blessings.
How do you stay the course?