herlucidlife

Hello Naje here….Let’s talk about salvation! 

Salvation is the beginning of a faithful walk with God. “For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Jesus loves the sinner so much that He willingly allowed Himself to be beaten, tortured, maimed, and killed between two prisoners (Matthew 27 & 28).  Jesus endured the excruciating weight of this beautiful gift and He has been faithful to take care of those that accept His gift. But what responsibilities do we have ? What has God asked us to do in reference to the salvation gift ?

A is to admit/acknowledge the sin. Tell God that your actions were wrong, sincerely have remorse for committed sins.

B is to believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross and rose on the 3rd day. We give power to what we believe. So give power to Jesus and believe with all your heart, soul, and mind. 

C is to confess our sins, be specific. Do not sugar coat this stage, it’s time to be specific and put a name on the sins that were committed. 

I don’t write these things to seem “holier than thou”, in fact I struggle with turning from my own sin every day. Yet, I don’t allow my sin to keep me from God’s feet. Satan would have me to live in shame, hoping that shame keeps me from God. But God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross and rise on the third day, it’s His blood that cleanses me and He did all of that while I was still dirty. “And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).

Believe me when I say, God wants ALL of you even the shame. He is not scared of what we carry, He would rather us come to Him to trust Him, then to stay away and perish. God doesn’t want my perfection, more so He wants my heart, my choices. He wants me to unapologetically rely on Him, obey Him, stick with Him when my flesh is trying to take over. This life is about getting to know God more and through knowing Him, He will perfect my mind and soul.

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). I accepted salvation at twelve years old, the sins I struggle with now were not even on my radar. Yet, Jesus died for those sins too, for the sins that we aren’t aware of, that may be on the horizon.  

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought” (Galatians 1:11). I don’t say these words because they are mine but I say them because they belong to the One I trust the most. I remind myself everyday that salvation is not a genie in a bottle. Every decision should lead me closer to God including the initial decision to follow Christ. Just because I’ve chosen God’s gift does not mean I’m magically sin proof, that some how I don’t feel temptation. Rather it’s more difficult, no longer able to hide behind ignorance I am fully aware of the spiritual danger my sin creates for my soul, the barrier my actions can create for those wanting to come to Jesus, and not to mention the bruising my relationship with the Father takes, but thank God for healing. God doesn’t get bruised but I do, God doesn’t need me but I need Him. My relationship with God is Love, God chose people because He wants to share and spread His love. God wants a relationship with me because He loves me and created me. Essentially, I am taking my place in God’s family. He is my Father, I am His daughter. He breathed life into me, God never leaves, His salvation never leaves. 

 Accept that there is no overcoming flesh without God. This life is spiritual warfare with worldly illusions and we humans are the pons. You can either play for God or play for the devil, it’s simple. Either be loved by God valued by the Most High or be hated, used, and discarded by the devil, never to benefit but only to lose. 

I do have free-will meaning I have the option to walk away, but even in my sin I choose to come to my Father’s feet. I fail horribly, don’t always make the right decision and I struggle severely with the blatant sin in my life but God grants me compassion. “We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him” (Colossians 1:14). 

 Now I know salvation can be a heavy topic but it really shouldn’t be, it’s great news in fact to tell someone of the freedom that comes with knowing God intimately. From my experience, it seems that salvation is a heavy subject because we think about our own comfort level rather than thinking about how God is going to use us for someone else’s gain, how God is going to show up. I myself have felt and still feel shyness and awkwardness when thinking about sharing; to the point where it leads to disobedience…a closed mouth. I thank God that He lead me to this platform to share openly about His goodness in a way that fits my gifts and personality. “Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).

My prayer today is that both you and I, genuinely and eagerly choose to make decisions that bring us closer to God, closer to knowing more about our Father. Remember Salvation is not just an event, but more so a life long walk with your Father. You will grow and flourish in ways that only God can create. 

*The questions below are for your personal journaling, I pray God leads you to His heart.

Discussion Questions:

1.  Do I believe God exists? If yes, do I believe God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross and rise on the third day? If no, what is keeping me from believing in God? 

2. What are my views on sin? Do I believe I have committed sins? If yes, do I have remorse over those sins? If no, what is keeping me from acknowledging my sin?

3. Is God’s love real? If yes, in what ways have I allowed His love to change my life? If no, what keeps me from acknowledging God’s love in my life?