But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:8-11 ESV
How are we saved from the coming wrath of God on the sin of the world? How are we saved from the power and penalty of sin? How are we delivered out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light?
By confessing what we believe to be true.
I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and I’m not ashamed to tell anyone and everyone. I usually start by sharing a brief testimony of what God has done in my life.
I was a hopeless sinner who lived only to satisfy the desires of my flesh. I desperately wanted to feel loved, valued and accepted and found that sex, drugs and alcohol provided a counterfeit version of those feelings. They trick your brain into releasing the neurotransmitters that are produced when you are receiving the comfort and reassurance of unconditional love.
I didn’t want to be a hopeless addict, but I couldn’t find anyone that would just accept me as I am and love me. Little did I know that there was someone who loved me so much that He willingly died to set me free from the wretched way of life that I was living. There was Jesus. His love was searching me down, keeping me alive in spite of all the terrible choices I was making in my desperation.
Over many years, he was turning my cold heart of stone into a tender heart of flesh that culminated in an instant of epiphany when I realized that there was something greater than myself who could restore me to sanity and redeem my wretched soul from the grips of hell.
Everything changed one day when I was all by myself, at the end of my rope, and I prayed, “God, if You’re real, save me, and save the rest of the world while You’re at it, cuz I’m done being selfish.”
God proved Himself to be real to me that day. My chains of addiction, depression, shame and self-loathing fell off in an instant. I was free. I felt something I’d never felt before, peace, joy and love. I was overflowing with the love of God. It scared people how radically I changed in one afternoon. It inspired people how my words and actions changed in one minute. Everything changed that day and I haven’t been the same since.
There’s some bad news. God created us to be loving creatures who walk in perfect fellowship with Him. But sin came into the world through one man’s disobedience. We all fell under the curse of sin and death. But there’s some good news. One man lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience to the will of His Father in Heaven. That man was born of the virgin Mary.
The Holy Spirit is His Father. He is the Son of God. He came to take away the sins of the world. The Father loved us so much, that while we were still sinners, He sent Jesus to die in our place to fulfill the justice of God on sin. Our God is just, loving and merciful.
He sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we who believe in Him can inherit the righteousness of God. That’s the best news ever. He sets us free for free. All we have to do is believe. Faith is a gift from God so don’t stop praying for those who are far from Him right now. God answers prayers that are according to His will. His will is that all people be saved. Sometimes the manifestation of those answers takes a little while. Keep praying. God is faithful.
If you’re far from God, don’t despair. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe that His shed blood covers all our sins? If you do, you will be saved. If you’re not there yet, ask God to reveal Himself to your heart.
Pray, “Lord God in Heaven, I want to believe. I want to know You. I want to have a real relationship with You. Help me with my unbelief. Take away all the spiritual darkness and blindness in my life. Give me new life today. I choose to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Make Yourself known to me. Help me believe. Help me have unshakeable faith. Father in Heaven, have mercy on my soul. Jesus take the wheel. I give You full control. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Revelation 12:7-12 ESV