“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23).
When I had my saving experience, it was intense. I still to this day, twenty-seven years later, wonder how God knew I was ready to hear His voice, His still and quiet words to my spirit, so vividly clear.
I was no angel at the time of this happening, so understand, loved one, God is there 24/7, waiting for us to ask, to listen and to believe. There is no specific “opportune” time, where perfection is necessary. Remember perfection is never attainable and never necessary. It might be a moment like mine, when I was far from a human understanding of God’s real presence. I know there were special people in my life praying for me, for my salvation, for a true awakening – spiritually. Prayer is real and prayer works! I’m certainly living proof of that! The night this all happened; I was internally questioning my purpose. I was feeling a pull to change my ways, and this had to be not only the prompting of the Holy Spirit, but the prayers of my loved ones. How truly thankful I am for those prayers. They saved me!
Growing in Faith and Learning Truth
As I tried to navigate this new life, I was baptized and tried to soak in as much advice and information I could regarding how to live my life. I was such a baby when it came to God’s Word, and to discerning real truth from secular truth (knowing today, if the Bible says it, it’s the truth). And with that, ensure you consult, you research information and compare it with the Word of God. The enemy loves to fill us with confusion. Don’t allow it! Seek your answers from the Bible…. ALWAYS!
What Ultimately Saves Us During Daily Struggles
On my heart for this particular post is explaining what ultimately saves us as sinful human beings who are born into sin right from the beginning (Psalm 51:5).
Accepting Jesus into your heart of course is number one, but what saves us day to day when we still must endure the craziness of this world, the inability to be perfect and control our minds, our tempers, and all the other defiant acts we sometimes cannot avoid.
It’s called Grace. God’s Amazing Grace!
Biblically, grace is actually defined as undeserved favor. In my early years as a Christian, I had a really difficult time understanding this concept. It’s hard to grasp the fact that God loves us so much, that He would give us His Son as the ultimate sacrifice for our human sinful nature (Romans 5: 12-19). It’s hard to understand the depth of that type of unconditional love. It’s not human. We are beings of conditions, setting conditions on ourselves, on others to love and accept. God’s love is completely unconditional; we can NOT earn it. You will come to understand this the more you are in the Word, and most importantly in communion with Jesus, building a relationship with Him.
A Love We Cannot Earn
As you get to know God through His word, prayer, bible studies, praise and worship with music, etc., you begin to accept that His love is something you can never earn, but a love that is magical beyond our wildest dreams.
You become so guided by your spirit as you build your relationship with Him, your conscious is no longer led by what’s deemed as right in the eyes of the world, but guided by your heart, by Jesus.
Lessons Learned from Worldly Mistakes
What I know from mistakes I have made by listening to my own worldly wants and desires and acting upon them, is that I am not perfect, but two things, one, I am forgiven thanks to Jesus (my Saving Grace), and two, I most certainly missed out on a great blessing by doing things my own way.
I was married previously, and knew within my spirit this relationship was not a Godly one. It didn’t feel right, but selfishly I wanted what I wanted and had no intention on waiting for God.
The outcome was a failed marriage after only three months. This was a disappointment to my family, his family, not to mention, our wedding was gifted to us by my sweet parents, costing quite a price. When we step out on our own account, we’re not doomed forever; God will be there when we change the course, but for me, this is an experience, a testimony of mine to show, my disobedience during that time affected people in many ways. We really want to wait on His timing!
Trusting God’s Guidance
God will never lead us astray, especially when we ask Him for guidance, then trust HIM to make a way.
I meditate on Psalm 37:4, which says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Following that, the Psalmist tells us to, “Commit our ways to the Lord; trusting in Him to lead us and guide us into our prosperous future (vs. 5 & Jeremiah 29:11)”… the Psalmist goes on to say, “Be still and wait patiently for Him…”
A Life Redeemed and Blessed
Loved one, let me be an example, my transparency regarding my own life experiences will not be in vain, as again, according to Romans 8:28, “He will work ALL things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
There are so many more experiences I will delve into with you where I made rash decisions on my own account without regard to God’s will.
However, ending on a positive note, just know, today, I am so incredibly blessed with a wonderful husband, who is the father of my two beautiful children, and we live in awe of God’s orchestration, knowing our blessings, this life we live is because of HIM, and only HIM (Psalm 37: 5-8).
Enjoy the additional encouragement in song. Click the link to hear the song pertaining to this week’s message of hope: Pretty Amazing Grace by Neil Diamond