If You Doubt Your Salvation

 There used to be a time when the enemy would cause me to doubt my salvation. One month I’d feel saved and the next I wasn’t quite sure. 

It wasn’t until I truly understood with my heart that it wasn’t about my performance that I felt true peace and rest. It wasn’t about how many Bible studies I did, how many times I witnessed to others, or how “good” I could be. 

One year ago I was pretty much unable mentally and physically to do anything. It wasn’t until I went completely off my medicine that I came out of that nightmare. (Not advocating any of you do this without much prayer and a trusted doctor!!) My only goal for each day was to keep the kids fed and alive. That’s it. No kidding. 

The once highly motivated me that loved doing things for others was now the one in need of constant help and prayer. 

It was through this experience that God reminded me that salvation was not dependent on my works. Yes, works will be evident in those who are truly born again, but there are seasons that it seems we are completely barren and fruitless, that no good thing can come from us again, or maybe that’s just how I felt. Depression, clouds of grief, despair, hopelessness, chronic health issues that won’t leave, with no end in sight- at least in this life. 

What then? 

When we can no longer lift burdens for others because we can’t even begin to see past our own, or even lift our head from the pillow.  

Are we still secure in our relationship with Jesus? “How could God love someone so useless and needy”,  says the father of lies, the devil. 

Let me assure you, no season we go through, no matter how ugly and terrible it seems at the time  is wasted and worthless to God! 

He is in ALL of it! You have to come to the point in your life that you give up fighting for the life you expected to have and embrace the life God has given you now, knowing He has a purpose and that the hard roads are the ones that lead to our eternal home. 

You have to make the choice in your heart, even when the thoughts in your mind  doesn’t want to cooperate, to believe God’s Word is Truth and the ultimate authority. Search the scriptures to put your negative thinking on trial and fight with the sword of the Lord- the Word of God. Without knowing and believing God’s Word we will be defeated by satan. 

Hard times are what God often uses to put to death what’s left of our flesh that tries to find satisfaction in this temporary, fallen world. Often in these times we lose some friends or family, but we gain an intimacy with Christ in our sufferings that few will have the privilege of knowing. 

As Christians we are invited to share in the sufferings of Christ. Often we suffer because of our own sin and poor choices, but many times we suffer because we live in a fallen world and are at war with an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our hope and ultimately our soul. 

 No good deed or effort on my part could bring me one step closer to a Holy and Righteous God. Nothing. It had to be mercy. It had to be Grace. It had to be Him. Jesus pursuing me because He loves me, even when I couldn’t love myself. 

This week Luke 24, verses 16, 31, and 45 stood out to me. 

...But God kept them from recognizing Him.

...suddenly their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.

...Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Without the enabling of the Holy Spirit we are unable to understand our need for a Savior. Two of Jesus’ disciples even walked and talked with Him and still didn’t even recognize Him because God kept them from it. 

I believe God gives knowledge and understanding to those who fear Him (reverence Him), and desire to truly honor Him. Only the Lord can open the eyes of the blind and set the captives free. 

Before I was born again I had no desire to please or honor Jesus. I had no desire to even seek Him. But after He changed my heart I have a desire to seek Him, to know Him, to please Him. 

I often fail in many ways, but the difference is that I am quickly convicted and hate it when I act in the flesh and grieve the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit not one of us would ever have the slightest desire to repent or seek Him. When one truly grasps that, it’s impossible not to love Him, to desire to honor and obey Him, no longer out of fear of punishment, but out of love for the Savior and what He does to rescue us from the Kingdom of darkness. 

Anything good that ever comes from me or you is only because of Jesus. When we remember this, there is no longer room for pride, a critical, judgmental attitude, bitterness, or unforgiveness. It’s only when we subconsciously believe any good dwells in us apart from Christ that we begin to be hard on others. 

If you are still able to find joy in sin and take advantage of His mercy day after day without remorse, can I encourage you to pray for the Lord to open your eyes, to cause you to see Him? 

To really see Him for the loving, merciful, long suffering Savior He is.  Cause once your eyes and heart are enlightened by the Holy Spirit you will no longer have the desire to be friends with the world.

 To love the spirit of this world is to hate Christ. You can go to church, tithe, teach Sunday school and give all your time and money to the poor and needy, but it amounts to nothing unless you have an intimacy with Christ through a consistent prayer life and make time to behold Christ. 

For it’s through beholding Christ that we are transformed to His Image. 

Any service we do should flow from the intimacy with spend with Him. No relationship could thrive if the spouse spent every waking hour working for the other, but never spent quality time with their spouse.  

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

If God could carry me through to the other side of what I was battling, He can do the same for you. No situation is hopeless and His grace truly is sufficient. 

If any of you are secretly battling fear, anxiety, hopelessness over your current situation and need prayer and encouraging scriptures to help you through, feel free to send me a private message! You are not alone. 

Thank God when you feel sick when you speak ill of another, allow a lustful thought, or find entertainment in anything that glorifies sin. 

That is the Holy Spirit who desires to rescue you from those things. 

Those who can sin without remorse are to be most pitied. Their hearts are hard and lost and they don’t even know it. 

There are lost souls who need a messenger of hope and the Spirit is calling us to repent, believe the gospel, and share that message with others. If there is anyone reading this that feels alone, hopeless, and in need of support, please message me and I would be happy to pray for you and support you any way I can.

 I never thought I would be able to share this message of hope again because I felt so hopeless, so discouraged, and defeated. It’s ok if you’ve fallen. Just get back up and remember....

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”

Proverbs 24:16

In Christ or Deceived?

God’s Word tells us to examine ourselves to see if we truly have a saving faith.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
2 Corinthians 13:5

When we are truly born again and given a new heart cleansed by the precious blood of Christ our lives will drastically change.

We will have the following characteristics if Christ has residence within our heart:

1. A love for God’s Word.
Before I was saved I had little to no desire to read God’s Word consistently. I was dead spiritually. The spiritually dead in their trespasses do not crave the pure milk of the Word, nor can they understand it. If you’re dead, you don’t have an appetite. After I was born again and had the Holy Spirit residing within me I began to love God’s Word and started reading it faithfully. A healthy newborn baby has a hearty appetite just as a healthy christian will have a heart appetite for God’s Word.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. 1 Peter 2:2

2. A hatred for sin.
If you love and tolerate sin in your life, you cannot be a growing christian. Jesus came to save us FROM our sins, not so we can continue in sin.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Romans 6:1-2
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Those who love the Lord, hate evil. Psalm 97:10-12

3. An obedient life.
He is the Author of salvation to all who obey Him.
If you love the Lord you will have the desire to obey the Lord?
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him…. Hebrews 5:9
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

4. A new heart.
A heart that now loves what was once hated and hates what was once loved. If you’re truly saved you will know exactly what this means.

5. Becoming more Christ-like. Holiness is Christ-likeness.
Are we becoming more patient, merciful, long-suffering, joyful, kind, faithful, and self-controlled?
“Self-control is Christ control.” Warren Wiersbe

6. A doer of the Word
But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
Do we read His Word with the intention of following what it says or do we just read it and not apply it to our lives?

7. A concern for the lost.
If you have absolutely no concern for lost souls on their way to spend eternity in hell than you don’t truly love your brother and the truth is not in you. A soul that has been transferred from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light seeks to share Christ with others.

8. A desire to please and glorify the Lord.
Not to earn favor or salvation, but because we love him for all He has done for us! Serving the Lord will bring us joy, not a sense of drudgery! We will concerned with God’s opinion of us rather than the opinions of man. We will love God and not the spirit of this world.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world”
1 John 2:15-16

9. A tongue under the Spirit’s control.
Before I was saved my mouth used God’s Name in vain. I spoke carelessly and recklessly and could care less about how my words affected other. The words that I speak today are night and day different than what I used to speak. I still have to repent of words spoken in haste out of my flesh and pray that God will continue to do His refining work in me. Our words determine which Kingdom we belong to- the Kingdom of Righteousness or the Kingdom of darkness. What’s in the heart always comes out of the mouth.
No man can tame the tongue.
“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Luke 6:45


10. Boldness-
Do you refuse to talk about Christ because you fear what others will say of you? If you are ashamed of Christ, He will be ashamed of you at His return.
“Everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9).

Whenever I feel timid and sometimes scared to share Christ I often find that I have un-confessed sin in my life. Un-confessed sin makes men into cowards. A clear conscience and clean heart will cause us to be bold for the cause of Christ.


11. We walk in the light.
We will allow His Word to change us and reveal to us the sin in our life. We are convicted by the Holy Spirit when we sin and quick to confess and forsake our sin.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
1 John 1:4-7


12. We have a love for other Christians and enjoy being in their company.

We cannot say we love God and hate even one person. With God’s help we can forgive others. We can hate the behavior of others, but we must see each person as an eternal soul that will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. We should feel sorry for those who are practicing evil because they are deceived and under the control of satan. God has the power to redeem even the worst of sinner!
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” 1 John 4:20-21.



We will never bear fruit or grow as a christian if we do not abide in Christ. For without Christ, we can do NOTHING.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.“ John 15:5


The secret of being a fruit-bearing Christian is Christ in us- the Hope of glory! It is God who works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. It is a daily surrender to His will, being justified by faith.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.“ Romans 3:24-26


What happens if you read this and find that your life has no evidence of being saved? God’s Word says that if you are thirsty spiritually then He is inviting you to come and take of the water of life freely! He desires for you to know Him personally!
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Revelation 22:17

God will NEVER turn away anyone that comes to Him in faith! Even if you have backslidden you can still come to Him. The promises of God has no expiration date or limit!

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37

If you have the desire to come to Christ, that desire has been put there by the Holy Spirit. Man would never seek God apart from the Holy Spirit. If you have the desire to come to Christ, then He is calling you to Himself. Please don’t quench the Spirit and harden your heart. We are not promised to hear His voice tomorrow.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44


Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.
I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!

I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed Name,
Put Him to an open shame.
Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!

Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.

Charles Wesley

Repent and believe the Gospel! Our God is mighty to save!

To: The one Jesus Loves and Died For

To: The one Jesus loves and died for.

You may be wondering why I am sharing the gospel with you and think I’m some religious fanatic. The reason that I am sharing the Gospel with you is because I truly care about you and where you’ll spend eternity.

Jesus has given me a new heart and a new life in Christ! I’m not perfect and need His grace every day like anybody else. I stumble, but the Lord gently picks me back up and says, “follow Me- keep your eyes on Me”. God’s Word says our life is like a vapor, a breath, a fleeting shadow. We’re here one minute and gone the next.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.“
James 4:13-14

None of us is promised tomorrow. Since eternity is forever, shouldn’t you be concerned where you will be spending it? Each day 150,000 people die. That is 2 people per second!

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
Hebrews 9:27

Our disbelief in God, Heaven, Hell, or a day of judgment does not make it any less true. Just because I refuse to believe in air will not make it cease to exist. There are so many different religions and you may wonder which one, if any is even true. You may also think that there are many ways to God, but the Bible says that Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 It’s only through Jesus that we can be saved.

That’s not being narrow minded- that’s Truth. As Christians we are not committed to a list of rules, but are committed to a Person- Jesus Christ. Christianity is the only “religion” with a risen Savior! Our Savior conquered death! No other religion can claim that.

100 years from now, everyone that is currently alive will either be in heaven or hell. It’s easy to live like we will never die because God created us with eternity in our hearts. Our bodies will eventually die, but our soul is eternal. The choice is yours- will you spend it in Heaven or Hell?

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.“ Ecclesiastes 3:11

God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. Our sin has separated us from God. We have all broken God’s commandments and cannot keep them perfectly in our own strength no matter how hard we try. We are all sinners. If you’ve ever wished you had something that wasn’t yours then you’ve broken the 10^th commandment, which is coveting. If you’ve ever lusted after another- that’s adultery, when you use God’s name like a cuss word- that’s blasphemy. How many lies have you told? Even one is enough to deserve punishment. If you lie to a judge in court you will face penalty. How much more deserving are we to receive punishment for sinning against the God of the Universe?! You may say that God is good and that He would never send someone to hell. You’re right, God is a good God and a Just God. That’s why He has to punish sin. Imagine someone breaking into your house and brutally beating your child. The offender goes to court and tells the judge that he is sorry and promises not to do it again. Would you say the judge was a good judge if he lets him go, free from punishment? Of course not! He would be a bad judge. God has to punish sin because He is good and just. That’s why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus, who knew no sin bore your sin and my sin. He took the wrath that we all deserve because He loves us, not because of anything good we have done. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 This gift is for anyone who is willing to admit their a sinner, repent (turn) from their sins, and put their faith and hope in Jesus Christ! The gospel is for sinners- isn’t that GOOD NEWS? You don’t have to clean yourself up for Jesus to accept you. Jesus will give you a new heart- one that is clean and desires to please Him.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 What an amazing Savior we have! We have nothing to offer Jesus except ourselves, but that’s all He wants. Jesus was mocked, beaten, spit on, and died a horrible death on a cross for you. The very least we can do is live for Him? How undeserving we are to receive His mercy, forgiveness, a new heart, a heavenly inheritance, and be called a beloved child of God!!!!! It doesn’t matter what you have done- there is no where His forgiveness cannot reach! Does it sound to good to be true? That’s the GOOD NEWS- the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ! If you want to know without a doubt where you will be spending eternity and are ready to confess and forsake your sins and live for Jesus you can pray to Him a prayer similar to this:

Dear Jesus,

I admit that I’m a sinner and that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross and died for my sins. I am now willing to turn from my sin. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior. Thank you Jesus for your grace, mercy, and forgiveness which has saved me from my sins. I give you control over my life Lord Jesus to transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

If you have any questions:

Visit www.juststopandthink.com or email me at easonfamilyof6@gmail.com

True Saving Faith

It is greatly to be feared that there are multitudes in Christendom who verily imagine and sincerely believe that they are among the saved, yet who are total strangers to a work of divine grace in their hearts. It is one thing to have clear intellectual conceptions of God's truth, it is quite another matter to have a personal, real heart acquaintance with it. It is one thing to believe that sin is the awful thing that the Bible says it is, but it is quite another matter to have a holy horror and hatred of it in the soul. It is one thing to know that God requires repentance, it is quite another matter to experimentally mourn and groan over our vileness. It is one thing to believe that Christ is the only Savior for sinners, it is quite another matter to really trust Him from the heart. It is one thing to believe that Christ is the sum of all excellency', it is quite another matter to LOVE HIM above all others. It is one thing to believe that God is the great and holy One, it is quite another matter to truly reverence and fear Him. It is one thing to believe that salvation is of the Lord, it is quite another matter to become an actual partaker of it through His gracious workings. A.W. Pink

7 Signs of True Saving Faith:

Faith in Christ's sufficient work on the cross

Signs and evidence of true biblical repentance

Deliberate turn from a life enslaved to sin to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior

Desire/joy to follow God's Word-(obeying God's law from the heart)

Bearing fruit (attitude [fruit of the Spirit] and action [good works])-Continual working out our salvation

Desire to live for God's glory

Christlike desires and emotions

Mark Talbot The Signs of True Conversion, Crossway Books, 2000.

Another proof of the conquest of a soul for Christ will be found in a real change of life. If the man does not live differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad, his repentance needs to be repented of and his conversion is a fiction. C.H. Spurgeon

Sin forsaken is one of the best evidences of sin forgiven. J.C. Ryle