*An Assurance of God’s Love*
1. Every Christian needs assurance in their daily walk with Jesus . God's Word
includes verses specifically to help us find the assurance we need in both our
walk and in life. Please read these Bible verses on Assurance so that you can
feel better about your life and live it more confidently.
2. This is where the
faith journey starts: understanding that God
loves you. If you do not have an assurance of God’s Love , your faith journey
will not last long. Don’t know about you, but I’ve tended to have trouble with
the concept that God loves me personally. I always sort of thought he
tolerated me, IF I was being good. The wholly incredible truth that I am
personally of value to God Most High has always been difficult for me to grasp.
3. At the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit took up residence in the
heart of every Christian. When He did that, He also poured out God's love into
every Christian's heart so that God's love continuously abides and permeates
the heart of the Christian
4. Christians who know only a verse of the Bible here; and there,
have a problem when someone starts throwing darts at them concerning what will
happen in the latter days. As Jesus would often say, ‘It is written, haven't
you read?'. The only way you may claim God's promises is to become familiar
with those promises by studying His Word . God wants only what is best for
those that love Him. That isn't to say He won't allow you to be tested at
times. These tests are a means of proving that God can trust you and count on
you when the going gets tough.
5. Sometimes in life, we need to be reminded of God s assurance to His children. The
devil does not want us to always remember these assurance most especially
during temptations and trails so we should be rest assure that whatever we ask
of through Jesus Christ , the Father is ready to do even more than what we
expect of Him. Read and be more confident that you are not alone.
6. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
7. Some people lack assurance because of being under strong biblical preaching on God's holy
standard. Such preaching forces people to see their sinfulness and acknowledge
that the holiness of God calls them to a lofty standard of living. Is that bad?
No, the pulpit should be the creator of anxious hearts. How else can it
unsettle those who have false assurance ? However, the consistent call to righteousness
may unsettle some Christians, particularly those who are frequently succumbing
to temptation.
8. John Wesley wrestled with difficult feelings on his journey of faith. Although already
an ordained minister in the Church of England, he did not feel he was truly
loved and forgiven by God until the famous moment described in his journal for
24 May 1738. (see right)
9. For years Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, had attempted to earn his salvation by his
dedication and good works. When he discovered that great biblical truth
"The just shall live by faith," his life was dramatically changed,
and he no longer labored for the assurance of his destiny in Christ. He
believed what God's Word had to say and had assurance of his salvation
*A Healing Prayer*
Dear
Lord Jesus, obviously You are fully aware of this human weakness, our lack of
faith and devotion to You, and our propensity to try to resolve our sense of
need with the things of this world. We have not learned that we live by
Your Word alone, by Your love for us. Draw us closer to You by teaching us all
aspects of Your wondrous love for us, that we may turn to You for all our
needs. Grant us discipline and self-control in the face of our addictions
by the power of Your love, that we may exult in all of the blessings You will
for us, most importantly the assurance of Your gracious and everlasting
embrace, that You have claimed us as Your dear children forever. Amen.
10. Assurance of salvation is a fruit of our faith in Jesus, and it grows out of
our faith . Assurance of salvation in Christ comes out of faith growing up and
maturing in our walk with God (notice the goal of biblical teaching and
preaching is to grow up in Ephesians 4:11-16 so that a Christian will not be
tossed around). We should remember that all obedience in the Christian
Life is in no way meritorious, but it is a concrete manifestation of the faith
that we claim to have in Christ (2 Pet. 1:3-11). As both Paul and James teach,
we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone; we are saved by God
through faith alone, but it is a faith that works (Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:18ff).
11. So what does this idea have to do with discipleship? The answer is everything . For discipleship
to truly be gospel-centred there has to be a foundation of love , joy, peace,
and justification. Without a foundation of knowing that you are accepted (even
during the times you don t feel accepted) you never feel free of the guilt,
shame, and condemnation that plagues you or your ministry.
12. Some of the finest and dearest people struggle with believing that God loves
them. They believe that they are far
too sinful, too unlovable, or too unworthy to be loved by God . They have
received Jesus as their Saviour but still doubt that His love extends to them.
They have no trouble believing that He loves everyone else, but they just can’t
fathom the idea that God could possibly love someone like them—someone so
undeserving.
13. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Biblical salvation is God's way of providing his people deliverance from
sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The New
Testament reveals the source of salvation in Jesus Christ . By faith in Jesus
Christ, believers are saved from God's judgment of sin and its consequence eternal
death.
14. John Wesley the
Christian teacher believed that all
Christians have a faith which implies assurance of God 's forgiving love, and
that one would feel that assurance , or the 'witness of the Spirit'. This
understanding is grounded in Paul 's affirmation, '...ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. The same Spirit beareth
witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God...' ( Romans 8:15-16,).
This experience was mirrored for Wesley in his Aldersgate experience wherein he
'knew' he was loved by God and that his sins were forgiven.
15. This work springboards from *2 Corinthians 13:5*, 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? Byfield
covers sixteen infallible signs of a child of God as they appear. Among these
signs are poverty of spirit, godly sorrow, the love of God s word, the love of
God s children, faith, uprightness of heart, holy desires and many others.
16. This is the eternal
work of the Savior, that we are saved by
blood and sanctified by water. And I,
an unworthy recipient of this great love, have been given a gift beyond
expectation - I can share this same love with you; with anyone; with everyone;
with all of creation. I say "unworthy" because I cannot claim to have
done any deed worthy of so great a love as the Lord has bestowed upon me. I
have failed at some of the simplest of requests MADE of me and my life - yet
God still loves me in fullness.
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*Posted by *Rev.Bola - 19 May 2014
