1 John 4: 12-13 (NLT) - No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
We are continuing in the study of what Abiding in Christ means, we have come to the understanding that abiding in Christ means that a person walks and is in fellowship with Him. We already noted the words of the prophet Amos - "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" If we are in fellowship with God, we are walking with Christ in an intimate and continual way. Our verse at the start of this musing speaks to us that a proof that we have that we are abiding in Christ is the experience and witness of God's Holy Spirit living in us.
I remember when I received Christ as my Savior in 1962 at the age of 10. I can still see the place, and the people there. It was a real experience, and I can know that I know for certain that I have Eternal Life. God's Word makes it clear that when we have received Christ, we have Eternal Life and it is permanent. That is because we have been sealed by the Spirit of God - Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." We are Saved by Christ, Sanctified by Christ, and Secure by Christ.
Going back to my remembrance - it was just a couple of weeks later that I went to my Pastor, Rev. Cecil Anderson, and told him I didn't think I was saved. He asked me why I felt that way. I told him it was because I was sinning so much. He asked me what I had been doing, I shared with him, and then he asked if I had been doing these things before I was saved. I said Yes, and that was why I thought I was still unsaved. He then asked me a profound question - "Did I sense that these things were wrong before I was Saved? Did they bother me then?" As I thought I realized that no, I wasn't even aware of the things I was doing.
He told me, that this seemed to point to the fact that I was saved - because I had the Holy Spirit living in me, and now He was causing me to sense those things that were wrong. He said that according to 1st John, that was a good sign that I had received Christ.
So, today, consider if you know that the Spirit of God is living in you? How do you know? I'm not talking about feelings, but what proves that the Holy Spirit is in you? How does He make His presence felt in your life? In line with this, tomorrow's devotion will talk about having the power to live life as we should. See you then.
I remember when I received Christ as my Savior in 1962 at the age of 10. I can still see the place, and the people there. It was a real experience, and I can know that I know for certain that I have Eternal Life. God's Word makes it clear that when we have received Christ, we have Eternal Life and it is permanent. That is because we have been sealed by the Spirit of God - Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." We are Saved by Christ, Sanctified by Christ, and Secure by Christ.
Going back to my remembrance - it was just a couple of weeks later that I went to my Pastor, Rev. Cecil Anderson, and told him I didn't think I was saved. He asked me why I felt that way. I told him it was because I was sinning so much. He asked me what I had been doing, I shared with him, and then he asked if I had been doing these things before I was saved. I said Yes, and that was why I thought I was still unsaved. He then asked me a profound question - "Did I sense that these things were wrong before I was Saved? Did they bother me then?" As I thought I realized that no, I wasn't even aware of the things I was doing.
He told me, that this seemed to point to the fact that I was saved - because I had the Holy Spirit living in me, and now He was causing me to sense those things that were wrong. He said that according to 1st John, that was a good sign that I had received Christ.
So, today, consider if you know that the Spirit of God is living in you? How do you know? I'm not talking about feelings, but what proves that the Holy Spirit is in you? How does He make His presence felt in your life? In line with this, tomorrow's devotion will talk about having the power to live life as we should. See you then.
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