31054 Develop the Relationship

It is the most exciting event in your life to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God instantaneously transferred you from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his Son and gave you new life in him! You are born again and have become a new creation in Christ!

You are now in a new relationship with God!

The moment you received Christ by faith, as an act of your will, many things happened, including the following:

  1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20; Colossians 1:27).
  2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
  3. You became a child of God (John 1:12).
  4. You received eternal life (John 5:24).
  5. You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.

Be Sure You Are in Christ

At the time of conversion, some people have a significant emotional or spiritual experience. Others don’t. Even those who have had a dramatic experience realize that those emotionally charged moments don’t last forever.

This is not to discount your experience. In fact, in the Old Testament, God commanded the people of Israel to remember what God had done in their midst. We can always look back to our past experiences to remember God’s power, love, goodness, and grace.

How can you be sure that you now belong to Christ?

God and His Word

First and foremost, we look to God. Knowing that God is love and is faithful, we can be confident in Him, His holy character, and the trustworthiness of His words. We place our faith in God and His word.

It is God’s Word (the Bible the written Word and Jesus the living Word) that we trust and that forms the foundation upon which our Christian faith stands.

In fact, Jesus says that God is honored when you bear much fruit by remaining in Jesus and having His words remain in you (John 15:7-8).

If you ever doubt that God is in you or that God unconditionally loves you or that you are saved in Christ, go to the truths in the Bible to reinforce your faith in Him. Never listen to a voice in your head that tells you that God doesn’t love you or that you are not worthy of his love. Based on the Word of God (Bible), that is simply false. In those cases, you need to keep affirming the truth of God’s Word that God’s love for you is unchanged and unconditional.

“The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5).

You can know on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in. He will not deceive you.

The Holy Spirit

The mark of true Christians is that the Holy Spirit dwells in them.

At the time of your decision to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior or at the time of water baptism, you may have a memorable experience with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

While our personal experience is helpful, we do not rely on our emotions or experience to judge what the Word of God clearly states.

The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father at the request of the Son to be forever with every believer in Christ (John 14:16).

All believers in Christ receive the Holy Spirit the moment they trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Every Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but we are also commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). The fullness of the Holy Spirit is not automatic. This is also an act of faith, for it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Scriptures teach us more about the Holy Spirit. You will read more about the Spirit-filled life NEXT.

So, you have the Word of God (Bible) and the Holy Spirit of God to assure you that you belong to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As you develop your relationship with God and grow it deeper and stronger, you will live the abundant life Jesus promised.