75999.22010.343 Jim Caviezel Powerful Testimony
47111 How to Invite Jesus into Your Life
To invite Jesus Christ into your life, you place your faith (trust) in Him for the forgiveness of your sins and allow Him to transform you into the person He wants you to be.
When you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again from the dead, God will forgive all of your sins, and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in you. Your old self will be considered dead with Christ. You will be spiritually born again as a new creation in Christ.
You can invite Jesus into your life by expressing your faith directly to God through prayer. Simply pray the following words. But remember, it’s not the words you say but the attitude of your heart that is important.
“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for all my sins—past, present, and
future.
Thank you for giving me eternal life, which you made possible by your death and
resurrection. I receive you as my Savior by faith and desire you to be Lord of
my life.
I give you the right to make me into the kind of person you want me to be.”
If you have invited Jesus Christ into your life, begin laying a solid foundation for your new relationship with God.
Key Verse
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
More About…
Why Jesus is the key to salvation
Become More
Read the series, “Laying A Solid Foundation” and become more confident in your new relationship with God.
47113 How to Experience God’s Love
God loves you unconditionally and eternally because God is love. God’s love is always being poured upon you lavishly. He designed you to live in a love relationship with Him. You can accept His love.
When you don’t experience His love even though you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your unconfessed sin and unrepentant heart are often major barriers between God and you in your relationship.
Repentance is to turn back to God from disobedience to obedience. You can use the five prayers of repentance. When you turn to God, the Holy Spirit will bring you back to the truth of God’s unchanging love for you. More and more you will be able to live in awareness of His love for you. Rather than working toward a place of feeling loved, you will be living from a place of being loved.
Key Verse
“The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.” (John 14:21)
More About…
“Unconfessed Sin and an Unrepentant Heart”
Become More
Become more aware of His love for you. Read the series “Forever Loved”.
47114 How to Experience God’s Forgiveness
God’s forgiveness will truly set you free. If you are seeking God’s forgiveness, the good news is that He has already forgiven you in Jesus Christ. To experience His forgiveness, you simply need to receive it according to His promise.
God promises that His forgiveness is yours from the moment you place your faith (trust) in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and allow Him to transform you into the person He wants you to be.
Repentance is the act of receiving God’s forgiveness that is already granted to you. You can use the five prayers of repentance. Just like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24), your heavenly Father’s forgiveness is eagerly waiting with its arms wide open for you to return to Him (repentance).
You may be struggling with God’s forgiveness because you don’t feel you deserve it.
Nobody deserves God’s forgiveness. He forgives you not because you deserve it but because Jesus died on the cross to earn forgiveness for you. God forgives you because He loves you.
Forgiveness is an act of love. That is why the Lord commands us to forgive one another, just as God in Christ also forgave us (Ephesians 4:32).
Key Verse
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
More About…
Become More
Watch the video series on “Experience God’s love and forgiveness” (See videos)
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:
- Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20; Colossians 1:27).
- Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
- You became a child of God (John 1:12).
- You received eternal life (John 5:24).
- 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.
32455 How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
You may be thinking, “I’ve accepted Christ into my life. I know that the Holy Spirit comes into your life when you accept Christ. But why then, does my life presently reflect so little power?”
It is important to think about what might be standing in the way of your experience of a Spirit-filled life. Living the Spirit-filled life requires being filled with the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-filled life is one of effectiveness and fulfillment.
Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit by following these three steps:
Step 1: Get right with God
When you are right with God, you are ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In contemporary society, we often don’t want to talk about “sin”–and we surely don’t want to personally admit to it! However, the Bible teaches us that our sin does stand in the way of our fellowship with God. Have you confessed every sin or act of disobedience that you are aware of, to God?
How to repent of your sin:
- Agree with God that you were wrong.
- Acknowledge that Christ died on the cross for those sins.
- Consciously turn your mind and heart away from your sin and toward obedience to God.
Step 2: Be filled by faith
When you are right with God you are ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This occurs totally by faith. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
Right now, in faith, you can claim His fullness and He will fill you with His Spirit. Here is a sample prayer for you to pray:
Dear Father, I need you. I acknowledge that I have been in control of my life, and as a result, I have sinned against You. Thank you for forgiving my sins through Christ’s death on the cross. I now invite Christ to again take His place of authority on the throne of my life. Fill me with your Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in your Word You would do if I ask in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I now thank You for directing my life. Amen.
Step 3: Walk anticipating results, even if you don’t feel any different
Getting right with God and then asking Him to once again have the Holy Spirit control and empower you demonstrates your desire and willingness to submit yourself to God. Now believe that God will do what He has promised.
Don’t focus on whether or not you feel any different. Just continue to walk in obedience and, by faith, expect Christ to live His life through you. He will show you evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power flowing through you at the appropriate time. Walk by faith and leave the results to God.
47401 How to Be Filled with the Spirit
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be guided and empowered by Him who dwells in every believer in Christ. Every believer has the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is guided and empowered by Him.
The steps are very simple, but there are certain conditions that must be met before being filled with the Spirit.
First and foremost, make sure that you are in Christ. Knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior is foundational. Second, you must wholeheartedly desire to live a life that is fully submitted to the Lord. Experiencing God’s love and forgiveness will help you grow in your trust in Him and love for Him. Third, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sins in your life and confess them to God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) To confess your sins means to agree with God about them, including turning away from your sins and obeying what God wants you to do about them.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is an act of faith. Because the Word of God commands it (Ephesians 5:18), you believe it to be true in your life that the Holy Spirit will guide and empower you when you trust Him to do so.
We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone. However, true prayer is one way of expressing our faith. The following is a suggested prayer:
“Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I now thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit.”
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, bow in prayer and trust God to fill you with the Holy Spirit right now.
Now, you go about your day, knowing and trusting the Holy Spirit is guiding you and giving you wisdom and strength to live in the manner worthy of the Lord. His guidance may be subtle; so, you need to be mindful of His presence moment by moment.
Key Verse
“And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)
More About…
“Be Filled With The Holy Spirit”
“How To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit”
Become More
Watch the video series on “Be Filled With The Holy Spirit” (See videos)
47402 How to Walk in the Spirit
Many believers are living spiritually defeated lives. They feel powerless and unproductive in their Christian experience. But the truth is, Christ offers us a vibrant life full of purpose and adventure if we walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The mark of being a Christian (belonging to God) is that the Holy Spirit dwells in that person. The moment you believe in Jesus as your Savior and trust Him as your Lord, the Holy Spirit gives you the new life in Christ and resides in you. He is united with your new self in Christ.
So, walking by the Holy Spirit is essential for all believers in Christ. It is a lifestyle of being directed and empowered by Him. When you are filled with the Spirit by faith, you will remain Spirit-filled as long as you are obedient to Him because you are submitting to His guidance. But you may intentionally or accidentally take back control of your life. You stop trusting the Holy Spirit. You may commit a sin. When you realize that you are no longer filled with the Spirit, you quickly confess it and repent. Giving thanks to God, you renew your commitment to be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This process of “course corrections” is called spiritual breathing.
Years ago the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Bill Bright, compared walking in the Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis to breathing. When you breathe, you exhale impurities, and inhale pure air and oxygen.
In “spiritual breathing”, you “exhale”–by confession–sin, and “inhale”–by faith–the Holy Spirit’s control. Exhale: Confess your sin–agree with God concerning your sin and thank Him
for His forgiveness of it. Confession involves repentance–a change in attitude and behavior. Inhale: By faith, surrender the control of your life to the Holy Spirit.
Trust that He now directs and empowers you.
As you regularly practice spiritual breathing, you will become more sensitive to His presence and guidance in your everyday life. You begin to consistently live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, obeying His guidance and relying on His empowering presence. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit.
Key Verse
“if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25)
More About…
“Power Through Spiritual Breathing“
Become More
Watch the video series on “How to Walk in the Spirit” (Watch videos)
47403 How to Renew Your Mind with Truth
To renew your mind with God’s truth, you regularly spend time in the Word of God. It should become one of your daily habits.
Renewing your mind is a process. As you read the Bible, you trust that God’s truth will transform you and are willing to be changed by it. As the Holy Spirit reveals the truth through the Bible, you choose to study it and apply it to your daily life.
Your mind is powerful. Your attitudes, behavior, thoughts, values, and emotions are all by-products of what is in your mind. So, if you want to change your life, filling your mind with God’s truth is critically important.
God is communicating with you through the Bible to teach you His perspective and to show you a more accurate view of who God is. What your mind believes about God makes a big difference in your life.
Key Verse
“Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
More About…
“Filling Your Mind with God’s Truth”
“God Is Communicating with You”
“Put the Truth of God’s Word into Your Life”
Become More
Read the series, “Seeing Your Life from God’s Perspective” and become more aligned with God’s truth.