When you make the decision to receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, you begin an exciting journey with Christ that will never end. But along the way, you may have some doubts.
Feelings are an unreliable source of security. We must depend on the facts of the Bible to ground our faith in God.
For many of us, the journey with Christ may be long. We have a lot of life yet to live—and some days God will feel very far away. How can we remember that our relationship with Christ is secure—no matter what?
Q. When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?
Facts, Faith, and Feelings
When it comes to our faith in Christ, three factors play into the overall picture: facts, faith, and feelings. Facts are usually the most stabilizing of the three. Faith is influenced by the facts. And feelings quite often follow. It’s important to keep these three factors in the right perspective! Haven’t received Christ? The most important decision you will ever make is to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. We are separated from God because of our wrong choices—our sin. But Jesus Christ came to save us from our sin. (Read More or Watch a Video)
First of all, the Bible contains several very important facts regarding our relationship with Christ.
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 8:35, 38–39
“Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.’” —Hebrews 13:5
“For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” —Hebrews 8:12
As God’s child He will always love you—even when you fail Him. He will never give up on you—even if you give up on Him.
Christianity is a relationship with Christ—based on faith! And your faith is to be based on the facts in the Bible … not your feelings! Faith in Christ may result in feelings … and often does. But feelings are changeable, and you can’t depend upon them. You can only rely on what God says in his Word!
Q. When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?
Q. Think about a time when your feelings influenced a major decision in your life … what was the outcome?
Q. Have you ever made a decision that was based on your feelings that didn’t turn out well, or has someone you know experienced this? What could/should have been done differently?
As God’s child He will always love you—even when you fail Him.
Your feelings are a reaction to specific acts or events in your life. Relying on feelings can cause much confusion. If you depend on your feelings and have a very bad day, what might happen to your faith? It is in those times that we can lean on the facts of God’s Word to keep us strong.
People differ in the way they perceive and respond to things. God created each one of us to be an emotional creature by nature. However, each one of us expresses our emotions in different ways! It is important to remember that different personalities respond to God in different ways.
One person may have a high emotional experience, while another individual may be calm and reserved. Because emotions vary greatly, they are not to be depended upon as a source of our security. Depending on emotions—or even seeking an emotional experience—causes many to lack the assurance of a personal relationship with God. We think that our emotions will give us greater security … but because they are constantly changing, they actually can make us insecure.
Christianity is a relationship with Christ—based on faith!
The Bible says:
“The righteous by faith will live.” —Romans 1:17
“Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” —Hebrews 11:6
“Whatever is not from faith is sin.” —Romans 14:23
The assurance of our relationship with God is based on the authority of His Word. God loves you and you are His child. When you start to feel as if your relationship with God doesn’t exist, go to the facts of the Bible to reinforce your faith in God’s love for you. We live by faith in the trustworthiness of God, and His Word. Anchor your faith in the facts of the Bible, and your faith will be strong.
Q. When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?
Q. What steps can you take to become more secure in your relationship with God?
You Have an Inheritance in Christ
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” —1 John 5:11–13
As a Christian, you are granted an inheritance. This inheritance is amazing! The Bible is very clear that when we accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, we become God’s child … and we receive all of the benefits that go along with that relationship. Listed below are just five of the benefits we receive. As you study the Bible you will discover more of the benefits that you experience as God’s child. Faith is another word for trust, and your faith must be placed in God and His Word—not in your feelings.
1. You become a child of God—forever.
“But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children.” —John 1:12
2. Your sins are completely forgiven.
“And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” —Colossians 2:13–14
3. Christ actually comes into your life.
“Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.” —Revelation 3:20
4. Christ gives you his nature.
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” —2 Corinthians 5:17
5. The Holy Spirit is your guarantee.
“But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.” —2 Corinthians 1:21–22
Memorize one of the verses above to encourage you as you grow in your relationship with God!
Samantha’s Story
Youth leader Samantha Tidball tells how, when she was a teenager, she dated a number of guys and repeatedly found herself bored after a few weeks of dating. She realized that she got an emotional high from the chase—one that wasn’t sustainable. And she says it was sort of the same thing when she first began a relationship with God. When the initial emotional rush was over, she felt empty inside and continued looking for attention elsewhere. She knew God loved her, but she didn’t always feel his love.
She wrote in a blog: “When we accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, we become God’s child … And we receive all of the benefits that go along with that relationship. I have learned that I can’t force a feeling. But I can reflect on what I know, and trust that God truly does love me. I have to trust Jesus meant what He said in 1 John 4:9–10, ‘God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.’ If Jesus died for you and me, then what does that say about our worth? Jesus says, ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15:13). Apparently, God loves us enough to die for us; there is no greater act of love.”
Don’t confuse God’s love with the love you get from people. Love from people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God’s love: His love comes from who He is and it never changes.
Application
In what ways can you strengthen each of these areas of your life when it comes to your relationship with Christ?
Q. Facts
Q. Faith
Q. Feelings