Salvation refers to the freedom gained when God rescues someone from slavery to sin and makes that person part of His family. This deliverance is accomplished only through His Son Jesus, who died in our place so we might be reconciled to the Father (Col. 1:22). This statement often evokes questions:
What if I try to live morally right, working hard at my job and being good to my family—won’t God accept me? Such questions assume that the Lord saves us on the basis of the way we live. But Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, not even one.” In God’s sight, even our virtuous acts are like dirty rags (Isa. 64:6). Holy God will not have dealings with unrighteous people except through the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Won’t the Lord accept us because of His goodness? God is loving and good, but He is also just. He won’t overlook sin, no matter how small we think it is. Pride makes us reject the idea that we need forgiveness or cleansing from sin.
If we serve in our church or help the poor in God’s name, aren’t we part of His family? Good works do not solve our sin problem or reconcile us to God. Only Jesus does (Rom. 5:1). Good works are an important result of salvation, as opposed to a basis for it.
Salvation is a work of God’s grace, not the product of man’s effort. When we respond to the Spirit’s prompting, believe in Jesus, and are born again as God’s children (John 3:3), we can be assured of our place in heaven. How sure are you?
Does this sound familiar? Determined to spend more time in prayer, you come to the appointed hour, drop to your knees, open your mouth, and—draw a blank. Sure, you manage a few words about what you need the Lord to do for you and your family, but you should be praying for more than that, shouldn’t you?
Yes, you should. Believers’ needs are indeed the Father’s concern; not even the smallest detail escapes His notice. However, He tells His children to imitate Jesus—they should “not merely look out for [their] own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
Selfless prayer, though, isn’t natural to us. We too easily (and wrongly) think of God as a genie—someone to do our bidding as we live life our own way. Thankfully, He has supplied a Helper. The Holy Spirit, our willing and able partner in praying effectively, intercedes for us when we can’t “pray as we should” (Rom. 8:26).
How should we cooperate with the Spirit’s intercession for us? First, we must recognize God’s authority, holiness, and glory. Then, we need to submit our lives to His leadership. When we do, God’s will and desires become foremost in importance for us. Finally, we must submit our future to Him, trusting Him to bring great good out of negative as well as positive events in our lives.
In submission to the Holy Spirit, we will discover greater peace and joy. We will also find new words for our prayers to the Father as we bring petitions inspired by His Spirit. Even more importantly, we will develop a deeper understanding of God’s greatness.
The word delight means “to gain great pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness.” Wouldn’t you like those to be the words that describe your relationship with God—one where both you and He enjoy time spent in each other’s presence? If that sounds good to you, then I have great news. God also wants that kind of delightful friendship, which develops through commitment, trust, and patience.
• First, a believer must commit his or her ways to God. This means that we invite the Lord to examine our desires and intentions—and change whatever does not fit His purpose or advance His plan for our life.
• Second, a believer must trust God. Who is more worthy of our faith than the Father, who gave Jesus Christ to save wicked sinners? The One who would not spare His only Son will certainly provide all that His children need (Rom. 8:32).
• Third, a believer must rest in God. When we fret about an issue or something that we consider necessary, we are neither committing ourselves to the Lord nor trusting in Him. Because our human viewpoint is extremely limited, waiting patiently rarely proves easy. God, however, has infinite wisdom and knows when circumstances and timing are perfectly aligned for His will to be done.
A growing relationship with the Lord is not drudgery, though it can be hard work. But the effort is a labor of love, because humans are designed to derive joy and fulfillment from being in God’s presence. The greatest pleasure we can experience in life is walking hand in hand with a Father who adores us.
Once we have made up our minds to obey God, we gather courage around us like a cloak and proceed. That is, until something causes us to hesitate and question the wisdom of this decision. Our faith is wavering. What do we do now?
Ask yourself questions about God. Has God promised to meet all my needs? Has He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in me, guide me, and equip me to obey Him? Did God promise to be with me at all times? Is anything too hard for Him? Search the Scriptures for answers, and let truth fill your mind.
Meditate on God's Word. Ask the Lord to help you find Bible verses that relate to what you are facing. Then study the passage and apply its lessons to your personal situation.
Recall the Lord's past faithfulness. God by His very nature is faithful, and He always acts true to His character. The enemy would have us forget all that God has done for us.
Assess the situation. Ask, How critical is this decision, and whom might it affect? Is this one of those forks in the road in which my unbelief could cause me or another person a lifetime of regret?
Choose to trust the Lord. Make the decision to believe God and obey, no matter how you feel.
As you take a step of faith, God will strengthen you through His Spirit and enable you to continue on. Before you know it, your faith will become steady, joy will return, and you will be moving ahead once again.
Since faith is the core of our Christian experience, the consequences of wavering faith are far-reaching. Vacillating trust can lead us to make wrong decisions. Sometimes, after praying for direction, we might receive an answer that leads us to think, I can’t do that. So, instead of asking God to strengthen our faith, we make excuses. We may choose to postpone our obedience—even indefinitely—in order to do something else we consider just as worthwhile. But partial obedience is still disobedience, and it leads to situations that can be dire.
When our faith falters, not only can it result in poor choices, but it also is costly. The Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert because the nation allowed unbelief to overtake their faith. Wavering trust can make us miss out on the blessings of God; it often proves detrimental to those we love as well.
Our confidence will also be affected by shifting faith. When we are spiritually unsteady, we can easily be shaken by little things—even insignificant matters. Instead of standing firm, we may find our confidence eroding. Then we become less willing to take the risks God is asking of us. Rather than acting with certainty, we question and doubt what we are hearing from the Lord. We may also find joy diminishing because our wavering faith has led us away from God’s will. The inner peace of God that we once enjoyed evaporates as our faith weakens.
No matter how unsteady our faith, God invites us to draw near so He can strengthen our trust in Him. When He does, accept His invitation and give Him the glory.
