How Can You Be Sure of Your Relationship with Christ?
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?
When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?'
A:___________________________________________________
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!
First of all, the Bible contains several very important facts regarding our relationship with Christ.
Romans 8:35, 38-39: “Who shall separate us from the love Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Neither death no life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)
Hebrews 13:5: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (NIV)
Hebrews 8:12: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (NIV)
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!
'When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?
A:___________________________________________________
'Think about a time when your feelings influenced a major decision in your life … what was the outcome?'
A:___________________________________________________
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?
A:___________________________________________________
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.
The Bible says:
“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” (Romans 1:17, NLT)
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)
“Whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23, NKJV)
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.
When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?
A:___________________________________________________
'What steps can you take to become more secure in your relationship with God?'
A:___________________________________________________
'What steps can you take to become more secure in your relationship with God?'
A:___________________________________________________
You Have an Inheritance in Christ
1 John 5:11-13 says, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (NIV).
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.
1. You become a child of God—forever.
“Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, NIV)
2. Your sins are completely forgiven.
“When you were dead in your sins … God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14, NIV)
3. Christ actually comes into your life.
“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20, NIV)
4. Christ gives you his nature.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)
5. The Holy Spirit is your guarantee.
“Now it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, NIV)
'When you have uncertainties in your life, what do you tend to rely on to get you through?' A:___________________________________________________
Samantha’s Story
Youth leader Samantha Tidball tells how, when she was 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:
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 self 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: He loves you right where you are.
Application:
In what ways can you strengthen each of these areas of your life when it comes to your relationship with Christ?
Fact:
A:___________________________________________________
Faith:
A:___________________________________________________
Feelings
A:___________________________________________________