AM I A CHRISTIAN? (JOHN 14:15)

Do you ever ask yourself that question? A couple nights ago, I was listening to a message by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and she was talking about how everyone is going to die one day. She said that we would either go to a place of joy, or of sorrow and pain and regret. (Of course those aren't her exact words, but that's the gist of it.)

That got me to thinking (you know how "scary" stuff is always much scarier when it's 10:00 at night): What if I'm not a Christian? What if I do go to hell when I die?

So I talked to my parents, and they helped me so much. We talked about how you can tell whether someone's a Christian or not by the fruit in their life. My dad also pointed out something I never knew before. You know John 14:15? "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." My dad said that Jesus wasn't saying "If you love me, you'd better keep my commandments!" No, Jesus was saying that, if we love him, we literally will keep his commandments. The Holy Spirit will make you keep them! That was really encouraging for me because I knew I had the desire to keep God's commandments (that desire came from him, of course!) We already have all the power to keep his commandments. . . we just don't understand it. That made it seem really easy to fight off sin! If we have all the power (that is from God) already, we can easily win! And each time we sow to the spirit, it will get easier!

So, in conclusion (so that it doesn't sound like I went off on a tangent), if we want to obey God's commandments, we have the power that only comes from God. That is some pretty good assurance of your faith!

Hope this was encouraging!!!

Sarah :)