I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-01)

I’m Saved, Now What? (part-01)

When we make a profession of faith, we might not fully understand
what that means. We understand the extremities of our decision
(we were doomed for hell, and now we are destined for heaven),
but we may know very little about the journey between the two.

There is a ‘dash’ between our new birth (salvation) and our entry
into heaven. Realizing the importance of this ‘dash’ and how it
describes our ‘new life’ is the beginning of knowledge of the Lord
which impacts all we do and say.

When we focus on the gifts God gave us with His salvation
(the Holy Spirit and our special spiritual gift),
we will find joy in living the life God wants us to live.

If we believe that salvation only means we were lost and
now will spend eternity in Heaven, then we are overlooking
everything between our salvation and our entrance into Heaven
(as a result, we continue living our life in much the same way
we did before God saved us – nothing really changes).

If that’s all we believe, then we will fail to enjoy everything
in between, and even worse, we contribute nothing to God’s
earthly ministry, which means we will miss experiencing
the joy of using the spiritual gift (or gifts) He has given us.

Salvation means much more than we might know about (or understand).
It means we begin a new journey here on earth that includes new priorities,
new attitudes, new concerns for others (especially those doomed for eternal
death – lost souls), new characteristics, new desires to serve the Lord, etc.
All of this ‘newness’ creates in us an ‘unusual’ joy, and a new life
of happiness, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, love, patience, etc.

We need to honestly evaluate ourselves (and our lives) and decide
if we have room in our heart for God to write His story in us.
Are we willing to allow Him to change us on the ‘inside’
so that He will be honored and glorified on the ‘outside’?
Will we exchange our plans for His plans for our life?

The questions we may have are,
    “What kind of changes should I expect?”
    “Will these changes require an effort on my part?”
    “Will God provide me with help to make these changes?”

I’m sure we could add many more questions to the list,
but the bottom line is:
if we are sincere about our commitment to surrender
our lives to following the Lord, then we can expect
some dramatic and amazing changes in our lives.

Now, let’s begin our “I’m Saved, Now What?” journey.

TRIALS & TEMPTATIONS
We all face temptations at times in our lives. We hear pastors talk about
the dangers of temptations and we experience the guilt whenever we yield
to them. Temptations can become so attractive to believers that for a moment,
we fail to follow our Godly wisdom to flee from them.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out
so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The questions we should ask ourselves is,
    “Do I look for His ‘way out’?”
and,
    “If I detect His ‘way out’ do I gratefully follow it,
     or do I ignore it and continue going in the same direction?”

Of course the danger of yielding to temptations is,
we run the risk of giving Satan an opportunity to
gain a foothold (leading to a stronghold) in our lives.

When we succumb to temptation the first time, it becomes easier to ‘give in’
to the same temptation the next time. We can quickly find ourselves in a very
dark place where we feel separated from our true friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This uneasy feeling can weaken our ability to resist future temptations. Why?
Because we experience a gap in our comfortable feeling of being close to the
Lord. When our faith and self-esteem are damaged, Satan can gain an even
stronger grip on our lives and we can find ourselves in a downward spiral of
continual sin.

If someone were to ask you to define temptations, what would you say?
Some responses might include:
    “Something that is appealing, but not something good for us to do”.

    “Anything that causes us to sin”.

    “Things that we want to do, but shouldn’t”.

    “Something that we selfishly choose to do,
     even though we know it leads to destruction”.

    “Anything that Satan can use to prevent the lost from being saved,
     or cause believers to have a break in their fellowship with the Lord”.

    “A short term pleasurable experience with long term consequences”.

    “Anything that makes us choose between obeying the Lord
     and allowing Satan to have control of our thoughts and actions”.

As we go through life we will experience trials (or tests) in our life
that can strain our faith to the limit. Everything can be going just fine
for us and suddenly we receive a phone call regarding something
that upsets us and causes stress on our emotions.

We may get an unexpected report from the doctor, or we may lose
our job and be faced with financial difficulties. We could be
devastated by some bad choices made by our loved ones.

Where do these difficulties come from and why are we experiencing
them? Some believers may fail to realize that our ‘situation’ may be
part of God’s plan for our lives. Why would He do that? It could be
for any number of reasons including:
    God may be preparing us
   for something He has planned for us in the future.

    He may be using an experience to strengthen our
    faith in Him and His ability to provide for our needs.

    He could be trying to get our attention
    regarding our failures to obey Him.

    Someone else may experience the same problem in the future
    and He is allowing us to experience something similar so that
    we can minister to others when they are in despair. When we’ve
    ‘been there’ we will remember the words and actions that
    benefitted us the most when we were going through the same trial.

If someone were to ask you to define a trial or test, what would you say?
Some responses might include:
    “They aren’t necessarily bad, especially when we
      realize they could quite possibly be from the Lord”.

    “Something that results in a the growth
     of our faith and increases our spiritual maturity”

    “An event that is not fun, that we have no choice in
     whether it happens or not, but could possibly be from God”.

    “A way of measuring how well we are doing as a believer”.

Could trials and temptations be similar?
    Yes. They both can be spiritual maturity growing periods
    that strengthen our faith and builds character into our lives.

    We discover that both can increase our dependence on the Lord.
    Note:
        Depending on the Lord can create a closer fellowship with Him.

How are trials and temptations different?
    A test can be defined as something short in duration
    which is a measurement of knowledge, know-how, etc.

    A trial can be defined as something longer
    in duration that challenges our faith and patience.

Can both trials and temptations be either constructive, or destructive?
Sure, depending on how we respond to them.
    Both can be constructive if our response recognizes the Lord’s
    involvement, focuses on what we are supposed to learn,
    and causes us to have a greater dependence on Him.

    However, if our response is entirely negative (frustration,
    anger, hopelessness, despair, etc.) then it can become a
    destructive experience.

    The difference is whether our thoughts
    are self-centered, or God-centered.

Two people go through the same trial and one grows closer to God,
but the other turns away from Him – what is the difference in their response?
    One allows the trial to become a temptation for evil. He or she
    can become so frustrated during the trial that they decide to yield
    to some sin that continually haunts them. They can get the idea
    that the Lord is either mad at them, or has abandoned them.

    How do they react to these thoughts? Some have a tendency to look
    for a comfort zone to “get relief” (and unfortunately for many, that
    comfort zone is a “pet” sin). Whenever we react to trials in this way,
    we run the risk of drifting further away from the Lord. We also miss
    out on realizing the Lord is involved in our life, and it is for our benefit.

    Both individuals are affected by their attitudes, how others respond
    to them during their trial, and the strength of their faith (including
    their current spiritual condition). Those who are still struggling with
    their spiritual maturity, lack the wisdom to accept the trial as being
    something constructive from the Lord. Why? Because their focus is
    on trying to find a way to get out of the trial they are going through.

    With their attention on themselves and not on what the Lord may
    be doing, their situation seems to get worse. As their trial continues
    and they desperately try to find a way out, they drift farther away
    from the Lord. Why? Because their attention is on the situation
    rather than calling on the Lord for His help.

    In contrast, those with adequate spiritual maturity are trying to
    understand what they need to learn in their situation. This ‘right
    response’ helps them to develop a closer relationship with the Lord.

Whenever we are not in a close fellowship with the Lord, it is unlikely
that we will see a trial as a time of spiritual growth. Why? Because our
thought processes are influenced by the world and our own selfishness.
As a result, we will respond in a worldly or selfish manner, which means
we do not consider the Lord’s involvement in our lives, for our good.

Whenever we have a close relationship with the Lord, we naturally
expect His involvement in the events of our lives. Consequently
whenever we face a trial, more than likely we will try to understand
what He is trying to teach us. Why? Because we appreciate His love
for us and we know that He wants us to grow in our spiritual maturity.

As a reminder, God may not have caused the ‘situation’ we are dealing
with, but He can use it as an opportunity to help us grow spiritually.
We also need to remember that the scriptures clearly state,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)

When we meditate on this scripture,
there are two requirements of man as follows:
1.  Loving the Lord.
    This means that we want to do what pleases Him and we strive to
    obey Him as much as possible. We have a sincere desire to follow
    the Lord and we are honestly disappointed in ourselves whenever
    we yield to temptations. We have not become desensitized to sin
    but know of its reality, and realize the struggles we have in avoiding it.

    There is an irony with being a Christian – the closer we get to the
    Lord, the farther away we may feel at times. Why? Because we
    have new discoveries of areas where we are failing to obey Him.
    In other words, there are some things that we didn’t consider sins
    in the past, but as we get closer to the Lord, our eyes are opened
    to the sinfulness of those things.

    As an example, a person may have problems with uncontrollable anger.
    He or she has developed and an attitude of “that’s just the way I am”
    or “my anger is justified”. However as they mature spiritually and
    understand the love of the Lord, they realize that the love nature of
    Jesus gives them the ability to control their anger. Then the Holy Spirit
    convicts the person that uncontrollable anger is not a character trait
    expected of a believer, but instead it is a sinful attitude that needs
    to be dealt with.

2.  Being called according to His purpose.
    This means that we have identified the spiritual gift (or gifts) that
    God has given us and we are actively using it (or them) to serve as
    a member of His ministry team. Unfortunately, many believers go
    through life without discovering their spiritual gift and/or using it.

    Why would the Lord choose to give us at least one spiritual gift
    when we become a child of His? He knows that when we are
    actively participating in His earthly ministry, our spiritual maturity
    will increase and we will grow closer to Him each day. He also
    knows that when we are serving Him, He has a greater influence
    on us than Satan does. Because of this, He gives us what we need
    to serve Him in whatever capacity He desires.

    Every believer has a purpose. What is that purpose? It is to impact
    and influence others for the Lord. God gives each believer a specific
    purpose and we are to strive to fulfill His purpose for our lives. What
    we do is not our purpose, but the stage for our purpose.
    Our job is the stage where we fulfill our purpose.
    Our position in society is the stage where we fulfill our purpose.
    Our circle of friends is the stage where we fulfill our purpose.
    Our contact with our enemies is our stage for fulfilling our purpose.
    Our stressful situation is our stage where we fulfill our purpose.
    No matter what we do, what situation we find ourselves in, or what
    talents we have, we are on stage to fulfill His purpose in our lives.

    When Jesus walked the earth in human form, He was only one person
    and could only be in one place at a time. Obviously this limited His
    ministry to some degree. However, when there are many believers
    “gifted” to serve the Lord, His ministry can be much more widespread.
    We can see the importance of each believer actively using the gift
    (or gifts) He has given us.

    We need to ensure that we do not confuse our spiritual gift with one
    of our talents. For instance, we might have a talent for playing the
    piano but our spiritual gift may be exhortation (being an encourager
    to those who are actively serving the Lord). There is nothing wrong
    with using our talents to glorify the Lord, but we need to be sure we
    identify our spiritual gift and activate it for serving Him.

    In addition to increasing the span of His ministry, serving the Lord
    allows us to experience the joyful reward of His blessings. Being
    a member of His ministry team (as He intended “according to His
    purpose”), unlocks the door to blessings we could never imagine.

So, how should we cope with the relentless temptations from Satan?

Fighting temptations can feel like a full time job can’t it?
There are times when it seems the temptations have disappeared,
but before we know it they are right back again trying to disrupt
our spiritual lives. They can happen when we are in a crowd, or
alone with no one around. We never seem to know when they will
appear, but even when we aren’t feeling pressure from them, we
know they are lurking nearby.

How does Satan know when we are most vulnerable to temptations?
He has been in the business of temptation and discouragement for
many more years than we have lived. Consequently, he knows when
we are weak and when to tempt us in the area of our weakness.

Sinners don’t experience the same temptations as believers because
they already belong to the evil one. However, he is bent on destroying
the life and witness of those who belong to the Lord.

It is ludicrous to think that we will never be tempted. But just because
we are tempted, doesn’t mean that we have to be a slave to temptations.
Paul tells us that if we ‘live by the Spirit’, then we will not be under the
control of temptations.

Walking in the Spirit can be challenging until it becomes natural
to us. To walk means to place one foot in front of the other. It
includes movement and progress. If we are not walking, then
we are standing still.

If we take Paul’s advice and ‘live by the Spirit‘,
it means we have a purpose for moving forward.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
(Galatians 5:16)

As believers, the Lord gives each of us special gifts and talents
to be used to glorify Him. If we depend on our own resources,
our own strength, or our own ability, we will fail in ‘living by
the Spirit’ and resisting temptations.

We cannot live the Christian life by ourselves; the Holy Spirit
must live in us and express Himself through us. Living for Christ
is a day-by-day experience. It is a continuous dependence upon
the Spirit of God; it is believing in His faithfulness.

Have you taken the advice Paul gave to believers?
Does the Holy Spirit guide your footsteps daily?

Pray something like,
“Heavenly Father, You know how weak I am and how strong
Satan can be at tempting me. When I try to resist him in my
own strength I am seldom successful. I know that I need the
Holy Spirit in my life to avoid yielding to his temptations. I pray
that I will be able to follow Paul’s advice and live by the Spirit.
So often I have walked on my own instead of walking in Your
Spirit. Teach me how to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my steps
and show me how to live a life that will point others to Your Son,
Jesus Christ. Give me confidence that with the help of the Spirit,
I can resist the temptations from Satan.”

Look at what David, a man after God’s heart, learned about the
impact of temptations in his life which led to sin. David had a
heart for God, but the power of temptation caused him to fall.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other
gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God,
as the heart of David his father had been. (1 Kings 11:4)

David’s selfish desires caused him to fail miserably in obeying
the Lord. First he had lust, then he committed adultery, which
led to a failed plan to cover his sin, and caused him to be
instrumental in causing the death of the husband of Bathsheba.

He learned the hard way that:
    Sin will take you further than you want to go;
    it will keep you longer than you want to stay;
    and, it will cost you more than you want to pay.

But in his remorse he began to think about the great and powerful
God who loved him. Even though God was aware of his sins, David
knew that God is always willing to forgive and no matter how bad
his sin is, God is greater.
If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence,
serve you. (Psalm 130:3-4)

Do you have a sin that you struggle with?
Do you want victory?
Do you want forgiveness?

Ask God to forgive your rebellious spirit.
Ask Him for strength and determination to repent.
Let His Holy Spirit work His conviction, then seek His forgiveness.
You can be reconciled to God today; don’t put it off but do it now.

Pray something like this.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forgiveness of my
weaknesses. You know the power of Satan and how he can
influence my life, but You are greater and can give me the
strength and determination to overcome his lies. Father, it
is You I love and not Satan. You care about me and want
what is best for me, but the evil one wants me to fail and miss
out on the joy and peace You give to those who belong to You.
Forgive me for my sins and help me to repel the attacks from
Satan. Give me a heart for serving You, so that I can have
victory over the temptations the evil one throws in my paths.”

If you enjoyed this devotional, tell someone else about it and ask them to join us in our journey through the “I’m Saved Now What” series of growing closer to the Lord. This might be one way the Lord wants to use you to serve Him. Thank you and God bless!