“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:15-16 NIV)
If you’re a new follower of Jesus, you’ve found freedom. The journey is beginning to an adventure you can’t imagine. As you get to know Him more and more, your love for Him will deepen. Enthusiasm for your new level of understanding about Jesus is contagious to those around you. Life has meaning and purpose different from before. Dots will connect as you realize, even though you weren’t following Jesus, He was pursuing you. Conversations from long ago now make sense. Things you thought were nothing are now something—perspective changes as you look at the world through Jesus’s eyes.
And if you can’t remember a time when you weren’t following Jesus, new believers remind you. Nothing is more exhilarating for me than a conversation with someone new to the faith. The questions they ask are challenging. Inevitably, they re-invigorate me and remind me to have child-like faith.
“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NIV)
Faith frees us.
As we pursue a life with God, we find freedom. Recently, God revealed a lie I internalized when I was a child. Working through the feelings and emotions of that revelation freed me. Letting go of the things in life that hinder us from living life to the fullest is liberating. We all have the same problem; we don’t know what lies we believe, which keeps us in bondage. Jesus came to release us from lies:
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37 NIV)
God reveals the truth in our lives by uncovering the lies we believe. Exposing untruths to the light causes their power to diminish. The lie I lived: my feelings are stupid and don’t matter. My newfound freedom: my feelings are valid; they do matter. Once again, I took a step closer to Jesus as He worked in my life.
Putting our faith in Jesus is the beginning of the journey. As He works in our lives, we grow. We recognize areas we need to let His light shine. A question asked in our prayer meeting applies to all:
“What areas of my heart needs hope?
Find somewhere private. Whatever time you have, sit silently. Ask yourself what areas your heart needs hope. Wait for God’s response. See what lies He reveals to you.
Question of the Day:
How has faith in Jesus freed you from your past life?
Further Reading: Isaiah 39:1-41:16 NIV, Ephesians 1 NIV, Psalm 66 NIV, Proverbs 23:25-28 NIV
