Faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, faith is trusting in something or someone even though you can't see or touch them. But in this case, we are talking about believing in Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
Accepting Christ as your Savior even when you have not seen him physically is one of the traits that makes Christians unique, and this faith in the saving power of Christ is often the main target of the devil. Faith is a powerful weapon that believers possess.
It is faith in Christ that qualifies you to be a believer; your determination and willingness to surrender your life to Jesus, as well as your ability to live according to His legacy, are what qualify you as a Christian.
This is why it is important to fully understand what you are getting into when you decide to give your life to Christ. Because when you make that commitment, your way of life must change. You are no longer able to casually live a worldly life; your entire lifestyle must change to the heavenly, and your every step is ordained by the Holy Spirit.
When you find faith, you give up your old life completely. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Herefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Discovering faith can happen in different ways for different people. However, no matter how someone discovers faith, one thing is certain: it's a journey. Becoming a Christian is a divine, life-transforming process. Thankfully, it's not something that happens overnight. God doesn't expect us to immediately master our new life in faith. It's a lifelong process of growing in your relationship with God and deepening your understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
My Story's Beginning
I was born into a Christian home, but a very troubled one. My dad was a troubled man who battled various spiritual problems, damaging almost every aspect of his physical life, especially his marriage and home.
He was never a father in ways that mattered to me as a naive little child, but he made sure to get me a Bible and teach me to always pray. He, however, made it a habit to constantly remind me at such a young age that I was on my own and to never expect anything from him because he, too, was lost.
I remember him telling me that I was born into warfare and that I was meant to fight my spiritual battle myself, and that he had given me the only weapon I needed—the Holy Bible and a habit of prayer—and I should figure out the rest myself.
Well, I was only six years old then, and his words were always strange to me, as most of them didn't even make any sense then, but today they all do.
The truth is that I never had a normal childhood. And when I look back at my childhood experience with my dad, I can only describe it as putting a helmet on a toddler and sending him to the war front with a rifle and no proper training. That was exactly what it felt like.
I wasn't ready for this kind of life, and worst of all, I didn't even know Christ personally. All I knew was that we pray in Jesus' name and go to church on Sundays. And when I was terribly ill or had any spiritual attack, I had to read the Bible and then ask Jesus from the Bible to save me.
In my mind, I regarded Jesus as a fictional superhero whom we pray to when in trouble. I had never felt His presence or even seen him. But I had encountered many evil spirits and knew there was spiritual darkness in the world, and I wanted the Light of the World on my side.
Meeting God
On my tenth birthday, I took a step that changed my life forever. I was done being confused and lost. I decided that I wanted to meet this Jesus and truly experience all that I had read in the Bible about Him.
I wanted to experience his true power and glory, as most people I had read about in the Bible did. I was very desperate and ready in my heart to meet Him, yet I wanted tangible proof that Jesus was real.
Well, that day, I had a true Jesus experience. A strange man came into my room, but it was different from the other dark encounters I had. His presence made me feel overwhelmed. I felt very heavy at that moment, and it was like there was some invisible burden weighing me down. My senses were heightened, and I was overcome with a deep feeling of sorrow, guilt, and shame.
He had a loving expression on his face. He didn't speak to me; He gestured, and I saw my spirit pulled out of my body and standing next to Him, and I watched my body still sitting in the bed, filthy and in rags. I also saw my hands and feet bound with chains, and there was this huge pile of trash on my head.
Then He gestured, and the chains melted away, and all the filth was removed. A male figure whose face I couldn't see lifted my body and washed me thoroughly, and I watched myself crying as I was bathed by this man, who also poured a generous amount of oil on my head, and He put a clean cloth on me.
Suddenly, my spirit returned to my clean body, and I felt so light, and for the first time, I felt free and genuinely happy in my soul.
And I looked at Him and said, “You are Jesus!”
I didn't need any introduction; I immediately knew who He was and what joy I felt to finally meet him personally. He saved me, and He became the father I never had.
From that day on, I became a different person, and my faith in Christ grew stronger every day.
Now, your encounter with Jesus doesn't have to look like mine; in fact, it won't be identical to my experience. Jesus reaches us in different ways as we are different people with different pasts. Some's salvation stories are simple and sweet, like accepting Christ at home in their childhood bed. Others' stories might look like radical repentance, confessing addiction at a church recovery program, and walking away from alcohol, pornography, or drugs. Christ isn't limited to how, where, and when He finds us. We must simply be ready for His plan.
Alive in the Spirit
Now, whenever I pick up my Bible to read, the Holy Spirit is always there to interpret it for me. The Bible is no longer a distant storybook with fictional superheroes, and Christianity is not just a religion but a culture of salvation. And when I pray, it is no longer like ranting about my problems but more of a dialogue with my Father in Heaven.
This is the kind of relationship I wish everyone in the world had with Christ. I wish to be able to use my life experience to correct people's perceptions about salvation and Christianity. I wish we all could yearn for a true and genuine personal encounter with Christ.
Jesus is always ready for us; we only need to be desperate enough to welcome Him into our lives. Going to every church program is not the way to meet Him. It should be based on personal desire and determination. He can visit you anywhere and at any time; you only need to be madly determined to receive Him.
No pastor in the world can empower you enough to handle the battles of this world. And trust me when I tell you that the words of God in Ephesians 6:12 say, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This statement is true; it is not just a literary tool but an actual truth.
The Spiritual World Today
Everything happening in the world is a physical manifestation of the spiritual. The devil is real; demons, principalities, and powers are real; and they exist to make this world (the physical realm) uninhabitable for us. Do not take your faith for granted, and most importantly, do not be spiritually lazy. Don't leave your spiritual life to your pastors alone. You need to put on the whole armor of God! Ephesians 6:13-15 encourages us: "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..."
We are born into this warfare, and we must not leave the fight to our pastors because they, too, have their battles to fight. We must make ourselves soldiers in the Lord (2 Timothy 2), we must arm ourselves with the words of God day and night, and we must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).
And most importantly, we must tune out the noise of this world and be in tune with the voice of the Holy Spirit. He is always willing to give us directions and caution us against the vices of the kingdom of darkness.
Lastly, I want you to take note of Psalm 91:1-16. This scripture summarizes the benefits, grace, and power you can tap into when you are genuinely in Christ and your faith in God is righteous and pure. Trust me, Psalm 91 works all the time. So, whenever you feel confused and afraid, just read it and claim it with faith.
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