"If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Both these things are crucial in our salvation. First, we must "declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord." We must speak boldly about Jesus and not be ashamed, no matter how many people mock us or make fun of us for our faith. Second, we must believe in our hearts that God has raised Jesus from the dead. If we do not believe that Jesus is God and that He has been raised from the dead, then we do not have salvation. This puts us in a dangerous situation, where we think of Jesus as just a prophet or a teacher and nothing more.
For me I believe both that Jesus is Lord and that He has been raised from the dead with all my heart. I have outwardly declared my faith in Jesus, but I do still struggle from time to time with speaking boldly about the Lord. I have been mocked and made of for my faith. It is hurtful in a lot of ways, but mostly it hurts me that they don't see the change that Christ can do in our lives. Sometimes it is hard to be bold and speak outwardly about the Lord because of this , but I also want so desparatley to help them and end thier misery. For me, I really struggle in finding a balance of what to say and how to say it. I also fear that I will be too forceful and ultimatley push someone away. There were many times I can remember that I would get annoyed and felt like I was being forced to believe something, and being stubborn and strong willed, it only made things worse. In a way it did plant seeds for me though, but what really drew me closer to the Lord was the compassion and love that I was shown in my time of need. No matter how much I messed up, there were believers that kept me in prayer and never looked down on me. Instead they loved me and showed me how much they truly care and showed me the way lovingly. That is the balance that I want to have. I also find myself being nervous when im talking to the kids here and telling them what salvation really is and asking if any of them want to know Jesus as thier Lord and Savior. I find myself holding back sometimes or not expounding on it enough because I have a fear that I am being too forceful or that they will just say a prayer and not really mean it or understand what it means. I really want to be bolder in this aspect though. Fear does not come from God, and it is so important that these kids understand who Jesus is and desire to have Him in thier lives.
Application:
Starting today, I will pray for boldness to speak about the Lord . I will also pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my words and help me find that balance of showing compassion, love and how to share about the Lord.
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