When my son was younger, we wanted him to learn how to swim and feel more comfortable in the water. I remember being at the pool with him one day. He was standing on the edge, and I was in the water. I said, “Caleb, now jump in. I’ll catch you.”
At that point, my son had to make a choice. Did he trust me? Did he believe me? Would he put his belief into action?
You see, when it comes to salvation, to your getting into heaven, confessing your sins and asking Jesus into your heart is not enough. You have to believe. You can stand on the side of a pool confessing that you daddy will catch you and that you trust him, but if you never jump, then your words mean nothing. You have to believe.
Romans 10:9-10 confirms “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Fear is very similar. You can speak those courageous words like…
- “I will trust you, God, to take care of me.”
- “I will get in my car and drive.”
- “I will take the elevator today.”
- “I will not let fear take control of my life.”
- “I will get on that airplane.”
But, if you never put any action to those words, then fear will rule and reign in your life. You must believe that God will take care of you and that he will strengthen you.
“Russell,” you may say, “I don’t know how to believe.”
I understand. For the longest time, I waited and waited for my faith to be strong so that I could overcome this fear. But, my thinking was wrong. I kept waiting for my feelings to change, but faith and feelings are totally different. Feelings are based on how you feel. Faith is based on what is true. These can be very different.
My son stood at the side of that pool when he had a choice to make. He felt fear. But, he trusted his daddy. His feelings said, “Don’t jump. You might get hurt.” His faith said, “Jump. Your daddy will catch you.”
With salvation, you can confess your sins and pray for Jesus to come into your heart, but then you must believe that God, your Daddy, will do what he said he would do. That’s faith! It doesn’t matter how you feel about it. In fact, there will be many times you feel just the opposite, but your feelings don’t change God’s faithfulness.
Prayer: Father, today, I confess to you the things that I’ve done wrong. I admit that they are sin, and I receive Jesus Christ into my heart. And today, I choose to believe with all of my heart that I am now a child of God, destined for eternity with you. I will not listen to my confusing feelings, but rather, I choose to listen to your promises. I receive by faith all that you have for me. Give me the strength and courage to trust you in these fearful situations. I ask these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
