Yesterday I shared a series on IG on assurance of salvation. Whenever I talk about this, I get messages from people struggling with constant, nagging anxious thoughts around assurance: Am I really saved? What happens if I sin? Can I sin too much?
I asked those questions too when I was struggling with sexual sin. And the Word of God preaches freedom! We do NOT have to stay in a state of anxiety over our salvation. The gospel offers us the opposite of fear and anxiety – Christ gives us security. But how do we access it?
We access true confidence in salvation through:
the truth of the Word
trusting God's love
praying in our authority.
The first thing to ask when questioning salvation is: “Is what I am thinking/feeling actually TRUE?” Too often we assume our thoughts are reality and rather than check our feelings against what Scripture says about our salvation, we allow ourselves to dwell in mental turmoil.
Turn to the truth.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 2 Tim. 1:12
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Rom. 8:16
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36
Faith is more than just mental belief. It is allegiance to God (see: Matthew Bates). And if you have given your allegiance to Christ, you are in His Spirit, in His family, under His grace. When we measure the assurance of salvation by emotions, we are minimizing what Christ did at the cross. When we measure our salvation by our sins, we are maximizing sin and minimizing Christ's sacrifice (works based salvation).
Either “God so loved the world” (you)… or not. If He loved you, died for you, promised to save you, you must either accept that fully or deny it fully. There is no in-between!
The second step is to trust God's love – to cast yourself fully on the Cross. Many of us mentally believe, but we haven't actually cast ourselves on the love of God, believing Him fully. And because we have not done this, we never fully experience the richness of the Christian life! God's love is deep, thriving, never ending, and full. I experience His Love and favor every day – because I believe what Scripture says, and it says that it is FOR me.
And friend, His Love is FOR YOU. Why else would Jesus die? He wasn't dying for random people. He wasn't dying because He “had to”. He CHOSE to. He was God's plan of salvation because GOD IS LOVE.
And that love is for you. You must choose whether you trust that His word is true and the love is for you, or if you will let the lies and past experiences speak louder than God's Word.
And lastly, pray in your authority. SO often when we struggle with assurance, we pray the lies instead of the truth. Here is what I mean:
“God I feel so alone. God I can't believe you love me. God take away this fear. God I am so anxious.” Certainly we can and should pour out our hearts to God (I do this in my prayer journals) but it should be FOLLOWED by the truth prayed with authority. Pray the truth:
“God, I am your daughter. God, I am loved by you. God, help me trust your affection. God, I am under favor and blessing. God, I am in your family. God, I am assured of your love. God, I am not separated.”
All of this is Scriptural. Pray the truth! Pray with the confidence awarded to you through Christ and watch your life change.
The video series is the “God Loves You” highlight on Instagram. Also I recommend the 1-3 John study in the shop.
Verity Conference Streams This Week!
Verity Conference is THIS weekend. This is the biggest weekend of the year for Every Woman a Theologian.
Rather than traveling to speak as much as I have in the past, I have focused instead of ministering in my own city and state, inviting all of YOU to join us in Petoskey.
This weekend 450 people will be gathering to celebrate Jesus and learn more about Him together! We also have NINE satellite churches and hundreds of individuals watching from their own living rooms.
You can stream the event live with a streaming ticket and you'll also get the recording if you can't watch it all live.
Thrifting Dresses: I've been asked for links to a lot of clothes lately and as always, they are thrifted – so here is what I look for:
I frequent multiple thrift stores about once a month. I'll just stop in when I'm in the area. I also check Ebay and Poshmark for specific styles and deals.
I have very specific types of dresses I like: ruched, puff sleeves, peasant skirts, square neck, etc. I use those terms when searching online and look for those styles when I'm in the store.
I check brands and quality of fabric. I usually avoid polyester and rayon. I look for linen, cotton, and wool. I do make some exceptions!
I try to buy in my colors (I am a “deep winter”) but sometimes I just like a dress regardless of the color and buy it anyway.
My style is what I call “modernized Jane Austen”. So I look for ways to update and layer an outfit so I can wear it across multiple seasons.
David Nevue: You'll never go wrong with his Spotify radio.
CSB Reader's Bibles: I have this set and it's one of my favorite ways to change up my Bible reading. It has no chapter and verse divisions so you read it like you would a novel!
When I wear a more flowy dress I like to wear a more structured earring. My faves are from Mango.
Home is a little different this week since we are preparing for VERITY CONF on Friday and Saturday! We have adjusted our week accordingly.
Our usual margin schedule still applies (assigned themes to days of the week) except for canceling on our extra commitments (soccer, piano, theology class, game nights, discipleship meetings, etc). We still observed a full Sabbath yesterday of church, time with friends and Sunday naps!
We chose simple meals like steak and potatoes, soup, sandwiches for our weekday meals and I hired my friend's cleaning company to clean the house - since we will be working on preparation.
Our team arrives on Wednesday and our volunteers start on Friday morning, so we will be buckling down for packing and set up mid-week!
We have been SO supported in this season and I am so grateful. Friends bringing us meals, offering to watch our kids, volunteering for the conference - it all makes Verity possible. it would not be a possibility apart from the generosity of these individuals.
