The heart of me.

This one is the mother of all motherloads because it is the salvation message.

At the real heart of who I am is a God who saved me and gave me a reason to live in the first place.

What does being saved mean to you?
What are you saved from?

A long while back I wrote a post about the difference between salvation and sanctification, according to how I understood it in my own life. "Salvation", being a time back when I was five years old, when I accepted that God was who He said He was and all that it entailed, and "sanctification", being the process I have been on ever since. This is what I believe in, and this is large part of what makes up the heart of who I am. Though it is very general, and does not give any specifics, this is my testimony. Read on for more details if you are interested...

I wanted to make a really cool (or what I thought would be cool) illustration, and I just couldn't muster it up...so here's my second best option for making the point I want to make.... (great set-up, I know)...

YOU-GOD

YOU-SIN-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-JUSTIFICATION FOR SIN-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-JUSTIFICATION FOR SIN-REALLY UGLY THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOURSELF DOING-GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-JUSTIFICATION FOR SIN-REALLY UGLY THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOURSELF DOING-GUILT AND SHAME- GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-JUSTIFICATION FOR SIN-REALLY UGLY THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOURSELF DOING-GUILT AND SHAME- HURT, PAIN, DISAPPOINTMENT- GOD

YOU-SIN-SIN TO COVER UP PAST SIN-NEW SIN-DEEPER SIN-JUSTIFICATION FOR SIN-REALLY UGLY THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOURSELF DOING-GUILT AND SHAME- HURT, PAIN, DISAPPOINTMENT- GOD

YOU-FORGIVENESS-CLEAN SLATE-HOPE FOR THE FUTURE-GOD

YOU-GOD


THE BAD NEWS ABOUT SIN FOR THE UNBELIEVER.
The bad news is that your sin separates you from God and all the blessings he has for you. The road that leads us to indulge in our sinful nature is the road that leads to death. Period. If you are human, you are a sinner. There is no way around that, and the sin that separates you from God is the one that keeps you from getting into Heaven. Heaven is perfect, so sin can't exist there, so YOU can't be there...unless, of course, someone perfect pays the price, and offers themselves as a sacrifice for you.

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT SALVATION.
Salvation is the process of being saved. If you pray the prayer asking for forgiveness, acknowledging that God is who He says He is and that He died on the cross for your sins, asking God to take away your sin, then YOU are saved by the power of Christ that is in you. Salvation really is that simple. It really is just a moment of declaration that God is THE God of your life, and accepting that He calls you to be with Him. With salvation, there is immediate freedom in knowing that our sins are forgiven. The cleansing of our souls is rejuvenating and energizing. Awesome, one time experience. If you have not accepted Jesus into your heart yet, or if you want to learn more about what that is about salvation and how to be saved, you can click here.

WHAT IS SANCTIFICATION?
Sanctification is something different. Sanctification is a process. Where Salvation is a solitary act that wipes away all of the sin from our past and becomes the bridge that gets you into Heaven when you die, sanctification is a process that continues on for the rest of your life here on earth until you are in Heaven.

Unfortunately, we are still human, and we are still drawn to worldly things. We let our guard down. We forget what God told us was important. Temptation comes in front of us again and we fall into a trap of sin we never intended to fall into. We're not perfect, but with God in our hearts, we can be made perfect. Sanctification is the process of being made more and more into the likeness of God until the day we are made perfect in Heaven. God wants you to be close to Him, so He will continue nudging you and drawing you closer to Him. His spirit convicts you when you go off course, and you can ALWAYS come back at ANY time, ask for forgiveness, and get a clean slate again.

THE BAD NEWS ABOUT SIN FOR THE PERSON WHO IS STRIVING TO LIVE FOR GOD.
If you decide to let things come between you and God, (sin) you will find yourself feeling off. Where is that hope I once had?? All sins start with a wrong thought left unchecked. If you ignore that still, small voice telling you to bolt in the other direction, entertaining thoughts of how fun, satisfying, or liberating indulging your sinful nature would be, you are setting yourself up for making a bad choice. Every sin has a consequence. We still have to deal with the consequences of sin here on earth, whether we choose to acknowledge that we are sinning or not. If we allow sin to creep into our life, little by little Satan gets a stronghold over us until we don't know how to get back to where we were. We feel lost. God's will won't seem clear anymore. It will be very hard to discern where God is at work in your life and around you. You'll start to doubt God because you won't be able to see Him. If someone asks you where God is at work it will seem foggy. Your prayers will seem strained, at best. You'll miss out on the blessings that come with obedience to God. Satan is a thief and a liar.

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:9-10

Satan's attacks on you are inevitable. Temptation is going to be in your life at some point, but you do not have to act on the sin just because a temptation came to your sweet little mind. Satan is the thief that steels your joy, and zest for life. Don't fall into his trap.

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING, AND WANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT ACCORDING TO GOD.
When you catch yourself coming off the path that leads you closer to God, stop yourself, ask for forgiveness and get yourself distracted with what God has for you. Make a choice to run from the appeal of the sin. Find an accountability partner...someone you trust who will hold you to the standard God asks of you. Check out the post after this one if you feel you are weak in standing up to the lure of sin in your life. It's verse after verse of what God has to say about how you can avoid sin in your life. You have the power of God on your side. You can be more than a conqueror when you seek God, and tap into the power He provides.

In the words of Susie Larson, "Be strong and last long! God is the one who will keep you strong to the end."

God bless.