What a wonderful experience it has been for me to be able to share with you some thoughts and encouraging words that came to me regarding “Assurance of Salvation!” I have included below all 10 of the “clues” that we discussed in this series. I have also included the main thought as well as the central verse(s) that I used in creating the devotion.
Quick Links to each lesson: Week 1 (Items 1-2), Week 2 (Items 3-4), Week 3 (Items 5-6), Week 4 ( Items 7-8), Week 5 (Items 9-10)
1: Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:10-17) Because we know that the forces of evil are constantly at war with us in the heavenly realms. You see, the devil has no reason to make non-believers question if they are saved, because he already has them. But he does not have you my fellow believer, so he uses every trick and lie he knows to keep you from obeying God and growing in Him. If the devil is making you truly question your salvation, that’s a sign you are saved.
2: Scripture Assures Us! (2 Timothy 3:16-17) As spiritual attacks challenge us in our lives, we need to remember that God’s Word is our source and we can count on it to be true! We have an inheritance which is imperishable, we know “nothing can separate us“, we are “safe in God’s hands“, and as believers we are “born of God“.
3: The Holy Spirit’s Ministry (1 John 4:13) As a believer, you know who the Holy Spirit is and many things about Him. As we look together into how He works in our lives, we will see 5 evidences of how His ministry assures us of our salvation.
4: Answered Prayer (James 5:16) It has been answered by evangelists and pastors for years when asked if God answered prayers, that He answers either “yes”, “no”, or “not now”. Whatever the answer to your prayer is, you got an answer to your prayer! So as we ponder answers to our prayers, let’s start with where our heart is when first approaching God with our request. Remembering at all times that God is faithful to His word.
5: Obeying and Loving God’s Word (Psalm 119) In both the old and new testaments, we see how Obeying God’s Word is our source for instruction and guidance. We need only to make a stop in Psalm 119 to find wonderful references to Loving God’s Word and the benefits it gives us in our lives. As we study these passages, we begin to understand how it correlates to knowing that we are saved. (Ref: Psalm 119:1-11, 14-16, 24, 35, 47-48, 70, 72, 77, 92, 103, 167, 143, 174)
6: Knowing the Truth (John 14:6) A strong desire to love and obey God’s word, knowing the truth of His words, and being able to apply them to your life are clear indications that God has saved you and you can be secure in your relationship with Him!
7: Hating sin and doing it less (Psalm 97:10) If we are growing in our faith we will begin to hate the sin that we commit and will abhor doing it. 1“A believer should see a decreasing pattern of sin in their lives, it means that his faith is genuine”. We will immediately confess our sins and He will forgive us!
1Dr John MacArthur, Strength for Today Devotional
8: Loving other Christians (1 Peter 1:22) Our lives should be the very example of love for each other as Christ loved us. The world sees our desire to love God and each other and they know whose we are. We are always being watched by unbelievers and they are looking for ways to discredit us. But if they see us caring for each other by the kindnesses we show each other and how we are unified in Christ, some may be persuaded to want to come and join us.
9: Conviction and Punishment for sin (John 16:3a, Revelation 3:19) We are convicted of sin through the Holy Spirit who lives within all believers. One of the many roles that He has is showing us right from wrong, and if we do wrong (sin) we are guided to the right way. There are plentiful scriptures about how and why God punishes those whom are His children, but Christ clearly tells us that He chastises those He loves and that we are to “enthusiastically” repent.
10: Looking forward to Christ’s return and spending eternity with Him (Philipians 3:20) We are reminded that our citizenship is in Heaven and we eagerly wait for the savior, Jesus Christ and His return to take His people home! My pastor once said: “As Christians on this earth, this is the closest to hell that we will ever be as our eternal home is in Heaven with Jesus.”
As I have reviewed these clues that I believe are based upon scripture and much prayer, I have determined that they point to our HOPE in Jesus. Without Him, we have no hope, no future, and no reason to look for what is to come. It is no wonder that we see so much despair in the world these days. They have no hope, and their focus is on the world and all that it can bring, and not on the one who MADE the world and can give them eternal life!
As you review this devotion, take time and ask God how you can share His Love and the bright hope for the future! Thank you for sharing part of your life with me in this study! I look forward to what lies ahead, and I know that what lies ahead in Christ is better than I can even imagine.
Agape’ Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
J Mike Wills 