All humans have a spirit, body, and soul. I became accountable and was born of the spirit when I was eight years old. I did that by simply confessing Jesus Christ as Lord of all. There is no other requirement for becoming a son of God. If I had died afterward, my soul would have been saved from Hell. However, dealing with the sin entrenched in my soul (my mind, will, and emotions) was another matter. The salvation of my soul was just beginning and would be a lifelong process. I received the anointing of the Holy Spirit when I was eleven. At age thirteen, I entered the long night of my soul's salvation by believing the lies of Satan instead of God. Unlike my Lord during his forty days in the wilderness, I did not have enough knowledge of the word of God to refute those lies.
The strength of youth and my ability to work hard put enough financial resources in my pocket to survive, but offered little more than the temporary ability to keep my head above water. I could only tread out a futile existence year after year. The truth is, my soul was slowly drowning while I continued to dog-paddle in a sea of wrong choices. With each passing year, the consequences of those bad choices continued to accumulate. New sorrows were added to old ones. The lifeline was near, yet so far away. My problem was one that plagues all born-again believers. Simply put, I would not listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit so that He could direct me one stroke at a time in the direction of my soul's salvation.
How was I ever going to find dry land? Much less, how was I ever going to allow Him to direct me into that path which would lead to God's purpose for my life? As it turned out, that was a lot easier than I realized. Taking the first step wasn't the hard part. All I needed to do was turn and follow the Voice of His Holy Spirit. The hard part was realizing that I needed to follow His voice in the first place. I just couldn't stop trying to figure out things for myself. One day, shortly after my fortieth birthday, in desperation, I walked outside the control room of a large chemical plant, where I worked.
I looked up and said these words from my heart. "God, I do not understand you, but my life is a mess, and I am making an even bigger mess of it, with each passing day. Lord, take my life and make of it what you will. God, I choose to believe in you and your word as the true guide for my life, not those other voices, including my own. I choose to believe every word in the Bible, whether I understand it or not". It was a simple statement, and I meant every word of it. There was no third party to hear what I was saying. It was just a conversation between God and me. With those words, it was as though I had turned on a light. Instantly, I felt a hope for the future, which I had not felt since I started listening to those other voices when I turned thirteen.
Was I faithful to instantly turn every single situation in my life over to The Holy Spirit's direction at that point? Absolutely not! However, God was faithful to do his part. When I strayed, choosing my faulty thinking over His guidance, God was patient. Studying His Word provided me with guideposts that gradually changed my thinking. It also created fresh inspirations in me. Those new thoughts allowed me to begin countering those evil thoughts. That allowed me to make better choices, which increasingly aligned with the word of God. Those choices led to better results in my life. These Holy Spirit-inspired thoughts led me to take "baby steps" at first. They didn't tell me to sell my home and become a missionary to Africa.
I studied the Bible for myself, rather than reading numerous books about what other Christians thought. There are a lot of mixed-up Christians who either believe things that are not in the Bible or don't believe things that are in the Bible. Some of them have large followings. I study the Bible for myself and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in understanding it. Amazingly, as I have grown in the knowledge of God's word, I automatically make better and better choices which allow me to receive more and more peace, healing, wisdom, love, and even greater material blessings, as they are needed to accomplish that next step in my Holy Spirit-guided walk here on earth. Yet, almost every change I needed to make was initially uncomfortable to think about, much less do. However, when I made these changes, the results improved with every step. What I am continuing to experience is available to anyone willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Maybe the reader has never confessed God's Lordship in the first place. That's okay because you can do that now. You can confess Jesus Christ as Lord of all and start receiving his peace of mind at this very moment. (Romans 10:9) It's a choice. God is not going to draw close to you until you draw close to Him (Hebrews 11:6), and the only way to do that is to believe in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is also God. The decision is in your hands. God has already done His part.
In our hearts, we already realize that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent God. However, if one continues to believe the world, rather than what I have just said, then the ability to believe in that truth will diminish. One's circumstances will eventually worsen, no matter how much worldly success is achieved. Today, I am old. I shudder to think where my family and I would be now if I hadn't made the right choice when I did. The world is falling apart. Messengers of this present darkness work overtime to pull others down with them, as they preach lies which are nevertheless very tantalizing. To make matters worse, the world is also strewn with Christian leaders who are deceived into moving away from the truth by compromising God's word. Know this. Jesus Christ has only one church, and that church is built and empowered by a proper knowledge of His word. Yet, many simply refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to grow them in their understanding of God (2 Peter 1:2-8). Worse yet, they are deceived into believing lies. Don't do that. Instead, do this.
Listen to your own heart by first asking God to allow you to hear from your heart. Don't listen to any other voice other than that speaking from your own heart. Here is the way to know that it is your heart talking. Once you get in touch with this "deep inner you" which God's word calls the heart, it will confirm to you that Jesus is who he says he is in the Bible. He is Lord of All. Then God, through His Holy Spirit, will confirm that this is indeed true in your heart. Say it out loud. "Jesus Christ is Lord of All". If that does not feel true to you, then you are listening to the wrong voice. That voice is not coming from your heart. Stop listening to that voice immediately. Better yet, tell that voice to stop speaking to you and leave your mind immediately. If it doesn't stop talking, cry out to God from your heart, and ask Him to make this voice of unbelief leave your mind. Then, confess Christ as Lord again. Continue until you experience a deep sense of peace come over you.
As you take this action with sincerity, you are glorifying God. Glorifying God makes Him more real to you. He is already real, but a heart caught in the spell of unbelief will start to doubt that God is real or if real, that He cares for us. As you acknowledge Him, you also glorify Him, making His reality even more real in your mind. That's very important. Next, if you have not already been born in your spirit, you need to do only one thing to experience the power of God become part of your life. That one thing is to turn the light switch of belief and unbelief to the "on" position. That "on" position begins with the decision to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and confess Him as Lord of all. (John 1:12) (Rom. 10:9) After you have done that one thing, God will start showing you a great many other things, but in each case you must learn to hear His voice more clearly and then believe what He is telling you. He will not force you to do anything which you choose not to do. He speaks through the personality of His Holy Spirit.
If the unbelieving reader has read this far, I can assure you that God is waiting for you to receive this great gift of life and peace. However, don't wait any longer to act on what I have said. The following scriptures tell what will happen if you wait too long. (Rom. 1:19-22 - "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shown it to them. For the invisible things of him (a knowledge of God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Some very famous and influential people have become fools, trading a good life here on earth for an eternity in Hell.
Don't choose to do that. Do this instead. Without any further ado, here's how to begin this incredible journey toward peace, healing, joy, and hope, which will displace the pain and anguish. It's simple. Find a quiet place where you can get in touch with your inner self (your heart). Then, again, I say let your heart guide your wavering mind. Listen to your heart instead of your head, where all your jumbled thoughts are located. Don't follow me, but follow what I have already done years ago. The proof of the validity of my words will come later but not before you choose to confess Jesus Christ as Lord of all. I have my proof. When are you going to allow God to prove Himself to you? (Heb. 3:8-11) (Next Page)