116. ARE YOU REALLY SAVED? HERE ARE SOME INDICATORS

(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 2)

So, you made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with your lips but there are times you still wonder, am I really saved or not?

To help you answer this question as you seek to examine whether you are truly born again into God’s divine family, I have listed some indicators, that a person is truly indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God and therefore has enduring faith which will stand the test of time because that person has truly accepted Jesus Christ from a heart that genuinely believes in his resurrection and has thereafter confessed with his mouth that he (Jesus) is Lord.

If you are a genuine, bona-fide, Christian (Believer), then:

ONE – You don’t just pray/speak to God. He speaks to you and you hear his voice (although not audibly).

TWO – You have prayed for things and so far, you have gotten some of them (although not all).

THREE – There are times you have achieved great feats beyond your own human strength and ability and then stood back in amazement, wondering how in the world it got done.

FOUR – You are growing in your knowledge of Jesus and his character, as time progresses. What you have learned about him and his ways is more than when you first made a profession of faith and it continues to grow with time.

FIVE – You value your relationship with Jesus over and above everything and everyone else. If you had to give up everything for him, you would.

SIX – When you disobey him and insist on doing your own thing, he chastens you, sometimes mildly, sometimes painfully. You can’t seem to get away with anything!

SEVEN – Since you’ve become a Christian, you’ve lost some friends and maybe even some family members.

EIGHT – You have no regrets in giving your life to Christ and you feel the urge to tell people about him.

NINE – When you look back on your life, you realize that some of your bad habits and weaknesses have dropped off and as you move on, you realize that the way you think is changing and you are becoming more and more like Jesus everyday.

TEN – There are days when you feel hated, like somebody commissioned an all out attack against you.

ELEVEN – You have realized that you have at least one spiritual gift as identified in the Bible (This is not the same as having a talent).

TWELVE – You feel the need to use your gift and talents to further God’s kingdom and you have found ways to do so.

THIRTEEN – When you do wrong, something inside keeps nagging at you and makes you feel really bad, until you confess and repent of it to God and forsake it.

FOURTEEN – You feel sad and disappointed in yourself, whenever you do something that you know hurts God and you have a desire to please him in everything you do, say and think.

FIFTEEN – You are far from perfect but you still feel the need to strive for perfection of character.

SIXTEEN – As time progresses, you are feeling more and more like a foreigner on earth, as if you don’t fit in or belong here.

SEVENTEEN – You have experienced some really good things happening in your life which you did not bring about for yourself, as if someone at a higher level which you cannot see, is orchestrating things and opening doors on your behalf.

EIGHTEEN – You have developed an appetite for God’s word, for singing and making melody in your heart with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs and you pray often.

NINETEEN – Even when the day is going horribly and you experience sadness, you still feel this unexplained, unshakable joy inside and sometimes, you even find yourself singing praises to God through your trials.

TWENTY – You have experienced feeling completely at peace, in the midst of storms, as if you were being held and strengthened through all of it.

TWENTY-ONE – As time progresses, you feel more respectable and dignified as a human being than you ever did before and you know that you are someone of worth.

TWENTY-TWO – As time progresses, you desire to live more at peace with everybody and to avoid drama and trouble.

TWENTY-THREE – There are things which may not be open to the natural eye and which others may be blinded to but you are somehow able to discern the truth about those situations.

TWENTY-FOUR – Sometimes you feel like you are being given instructions to go somewhere or do something that you may not want to go or do but you feel that you must.

TWENTY-FIVE – Since coming to Christ, you have lost some things you did not wish to lose but you have gained some things you never expected to gain.

TWENTY-SIX – You have experienced feeling down and out and tired and then, after praying, feeling as if your strength was renewed.

TWENTY-SEVEN – There are times when scriptures that you read are brought back to your recollection, just when you need to make a decision or feel tempted to do wrong or have need of them.

TWENTY-EIGHT – You have experienced a Preacher speaking and feeling weird because what he said applied directly to you or you were convinced that he was referring to you or knew something about what you were going through or what you were up to.

TWENTY-NINE – As tough as you have been, since you accepted Jesus, you have shed some tears when praying to him or reading his Word the Bible or hearing him being preached or listening to a christian song or singing it yourself.

THIRTY – People have begun to see something different in you and have even told you so.

The above list of indicators are by no means exhaustive. There are other indicators and you may find that you did not answer “yes” to all thirty of the factors listed above. However, after going through the list, if you are honest with yourself, you should have a better idea of where you stand, whether in Christ or still in the world.

I will suggest that if you are still not settled in your mind as to what you are and to who you belong, that you go to Jesus humbly in prayer and be honest about how you feel. Ask him to settle the issue in your mind once and for all, to remove all doubt and to give you his peace, if you are truly saved. Ask that he direct you to Bible verses you can meditate upon if they apply to you and spend time in God’s Word. All the answers to your problems are contained in those sacred pages and if you are saved, God will direct you to the right verses that you can use to reassure yourself in the truth.

When you pray, ask God to remove all deception and delusion (including self-deception) from your eyes and that if you have thought that you are saved but are not, that he impress this upon your heart and mind, so you can see yourself and your condition truly, as he sees you.

On the whole, ask him for wisdom as to how to treat with your issue and if it is you realize that you were never truly saved, the opportunity is still available because you are in the land of the living. Be sure to make your calling and election sure. Romans 10:9-13 makes it clear:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the MOUTH confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, WHOSOEVER believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you are truly saved and therefore part of the body of Christ, I pray that God will give you a peace which will pass all understanding and that the devil will no longer be able to inject doubt into your mind, to try to derail your purpose. If however, you are not really saved but have been deluding yourself into thinking you are simply because you made a profession with your lips, then I pray that God in his mercy, will not give you a moment’s peace but will bring conviction to your soul, until you believe on Jesus’ resurrection from your HEART and truly surrender your life to his Lordship.

(Written on 23rd July, 2017, added to thereafter)

Dear Reader, if you found the above Article useful, informative, interesting, beneficial or edifying, then you may also be interested in reading the following:

Note 31 – ‘The Blood Of Jesus Gives Spiritual Life’
Note 167 – ‘Do You Have Imitation Faith Or Enduring Faith?’
Note 178 – ‘Are You Truly Saved? – Eight (8) Biblical Indicators To Examine Whether You Are In The Faith’
Note 76 – ‘Let Us Be Honest – What Do You Really Believe?’
Note 78 – ‘When The Enemy Tries To Make You Doubt Your Salvation’
Note 166 – ‘Are You Serving The Real Jesus?’