There are many churches that only teach you how to become a better you but they neglect to teach you that you have to die to yourself and allow God to make all things new in you in order for that to happen.
I'm going to step on toes here and I'm okay with that because you see, Jesus died so we could be reconciled back to Him at the end of this life. Without Him, we are bound for hell for all eternity after this life on earth. If we say we love Jesus and if we say we are living for Jesus there will be a repentance and a turning away from sin will be evident in our lives.
You cannot cannot cannot say you are a true believer in Christ and continue to live the same life you were living before you repented and asked Jesus to come into your life because you see.. once Jesus comes in, He cleans house! I'm going to say this boldly.. If your life didn't change, you don't have Jesus..period!
Maybe you got saved in what I call a feel good moment. Friends if that is the case, you need to check yourself and your walk because nothing changes if Nothing Changes. If nothing took root and there's not been a significant change with a walking away from your sinful nature, you need to go back to the foot of the cross and repent first and then make a conscious decision to allow God to mold you into the man or woman He desires you to be, daily.
Daily is a crucial word here because we must die to ourselves daily. We must crucify the thoughts and actions of our flesh daily. We cannot live the same life as we did before, after coming to Jesus. Yes, we are to come as we are, but we are not to stay as we are.
With Jesus there is transformation! There is a renewing of our mind and our heart because the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Friends, let me share something real important with you.. The Holy Spirit is your helper. He is sent by your Father in heaven to be your guide and He will never steer you down the wrong path and He will never go against the Word of God.
Friends, if you are in a church or watching a pastor online and he or she tells you to come as you are and that Jesus will meet you right where you are BUT they don't tell you that you have to lay down your life through repentance, which begins with asking for forgiveness of your sins and making the decision to turn away from those sins and sinful behavior, and leads to inviting Jesus in to be the Lord over your life, through prayer, and then taking it a step further with teaching you how to crucify your flesh daily, that's not the pastor you should be listening to and it's not who you should be following for a Christ like example.
When you sell out to Jesus, your life is no longer your own. Your desires are no longer your own. Your thoughts will be guided by the Holy Spirit and when this happens, there will be a real and evident change in your life and Everyone you meet will see that change in you. Your desires will change. Your words will change. Your actions will change. Everything about you now becomes all about Him and once you come to know Him and love Him, you will have a desire to follow Him and do things His way and you will have a desire to tell others all about the One who saved you and changed your life.
So I ask you now to take a real good look at yourself and ask yourself this very important question..
Has there been a life altering change in my life since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior? If Jesus is your Savior, that means He came in and started cleaning you up.. He saved you from sin and essentially from yourself.
If your life didn't change, it beckons you to ask yourself the next question.. was I truly repentive of my sins when I asked Jesus into my heart? Did I turn away from my sinful nature? Friends if the answer is no, please search your heart. There's still time to get right with Jesus. You can come to him now, no matter where you are at this moment. It begins with a sincere prayer of repentance and believing that Jesus died for your sins so that you can have eternal life and then it requires you to dive into the Word of God to find out who He is and learn how He can help you stay on the path of righteousness. Once you begin to allow Jesus and His love to overtake you and to take root in your life, you now belong to Him. Please read Romans 12:2
Friends, Jesus is the only way and through Him there is Salvation but that only comes when we ask for forgiveness and then allow Jesus that place in our lives that can only be filled by Him. Jesus makes all things new.
Maybe you feel you've been running for far too long and doing things wrong for far too long and that you can't or won't be accepted. Well let me reassure you that Jesus is just waiting on you to come back to Him. You were His in the beginning but then sin crept in and we were all tainted. That's why Jesus went to the cross and willingly gave up His life for you. You are worth it to Jesus and His ultimate desire is for you to come to Him and allow Him to change you into the man or woman He desires for you to be. As long as you have breath in your body, it's never too late for you to come back to your first love, and that love is Jesus!
