Journal Entry ~ 10/11/19

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:27-28

These promises are precious to me. Your life changes in the moment you give your life to Christ - the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you and you are never the same. It's an unmistakeable moment that begins to define who you are. It is at that moment we begin to hear His voice, and we begin to follow Him. 

I know there are many professed Christians out there, those that say they are believers, but still who do not hear His voice. You hear His voice when you truly give your life to Him - you can't help it, He moves to live inside of you. When I gave my life to Christ, it was through a simple prayer when I was alone, and I didn't really know what I was doing - "I gave in to a God I didn't know."  

But He knew, and He snatched me up into His hand, never to let me go. It’s not like I heard His voice in that moment, or even for quite some time, but slowly, my life began to change because I began to feel His conviction. Early on, it was difficult to discern His voice, but it was clearly in the promptings that would cause me to do things I wouldn't have otherwise done. As I grew in my faith, I began to hear Him in the calming peace I would feel in the midst of a storm. I would hear Him in the voice of other believers in my life. I would hear Him in songs that comforted me and gave me strength. I would hear His voice speak to me when I listened to a message. I would even hear Him in the words that came out of my mouth, surprised at the wisdom or the counseling He would provide. But I most definitely heard Him the loudest and most clearly when I would sit alone with His Word in my lap. As I sought His wisdom in the Words, I would clearly hear His direction. Decisions became easier, heartache became more bearable. 

When we give our lives to Christ, it is evident in the fruit that we bear, in the things that we say or do because we can't help it - the spirit of God is alive in us. We know He dwells in us because we hear His voice and we follow. 

There are those who struggle with thinking they can lose their faith - this verse reminds us that once we are a believer, that cannot happen. He says no one will snatch them out of my hand - no one. It can't happen. 

So why are there stories of people who walk away from their relationship with Christ?  I would challenge whether they truly gave their life to Christ in the first place. Many people think they are believers when they're not - it's still stuck in their head. My husband and my son were in that place for a long time - said they were believers, went through the motions, but the Spirit did not dwell in them because it was only head knowledge at that point. They both knew Scripture well, and would even defend it in a debate, but they did not bear fruit in their lives. 

The moment it becomes heart knowledge is the moment you are saved and no one can ever take you away from Him - that's an unmistakable, memorable moment that changes your life. The spirit of God moves to dwell in you - that doesn't happen in a non-moment. It doesn’t mean you won’t be tempted toward sin in your life - we live in a world full of temptation with an enemy who’s desire is to snatch us away. But that enemy can’t win - he knows it and God knows it. So thankful for these promises this morning.


Press on ~ you are loved 💗m

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