Before I became a believer, I had ideas about God and faith, but most of them were off base. In the three years that I was engaged to Bill, I had time to analyze his life, my life, and the lives of his new friends. I came to some interesting conclusions. For one, I was convinced that the faith Bill and his friends proclaimed was just a temporary phase and would soon pass. In fact, I was staking my future on this hope. Bill demonstrated a total commitment to his faith in Jesus Christ, and his sincerity was alarming to me. Along with the gifts Bill sent me, he also included passages of Scripture for me to read and specific prayer items for me to pray. At the time, I was questioning the depth of my faith and certainly didn’t have confidence in my prayers. When Bill told me about answers to prayer that he had received, I felt even more insecure about my prayer life. Not only did I begin to question my prayer life, but I doubted the validity of my faith.
I was so concerned about the future that I traveled to California for the purpose of helping Bill realize the error of his ways. Bill had given me a beautiful engagement ring at Christmas, and we announced plans for a September wedding. Before I left my dorm, I made a strong commitment to my college best friend that if I couldn’t convince Bill that he was headed down a wrong path, I would come home without my engagement ring. That’s how serious I thought the situation was.
That set up the greatest turning point of my life. How grateful I am to God that He saw me wandering in my confusion and brought me to Dr. Mears, a dear friend of Bill’s. She gently explained to me how to know God personally. That day, I went from existing in darkness to living in light. Why? Because I learned who God really is—a God of love and mercy—and what He had done for me—sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross. I read and reread Romans 10:9-13:
For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They all have the same Lord, who generously gives his riches to all who ask for them. For “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (*The word saved is a traditional expression that an individual has been made right with God and has the assurance of heaven and eternal life.)
Following my discussion with Miss Mears, I realized that the teachings about God that I had learned as a child were not all correct. Those that were wrong (that good works will get a person to heaven, for example) lost their relevance and meaning. A mysterious process was at work in my heart. The Holy Spirit was opening my eyes to God’s truth, and I was learning about God.
What a change was made in my life! I had joy and peace and I saw real answers to prayer. And on a personal level, Bill and I set our wedding date, and I returned home with the diamond ring on my finger and a song in my heart expressing the joy of my faith.
Then, on December 30, 1948, Bill and I were married in Oklahoma.
Beloved sisters in Christ, I must confess that life has never been the same since I received Christ as my Savior. I was a new person!
But I still had old attitudes to change and a lot of learning to do. One advantage I had now, though, was that I had the Holy Spirit in my life to lead, guide, and teach me.
A knowing faith means being open to the Holy Spirit’s teaching all the time. It means seeking God’s will and principles above all else. We cannot do this without focused effort. Having a knowing faith means searching for God’s truth. That should become a part of our lifestyle of Christian living.
If you know God personally, He will help you in this process by showing you where you need to develop your faith.
By Vonette Bright, In His Hands
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