Why would you believe in Jesus…?

Why do you really believe in Jesus…? What is your purpose for it…?

Over the last 4½ years, it has really dawned on me that a lot of Christians have chosen to believe in Jesus by ‘adding Him’ to their daily lives. By giving Him the space they have time for… If there is even time aside from Sunday, which doesn’t make for a very intimate relationship with Jesus. Many don’t have the courage to admit to their faith at work or in their families… Many would like to have ‘the joy’, ‘the healing’, or ‘the freedom’ from Jesus, but they are not ready to sacrifice when it hurts. Many can’t be bothered to prioritize time for fellowship with Jesus – and they don’t understand why they never have their prayers answered or hear from Him….

Did you know that Jesus ALREADY took all depression, all disease, all guilt, and all shame…? But we often carry it ourselves instead of spending time with Him and letting Him carry it for us….

Receiving Jesus Christ with your whole heart doesn’t mean ‘adding Him’ to your life like a new sport, but rather it means FULL surrender to Him… Even though there are a lot of things you don’t understand – in that case it is you TRUST in Him – and ONLY in Him – that will carry you when things get difficult…. But it is extremely difficult to trust in someone you don’t know – and you only come to know Jesus when you CHOOSE to spend time in fellowship with Him. Not time on service or on church or on all kinds of other things… But fellowship and time with.

Did you know that the word of God says that “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31b-32).

Fortunately, God has chosen for us NOT to be slaves. We have been given free will, so we can do precisely what we want…. But it is not everything that is beneficial for us – and certainly everything is not according to the heart of God. So, will you act according to YOUR heart? Or will you act according to the heart of God or according to God’s plan for your life…?

This will probably provoke a lot of people… And a lot of people will feel condemned, but actually Jesus says it Himself :
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37-39

So, I suppose the real question is… What do you really want to accomplish with your faith? Is it just to achieve your own dreams and goals – or is it for the security of going to Heaven? Or is it instead to have a relationship with Jesus and get the WHOLE package of Him, including all the supernatural, the freedom, and the peace – that is, being His disciple… Getting to look like Jesus more and more?

Again… Many believe that you can just sort through the Bible and use only what you need…. But you can’t do that!!! Jesus HAS paid the ransom for YOU on the cross. And His WHOLE word in its totality is the truth. If you remove any of it, you are left with just a half-truth – and when it comes right down to it, a lie and a ‘half-truth’ is the same thing. So if you want to experience God’s freedom and promises fully, then the WHOLE truth is what sets you free…! And you only get to know the whole truth by bothering to read the word of God, having intimate fellowship with Jesus EVERY day, and by obeying Him and His word EVERY time.

Believe in God’s word 100%…. So, for instance, when it says that you are free, then don’t condemn yourself – live as though you ARE free. If it says that Jesus has chosen you… Then live as though YOU ARE chosen, not as though you are unworthy of taking part in fellowship with God. Let the truth prevail, rather than Satan’s lies.

In fact, it says in the word of God…:

Philippians 4:6-8
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

It’s about time that there be more of us who really choose God every day… More who choose to live according to the heart of God, more who DARE to stand by my faith regardless of the consequences… More who ‘take God at His word’… More who are done with the Devil winning the fights in our lives. More who stop with the theological debates and instead just obey Jesus.

REMEMBER! Faith is not a feeling or an emotion – Faith is a CHOICE!

What would YOU like to include in your life? Your own desires or goals? Or God’s plans for your life? For whom will you stand…? To whom will you be accountable? WHO SHOULD BE FOREMOST AND COME FIRST IN YOUR LIFE?

Andreas Slot-Henriksen
26 December 2017

Translated from Danish in 2019
by Lisbeth Agerskov Christensen