New to Jesus?نموونە

What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus?

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

(Romans 10:9 NIV)

Belief in Jesus is more than just acknowledging that He existed. It means trusting Him with your life; believing that He died for your sins and rose from the dead. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re choosing to follow Him and make Him the leader of your life.

This means laying aside the old ways and patterns of behaving and living, understanding God’ ways through the Bible, and committing to living that way for the rest of your life.

Faith in Jesus is a personal decision to turn from your old ways and live according to His teachings. It's the beginning of a beautiful, new relationship with God.

There is too much in the Bible to unpack in one devotional. It will take a lifetime of reading and study to get to grips with what God requires of His people. But here are a few key elements of believing in Jesus that may be different to the way you lived your life before knowing Him:

1. Time with Him.

Before you met Jesus, I’m sure you didn’t give much thought to setting aside regular time to be with Him. Just as your family and your friends want to spend time with you, know you and be a part of your life, so Jesus is the same. He also wants you to know Him, His ways and be a part of His existence too. We do this by doing just what you are doing now – devoting time to Him! You can do this at any time of day in any way appropriate for you. Time with Jesus usually comprises of prayer (talking to Him and listening for His response) and reading your Bible (His words), but can also involve singing, stillness, quietness and meditation.

2. Worshipping Him.

If I had to guess what may feel the most ‘different’ to a new believer in Jesus, I would guess worship. This is simply because devoting our song and voices to God is not a regular habit of many people who do not know Him! We may worship other things like a sports team, even sing their anthems and raise our voices, but when the same behaviors are applied to God, we can grow a little shy. Friends, the only thing we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself is to worship Him. This, simply put, is singing songs of love and gratitude to Him for all that He is and all that He does for us, His children.

3. Meeting with other followers of Jesus.

This can also be described as Church. Contrary to popular belief, the Church is not the building you enter to meet with Jesus and worship Him with other believers. That is just a pile of bricks. The Church is the people of God gathered together. You are a part of the Church! Each week (typically on a Sunday) the Church gathers to share their faith through worship, prayer and teaching. It is a wonderful expression of faith that enables us all to be together and to share with one another our faith journeys with Jesus.

Jesus,

I believe You are Lord. Help me to grow in my faith and to follow You with my whole heart. I do not want to be a halfway, lukewarm Christian. I want to follow you with my whole being. Help me to do this each and every day.

In Your name,

Amen.