Part two of my Spiritual Journey

 

    I once heard someone say that we are like trees and when we get born-again (the term used to describe someone who is baptized) we are watered with this new water but we still have to work on removing all the bad fruits so that it will not affect the good. After I got baptized, I had the foundation of my faith but I was finding myself backsliding because I still did not have a true relationship with God, which limited God from truly working on me and helping me let go of  my old self. I only knew God religiously, which is what I would call the surface level; I would go to church, pray and sometimes read the bible but it all felt routine and disconnected. I needed something more from God and He needed something more from me, which I later on realized, and what God wanted was my heart. The first commandment is to "love thy God with your whole heart and from your whole soul and your whole mind and your whole strength" (Matthew 12:30); God wanted me to follow Him wholeheartedly and not a lot of us really do, which is why we fall into a disconnected routine. When I started falling in love with God everything became "I want to instead of I have to" and from then on it was easy to have an authentic relationship with Him. 

A lot of us really do not know the heart of God, which is how we fall into religion because we try to put human understanding on what we think we know and focus more on law instead of faith.

"If anyone would come after me let them deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24).

    What does it truly mean to follow Christ? This is one question that I thought I knew but really did not know until last year when God called me to truly surrender my life to Him. One thing that I've learned for sure is that it is not enough to just say "I believe and accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour" and just go on living the life you have been living. You have to forsake your ways and deny yourself. God wants more of us, He calls us to step out from amongst the crowd and not conform to this fallen world, which led me to wondering and asking God how to live in this world and not be apart of it? This question is still an ongoing demonstration/answer for me but one thing I will say is that it consist of us doing things differently, not society's way but God's way, as He calls us to be the light and the salt of the earth. When I say "salt of the earth" it is another way of describing a good person, it's like referring to that ingredient that makes everything good and that good is the good news of the gospel, which is that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we can have everlasting life.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13,14).

    Again, this path is not easy and I am still growing and learning and even struggling; I do not have it all figured out and my relationship with God is a working progress. I know I have a lot more spiritual growing to do. I also know that there will be a lot more trials and tribulations along the way but Jesus said to find peace in Him and to take heart because He has overcome the world (John16:33). As Paul, one of Jesus' disciples, wrote, "let us run with endurance this race before us, looking at Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1). This world has many roads that lead to destruction, find that one that leads to life and when you do make sure you hold on to it as tight as you can and never give up, keep on that path of light and truth. No matter how hard your journey is just remember as long as you have Jesus you will not fail and if you do stumble He will be there to pick you up and encourage you to keep going.