The Cost
I heard a great message on the cost of following Christ when we say yes to Jesus. And how with great intentions the first yes for salvation is easy. The repentance part can be confusing if we don’t know what repentance really means.
Repentance doesn’t mean guilt or remorse. It means a “complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection of the future.” Repentance is a process! Guilt, remorse, and shame come when we judge our past. Isaiah 1:16-17 tells us to “Turn from evil, learn to do good”. Which means, doing good is learned behavior, it does not come naturally!!! The pastor said it cost him everything to follow Christ. As I started thinking about what it cost me to follow Christ, I realized how grateful I was that it cost me everything. Because when God shined the light of truth on everything that I attached great value to, I saw just how counterfeit, empty, and pointless it all was. I finally realized that I was a three-dimensional trinity, made in the image of God settling for a two-dimensional, body and sole life experience. I was going around in circles with worldly guidance. Not only did those things have no redeeming value but they
were burdens, heavy weights, that I carried. They placed great limitations on
my life. They were things I needed to be set free from in order to live life to
the full. Freedom means having nothing to hide. I’m just grateful Jesus loved
me enough to give me the Holy Spirit to guide me through my repentance process and
delivering me from those things that had me bound. With our three-dimensional
lives we are able to recognize the miracles God does for us and others on a
daily basis. The more we find out about God through His word the more we will love Him. We must be teachable enough to take the repentance process seriously. The cost of having one foot in the world and one foot in the spirit can be lethal. We have just enough of God in us to be an excellent target for the enemy.