How Faith is Simple – Believe and Tell What’s in Your Heart

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Can you imagine asking how to become a follower of Jesus and hearing the follower complicated reply:

“Well . . . first you read the Bible. You DO have a Bible, don’t you? No? Well . . . you need to get one right away! Then, you should definitely receive instruction from a pastor or other church leader because it’s really important that you understand justification, sanctification, and eschatology. Oh, you should get baptized but before that, you need to decide which denomination you want to join.”

Whew!

I hope that made you smile but I’ve been wondering how often that’s what people hear when they hear us talk about Christianity.

Praise God! God’s plan for us is wonderfully simple . . . as near as a person’s heart and lips…

“The message is very close at hand;
    it is on your lips and in your heart.”

If you openly declare 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 openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 

Romans 10:8a, 9–10

Believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and declare (tell) with your lips!

And what if declaring is as simple as telling someone:

“Come and see what the Lord has done.”

Psalm 66:5

Telling them:

• I am a sinner forgiven and saved by Jesus.
• I was sick and now I’m well.
• I was afraid and now I’m strong.
• I was broken and now I’m whole.
• I was addicted and now I’m clean.
• I was forsaken and now I’m found.
• I was __________ and now I’m __________.

All because of Jesus’ sacrificial love and God’s all-sufficient grace and mercy.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to tell people what the Lord has done for us and ask the Holy Spirit to touch lives with the truth of God’s grace.

We are blessed to believe and tell.

And called to pray…

Pray that the Holy Spirit will touch hearts to hear and receive the Good News:

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Romans 10:18

A Prayer to Believe and Tell

Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for making a way for us to experience Your saving grace. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand that Your love is so great, so amazing . . . and You freely give it as a gift. We can’t earn it. We can only receive it with gratitude and love.

Please forgive us for complicating this truth for others . . . for getting in the way of Your promises of love.

Your Word says – You want “everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) You sent Jesus “to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) And Your Word of truth promises, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Please help me believe. By the power of Your Spirit, increase my faith. Please help me declare the truth of who You are and what You’ve done. Help me believe and tell . . . for I was broken and now I’m whole. You are worthy of all my thanks and praise for all my life . . . and then for forever and always. And by Your grace, work in the hearts and minds of everyone with whom I share my story that they might believe and tell the wonder of Your love. Amen.

May you and I faithfully remember that God’s gift is not hard . . . His gift of salvation is as simple as believing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and telling that Good News to others.

May we faithfully pray for each other and for the church at large that we will keep the message of God’s love simple and pray that the truth about Jesus might be received by open hearts.

Because…

God does not make it hard to become a follower of Jesus and neither should we.

On today’s note write:

By God’s grace, I believe; and with the Spirit’s help, I will tell.

May God bless you today with everything you need to believe and tell.

Click here to read the rest of Romans 10.

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