SALVATION PLAN I

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

From the beginning, the work of God towards mankind has always been salvation. His Plan towards mankind was for them to have a good life. Even when man sinned, God wanted to take him back to the original plan of having a direct relationship with him. God has always made plans in all generations to save his people.

In our generation, people are consumed by need and lack in their day to day lives. Lack is most times attributed to failure by government to put in place plans, programs and policies to counteract or respond to people’s needs. It’s true that the government has to cater for its masses, however, as Christians, we shouldn’t fail to recognize the fact that we are in the latter days where need and lack will constantly increase! 2 Timothy 3:1-2(TLB) warns;

“You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad.

However, despite all the difficult times that we were warned about in the latter days, we are not first generation to live, whatever happened in the past generations happened to serve as an example and warning to us. 1 Corinthians 10:11(TLB) says; “All these things happened to them as examples—as object lessons to us—to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them in these last days as the world nears its end.” God has as always had a plan for his people who are called according to his name.

Problems may increase, need and lack may increase but Jesus has overcome (John 16:33) and we too shall overcome. Below are some pictures God painted to show the Salvation plan towards his children amidst problems;

1. THE BRONZE SNAKES

The bible says that after God had taken the children of Israel out of Egypt, they began complaining about him and Moses, he therefore sent poisonous snakes to them but he also provided a way to save them
Numbers 21:5-9 (TLB)

“They began to murmur against God and to complain against Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they whined. “There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink, and we hate this insipid manna.” 6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them to punish them, and many of them were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Pray to him to take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a bronze replica of one of these snakes and attach it to the top of a pole; anyone who is bitten shall live if he simply looks at it!” 9 So Moses made the replica, and whenever anyone who had been bitten looked at the bronze snake, he recovered!

God relented and instead sent them healing. Every person who looked upon the tree was saved - God was painting a picture in the Old Testament of what he will do in the New Testament. It was a picture a revelation of the salvation plan God had towards man in the future. It was picture showing Jesus’s life at the cross; for he became a curse so that we can become a blessing.

2. THE SIX CITIES OF REFUGE

These were places of protection for the children of God. In case one committed a crime in error; they would run to one of the cities and be saved.  After entering one of God’s cities of refuge, as much as other people would see a sinner, God would see a person who needs redemption. It was one of God’s plans for creating salvation for his children
Numbers 35:9-14(NLT) 

“The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. "When you cross the Jordan into the land of the Canaan, 11 designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally. 12 These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community. 13 Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves, 14 three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan. 15 These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.”

3. SALVATION SPECIFIC TO THE JEWS IN GOSHEN

The problems (hailstones) that afflicted the Egyptians did not extend to Goshen where the Israelites lived. God set apart Goshen, and the animals and crops of Jews in that area were not destroyed – This means that amidst problems as others are suffering, God will spare and protect you (Psalms 91:5-7)

Exodus 9:13-26 (NLT)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 14 If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth…………….22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. 24 Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning. 25 It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field—people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. 26 The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.” 

4. NOAH'S ARK 

In a rotten generation, God decided to destroy all living things of the earth, but amidst all the plans of destruction, God had a plan save his favored people – Noah and his family. He gave Noah specific instructions of how the Ark’s interior should look like and its content - the animals and the food that should be carried into it. 
Genesis 6:1-22(NLT)

“Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! 14 “Build a large boat [Ark] from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior..………………. 17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.”  

God always has a salvation plan for his people that are called by his name – He already knows the problem you will face and how he will save you from them! The water that destroyed the wicked people and all other creatures is the same water that gave life to everyone and everything that was in the ark. Every time the water rose higher, all creatures on the outside perished but the ark rose above the water and the people and creatures in it lived.

Genesis 7:17-24 (NLT)
“For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth,20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.”

The problems killing and destroying others will not touch you as long as you are in the ark – Salvation: Where others are fail, you will succeed. The very problems all other people face will be your stepping stone to greatness; however, there is one thing that we should take note as Christians, the type of tree from which the ark was made was one - God told Noah to make the ark using a cypress tree; implying that, salvation we entered into is supposed to be of one kind, we are not supposed to have factions in salvation; we are not supposed to be followers of individuals but of Christ who is the core of our salvation

God has a plan for us; we should have faith in him to bring us through because his plans always come to fruition. However, the qualification for entering into the salvation plan is for you to be a ‘child of God’.

God always has a plan to save his own!

FROM THE HEART

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT)

“But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

God respects and values that which springs from the heart; when your heart doesn’t speak, God will not hear what you are saying – any communication to Him has to originate from the Heart. Many people have not received answers to their prayers because they don't emanate from the heart - a prayer from the heart is very effective, but anything you speak that does not come from the heart will go unanswered. As the scripture says in Jeremiah 17:10 above. 

As you pray, God examines your heart to assess the authenticity of your words and motive. When you give or minister and your actions are not triggered by your heart, you will have done so in vain, but if what you do is heart-induced, then God will surely bless you. If you want to see success or blessings in your life, do things that spring from your heart not emotions or mindset. Whenever you have your heart set towards something, you will get positive results; therefore you have got to train yourself to do everything with your heart. Sometimes we question God as to why we are not seeing results or success; but we need to ask ourselves if we do put our hearts in whatever we are doing or whether those unsuccessful ventures originated from the heart. Most people do things in partiality – for the sake of doing them or to please other people, but whenever there is a bias, you will never succeed. You will only achieve excellence when you do things wholeheartedly.

God’s desire is to bless us so that we are transformed and also bring about change in the world, but we can only bring about change if we do things authentically and wholeheartedly. God is perfect and so is everything He does. James 1:17 (GNT) acknowledges this; 

“Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator…..” 

Since every good and perfect gift comes from above, the imperfect comes from earth, so we sons and daughters of the most high God can do perfect things as well because perfection comes from the heart where God Himself dwells. Jesus said in John 14:23 (TLB) - “I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we come to them and live with them.”  

Heart Service

Just as you wholeheartedly do your personal things, you should also do the same when it comes to things concerning your Creator; God is looking for sons and daughters who yearn to serve Him wholeheartedly - in spirit and in truth. We cling to God because we want Him to manifest in our lives, however God cannot manifest in things that are imperfect – not heart initiatives; so do everything with your heart, whether chores, work, ministry or prayer; let whatever you do be done wholeheartedly because that exhibits God. Your heart is larger than heaven and earth. God clearly states in Isaiah 66:1 (NKJV) that; “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” 

Your heart is large enough to accommodate God - He sits in heaven with earth as his footstool, yet he is able to fit in your heart. Trust your heart because in it there is your life’s purpose and direction, and out of it springs the core issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 (MSG) warns; “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.” 

You can do something fundamental in life and kingdom of God only if you dig deep into your heart. Do things wholeheartedly and flow from the heart.

Uniqueness starts from the heart!

REMEMBRANCE

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Deuteronomy 8:7-14 (GNT)

“The Lord your God is bringing you into a fertile land—a land that has rivers and springs, and underground streams gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land that produces wheat and barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey. 9 There you will never go hungry or ever be in need. Its rocks have iron in them, and from its hills you can mine copper. 10 You will have all you want to eat, and you will give thanks to the Lord your God for the fertile land that he has given you. 11 “Make certain that you do not forget the Lord your God; do not fail to obey any of his laws that I am giving you today. 12 When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in 13 and when your cattle and sheep, your silver and gold, and all your other possessions have increased, 14 be sure that you do not become proud and forget the Lord your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.”

Ever since we accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, there is a lot each one of us has experienced that we did not expect. Salvation is a relationship with God who makes us what we are – blessed and prosperous because He is Mighty; and gifts us with the Holy Spirit who helps us to walk rightfully with Jesus even when we get weary. This unfathomable love and abundant blessing is summed up in the scriptures above.

God told the Israelites while in the wilderness that He was taking them to a good land. Deuteronomy 8:7-8 (NKJV) says; “ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.”   So before they reached this land, He gave them a preview of the land into which they were going - before God takes you into your blessing, before you begin your journey, He will reveal to you the end. Isaiah 46:10 (GW) says; “From the beginning I revealed the end. From long ago I told you things that had not happened …….”

The Israelites were in a desert when the Lord made this promise to them. It is difficult to believe that the Lord is taking you to a land of opportunities when you are going through difficult times, but it’s in such moments that we need to doubt our doubts and believe God’s word. All those promises mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:9 (NKJV) are ours; “a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper.” There is a world God is going to make for you. He is going to remove all the deficient circumstances that cause you to grumble and replace them with an abundant life filled with goodness and mercy. God is saying that He is going to take you to a land where you will have no scarcity; where you will lack nothing; for He has good plans for you, plans to prosper you and make you a blessing through the promises in the bible. One thing we need to do when life is good and rosy is to choose to remember the God who made it possible.

When you remember, you will be thankful; you need to beware of the mystery of thanksgiving because pride can fill you up and you forget the Lord who made it all possible - the devil can rob you of the spirit of thankfulness and you forget that it was God who did that particular thing for you - in such a scenario you will take the credit for whatever has happened, sidelining God and exalting yourself. A grateful person is one who does not forget. If you take a flashback of what God has done in your life, you will be grateful; but to most people, that sense of gratefulness has been stolen from them by the devil. One of the reasons why we do not remember is ungratefulness - whenever you are grateful you remember and, even become decorous. It is important to remember all those who influenced you to be who you are; and for you to go before God in thanksgiving is a sign that you remember and are grateful for what He has done in your life. Before Jesus died, He told his disciples in Matthew 26:32 (AMP) that; “But after I am raised [to life], I will go ahead of you [leading the way] to Galilee.” In Galilee there was anointing that made Jesus and thus He wanted His disciples to go there so that the same anointing that made Him would also work on them. He did not forget about Galilee much as he was born in Bethlehem because His ministry originated from the former. Always remember to return to the anointed place that made you.

When do we forget? When we are full; when we have crossed over; when we have got our hearts’ desires; when we are in our harvest. Deuteronomy 8:12-13 (NKJV) lists the moments we become forgetful; “when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied”

When you are in a season of abundance, you can easily forget. There is a time for increase and multiplication. But when you get to this season, do not forget the Lord; do not allow you heart to be lifted up lest you forget and become ungrateful.

Children appreciate your parents; partners appreciate each other. Love those who have influenced you to be what you have become, but in all, do not forget to return to the Lord with thanksgiving. As we approach the festive season – a season of love and thanksgiving, endeavor to remember and appreciate those who have done transformational work in your life.

Remember and be grateful 

MY SPIRIT, MY RESPONSIBILTY

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Whenever you go to church for fellowship, you are like a vehicle that has been taken for servicing; your spirit and mind are serviced and your entire life is renewed by the word taught! When you hear a word from heaven – throne word, you develop spiritual strength; and whenever your spirit is reinforced, you will be able to overcome temptations and all other troubling things the world throws at you. The temptations are vast and they are always targeting to ensure that you do not become what God purposed you to be. Just as one eats food and develops physical strength, when you come to church and hear the word of God, you develop spiritual strength which enables you to overcome the plots of the devil – the word of God is the spiritual food you need to eat daily not occasionally lest your spirit become malnourished.

Developing your spiritual strength can lead you to do spiritual works but it requires you to become Born Again first. Nicodemus asked how one can become Born Again in John 3: 4-6 (TLB) “…..What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again? 5 Jesus replied, ‘what I am telling you earnestly is this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven”

The physical things are of the flesh and that which is born of the Holy Spirit is Born Again, and thus must be fed by spiritual food in order to grow. Just as we have responsibility in the flesh, we must also have spiritual responsibility because there is a spiritual world – where we came from and where we shall dwell in eternity. You are flesh, but you dwell in the spiritual world at the same time and there are responsibilities that must be executed. The evil spirits we combat are in the spiritual world, the angels who minister to us are in the spiritual world too; all your prayers traverse through the spiritual realm, so you have responsibility in the spiritual realm and because of that, you must be active in the spiritual - your spirit must be healthy. When you partake of spiritual food, you assume spiritual strength and that’s taking responsibility of your spiritual life.

Our spirits are weakened because we neither feed them with the word nor do we cultivate them spiritually by fasting. Most of the problems we encounter are spiritual, hence the strength we need comes only from spiritual food. Your spirit operates in the spiritual world and that is reason enough for you to ensure that it is well nourished by the word of God – His word is bread form heaven that nourishes your spirit. Jesus said in John 6:63 (GNT) that; “What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.” The word of God contains nutrients which charge your spirit making you able to stand in the spiritual world and combat the evil spirits. 

Though you are born again and eloquent with all the truths but have a weak inner man - spirit, you will be overcome by the evil spirits, however, for you to overcome, you have got to be in the presence of God. The radiance of heavenly angels is received from the presence of God and the more they dwell in His presence, the more radiant they become, so you constantly being in the presence of God charges your spirit causing you to become more radiant as well. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 (NLT) “You are the light of the world…..” In the physical world you cannot see a person shine so bright, but in the spiritual realm, you can – one who is spiritually healthy appears as bright as a star. Being away from the presence of God causes your brightness to fade gradually and darkness takes over, and in that state your inner man - spirit is very weak and cannot combat the rulers of the darkness of this age.

We draw our power from the presence of God through fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Whenever you receive a word from the mouth of God - throne word,  it comes with power that charges your spirit, tears down the walls and enables you to pray effectively and fervently (checkout post);  and because the throne word comes with anointing and creating power, you easily breakthrough.  Matthew 4:4 (AMP) says; “………It is written and forever remains written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”  That is the word that comes out of the heart of God, through the Holy Spirit or via his servant.

When your Pastor stands and speaks the heart of God, the words he declares at that moment come with power that charges your spirit, and when you are charged, even though temptations come you overcome because you have been empowered. Why are we always overcome by temptations? Because we lack the Holy Spirit (that soft still voice that speaks to your heart): We need to always have fellowship with the Holy Spirit and to develop the habit of dwelling in the presence of God. The bible was written by the prophets who were inspired by Holy Spirit; God spoke then and he is still speaking today. A word declared by the servant of God – ‘thus says the Lord’ is at that moment coming from the mouth of God and, it comes with anointing, creating power and life. Whenever we go to church, we draw life and that life comes from the word which proceeds from the mouth of God; that is the word that charges your spirit; however, we lack that word today because we don’t set apart time to go into the presence of God, to hear from the heart of God. Revelation 2:17 (AMP) ^“He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches”

If you want to live a purposeful life, you need the word that proceeds from the mouth of God because it is spirit and life; you need it as well to overcome challenges, obstacles and the devil because it is fire and a double-edged sword. Whenever you remain in constant fellowship with Holy Spirit, the devil will see you from afar and flee. Church is not just a gathering place to share our experiences but a place where we receive counseling and guidance; God’s sanctuary where we get to hear words that are full of life, we get to learn the revelation behind the word and mysteries of God. It’s not about the reading the bible that changes you but the revelation behind that word. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV) that; “…..For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”

If you stand alone you will not overcome, you need direction. David said in Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" Without the word of God in your life, you will be walking vagabondly in the dark and prone to the attacks of the enemy

God’s love is unconditional however, whenever you compromise and disobey, the Holy Spirit departs from you yet he is the source of life and righteousness - you cannot be righteous without the Holy Spirit; He is the source of everything and whenever he is not in you, you lose your spiritual strength and control, but when He is in you, you have everything. Whenever you rebel and disobey, the Holy Spirit leaves you; and after that you become empty and begin to struggle making it easy for him to conquer you. 

God gave us the Holy Spirit because the dispensation of struggle ended. In Zechariah 4:6 (GW) the Lord told him; “…….You won’t succeed by might or power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Armies.” When the father authorizes the Holy Spirit to take over, advancement, victory and success will not be by your wit or strength, but by His Almighty spirit. If you want to do mighty things, you need to ensure that you are in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It’s only the Holy Spirit who can give you power to do great exploits! In this generation, those who know their God and are obedient and faithful will do exploits! Samson was so mighty and the power that drove him was of the Holy Spirit; he was made mighty physically by the Holy Spirit and when the presence of the Lord departed from him, he couldn’t do what he used to do before. You have got to learn to keep the Holy Spirit by being obedient.

Each of us has two nations inside us fighting against each other and there is a nation that has to win or dominate the other; the two nations are your spirit and mind. Genesis 25:23 (NASB) says; “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.” 

In this struggle, you need to overcome your mind. The devil always uses your mind to make you disobey the instructions of the Holy Spirit which always emanate from the heart; we were not called to obey the mind but the spirit – this is because God sits and communicates to your heart. If you want to walk the walk of faith, follow your heart. The true shepherd - Holy Spirit will direct you and show you what to do and when. Develop the habit of training your mind to submit to your heart. Your heart will never lie to you but your mind will.

If you want to have the Holy Spirit, you need to learn to love. 1 John 4:7-8 (MSG)  says; “My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love.”

God is love and those who love are in God and He dwells in them. Most of the things we do don’t last or succeed because they are not done in love; the Holy Spirit will not dwell in you if you are not in love, and for you to love others, you need to first love yourself. There is no weapon as powerful and strong as love.

If you want to be above, you have got to learn to diligently obey the voice of the Lord. Deuteronomy 28:1 (EXB) “You must completely obey [listen to the voice of] the LORD your God, and you must carefully follow all his commands I am giving [commanding] you today. Then the LORD your God will make you greater [set you higher]……” 
Obey the voice of the Holy Spirit because he is your shepherd – he sees the end from the beginning. The anointing you seek cannot follow you until you hear the master of the anointing speaking. You need to listen to the voice and do what it says. We are predestined to be heads not the tails, but that can only happen if we are obedient.  Deuteronomy 28:13 (TLB) says;  “If you will only listen and obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, he will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall always have the upper hand.” Be encouraged, the Lord will lift you up; when you hear the voice, do not harden your heart.

We have a debt to fellowship with the Holy Spirit; to always be under the guidance of the servants of God - pastors and to always feed on the word of God if we are to live a healthy Salvation life – your spirit is your responsibility.

THE SALVATION JOURNEY (I)

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

Mathew 16:24 (AMP)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

When you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour – become Born Again, you become a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (GNT says); “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” For God to perfect that which concerns you, you must first become Born Again (John 3:3) and then be in position to experience the benefits and privileges of the Kingdom of God. You might have failed in life but when you become Born Again, God restores and transforms you. It is according to God’s plan that in Salvation everything falls in place - once you become born again and your name is registered in the book of life, you begin a new chapter of life. All good things you desire are available to you as long as you walk according to God’s ways and word! Salvation is a revelation and the devil will prevent you from getting to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God because he knows that Salvation is the source of freedom, joy, blessings and an abundant purposeful life.

Your salvation life can be renewed; I therefore encourage you to hold onto Jesus and renew your faith every day. If you had become discouraged it is time for you to rise up again. The scripture says in 2 Corinthians 4:16 (MSG) that; “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace”

How will you survive the punishment of refuting Salvation in the afterlife? By becoming Born Again; Hebrews 2:3-4 warns; “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.”

For everything we desire in life, God came up with a one-stop solution called Salvation and put whatever we desire into that package, and if you patiently hold onto Christ and walk according to his word, though you face challenges, a day will come when you will get into the promises God has planned and purposed for you.

The four gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John contain various events that surrounded Jesus’ three years of ministry. The writers of those books saw Jesus preach, heal and teach and, recorded the events which is why something written by Mark may also be read in John; that is what is referred to as the gospel – telling others about Christ and His works. It is through those archives that we are able to teach others about salvation - how to become a new creation (Born Again), and how to walk in Christ (Salvation journey).

Jesus taught His disciples what it takes to walk the salvation journey in Mathew 16:24 (AMP) - “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me……”

1- Salvation Means Denying Yourself

In Salvation there is perfection and fulfillment but in order for that to happen, you have got to deny yourself and let go of certain things - forsake the old things and way of life. In order for the disciples to follow Jesus, they had to deny themselves and when Peter queried Jesus about the benefit of the sacrifice they had made in letting go of everything and deciding to follow him, Jesus gave him the perfect response in Mark 10:28-30 (NASB); “Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms…..”

In the scripture above, Jesus was talking about perfection both in heaven and on the earth, however everything in heaven is already perfect (Revelation 21). God has assured us that we shall receive a hundredfold in this life, so perfection is attained by accepting Christ and humbling ourselves to follow him. 1 Timothy 4:10 (GW) says; “Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

Denying yourself and letting go of certain things breeds transformation – a new creature in terms of character, values and principles. There should be a difference between your old character, values, lifestyle and new ones. There are things you should forsake because of Christ; there should be an irreconcilable difference between the old you (before you got saved) and the new you (after becoming born again). The outcome of Salvation should be evidenced by the positive revitalization and transformation of your life - a new creation; people must be able to see a new person out of the old person; they should be able to witness and say that you are indeed born again. 

Many people still want to enjoy the old ungodly lifestyle after becoming born again but, you can’t put new wine into old wine skins. When you evaluate your life, is there a difference between the old you and new you? Why haven’t we seen perfection of everything that God placed in Salvation? It’s because we have not yet known what we believed – Salvation means forsaking our desires (Luke 3:33) and denying yourself to follow Christ (Math 16:24). Perfection is in letting go; there is no one who has forsaken deceit, alcohol, stealing, fornication, profanity, religion etc who won’t receive hundred times as much now in the present age.

Some people still walk recklessly yet they confessed Christ as their Lord – they act contrary to what they claim to believe. You can’t get saved then act diabolical and be at peace in your heart; when you get saved, you even start to feel distressed by sin. Acts 2:37-38 (NLT) says; “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do? 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

When you accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and start the salvation journey, the good pasture is not always nearby but when you go an extra mile into knowing Christ; when you go deeper into letting go of the old self and seek Christ more, you will get the revelation about Him, and ultimately you will see God’s saving hand and fulfillment in your life. John 10:7-9 (TLB) says; “….I am the Gate for the sheep,” he said. 8 “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures”

Many people know about Christ, few people know Him and fewer people know and do His will. Some people just stop at accepting Christ, however, that is just the beginning of the Salvation journey; just confessing Christ is not sufficient; you must also sit down (fellowship), be taught His word, will and how to pray. The deeper you go into fellowshipping, the deeper you will know God and His ways, and doing so will help you to forsake what He dislikes and do what He loves.

When Zacchaeus met Christ, he abandoned his old ways; his attitude and character changed; wealth was no longer a priority to him but Salvation. Luke 19:8-10 (TLB) says; ”Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “Sir, from now on I will give half my wealth to the poor, and if I find I have overcharged anyone on his taxes, I will penalize myself by giving him back four times as much!” 9 Jesus told him, “This shows that salvation has come to this home today. This man was one of the lost sons of Abraham, and, 10 I the Messiah have come to search for and to save such souls as his.”

2 - Salvation Means That You Have To Carry Your Cross Every Day

We all know that the cross is a representation of a relationship between; man and God – vertical and; fellow men – horizontal. Let’s look at the other revelation: The cross Jesus carried was burdensome but He had to endure because it was the will of his father in order for him to receive glory, honour and power (Revelation 5:12). The devil gave him shortcuts in (Matthew 4:8-10) which would have resulted to his downfall but he overcame him. Despite all, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s will when he endured the pain and got nailed to the cross; that is why whatever happened to him at the cross led to our victory as well (Colossians 2:13-15). There was an easy way out but it would not have resulted into anything everlasting. Therefore, carrying your cross means waiting upon God by rejecting shortcuts, or ungodly options; there is pain involved, but you need to carry your cross every day because in the end God will come to your rescue and wipe away your tears.

Jesus was nailed to the cross so that the blessings of Abraham would come to the gentiles. The cross is painful and you have to carry it daily and ultimately it leads to victory and joy; some people avoid it because they do not want to go through pain or deny themselves; they just do whatever pleases them but far along when they get disappointed and hurt, they blame God yet He has already a provided a way out - Salvation. We did not get saved to only receive healing, blessings or accumulate wealth; but we should walk the Salvation journey bearing in mind the qualifications for our final destination – heaven.

When you become born again, you become a new creature and thus you must deny yourself on behalf of Christ. There is none who has left the old life on behalf of the gospel or Christ who will not receive a hundred fold – perfection and fulfillment on this earth. God will not place something in your hand when your other hand is still holding something ungodly. God does not forget his people so let us review our lives. You have to renew your relationship with God daily; you must understand that salvation is about patience, endurance and forsaking your old self.

May God give you the grace to put into action the truth you know in Salvation!