So you already believe in God. Perhaps you also know about and believe in Jesus. You may attend church, or go to Confession or have prayed a Sinners Prayer or similar. Maybe you’ve even called yourself a Christian for some time. But are you still struggling with sin? Do you still have an uneasy sense that you aren’t living right with God? You may be harassed by guilt or memories of the past or disturbing dreams. These and more can be symptoms of the human condition when we haven’t fully entered into the new life with Jesus.
Let me encourage you to dig a little deeper with this. Give it a bit more attention — the future of your soul absolutely depends on it. Let me point out three markers you should pass along the road returning to God and complete freedom. Take a look at these markers to see if you have crossed them on your way:
Marker 1 is Repentance
Repentance is the starting point. Without humbling yourself to true repentance, you will never be able to continue in the path toward God. Repentance will bring you to your knees before God, handing over all your sin and rebellion. Literally turning away from your sin and hating it the same way God does. Jesus paid the price for your sin with his sacrificial death, so don’t hold onto it. Give it up and accept this precious gift of forgiveness from him.
Marker 2 is Baptism
Baptism the way it was demonstrated in the Bible — full submersion in water. Being sprinkled as a baby is not the same thing. Full submersion baptism as a conscious act of the will is needed. It is the act of going under the water — dying to your old life, being crucified with Jesus — and coming up out of the water — being raised again to the new life in Jesus. It goes hand-in-hand with repentance and should be actioned as soon as possible.
Marker 3 is the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit being a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come — our inheritance in the kingdom of God. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you are filled with a portion of the amazing love and power of God. He will empower you to live a righteous life without sin, to know the will and leading of God in your life and even to do miracles!
The passing of these markers brings confidence that we are on the right path back to God. Perhaps you have missed one of these? The good news is that you can rectify this and please do, without delay!
There is another marker which I will also mention, and that is the marker of deliverance. This is not necessarily for everybody, but there is a strong likelihood that most people will need to cross this marker too. Deliverance means to be set free from demonic or unclean spirits. The Bible talks a lot about demons and much of Jesus’ work on earth involved casting them out of people’s lives. And he instructed his true disciples to do the same. Keep in mind, that Jesus was primarily doing this work among God’s chosen people, the Jews. If God’s own people had to deal with demonic spirits, it’s a fact that we will need to also.
Demons are often responsible for many kinds of sickness, poor mental health, obsessive and degenerative conditions, bondage to sin and more. Deliverance is the act of 'casting them out’, expelling them from your body and from your mind. While it’s best to seek prayer for deliverance with another true believer (who has faith), it is possible to find deliverance for yourself through focused and specific prayer in many circumstances.
Deliverance is quite a big topic and I’m only just touching on it here. Sadly, there aren’t many Christians who are well practiced to help in this area, particularly in “civilised” nations and among the church-bound folk. The reason I mention it is because it may be the marker you need to cross in your own journey. Certainly, if you have already sincerely passed the first three markers mentioned, and are still struggling in some way, then it might be deliverance that you need. In this case, you can seek God in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if there’s anything needed in this area.
