Faith and Salvation!

“Faith”:  the “root” of salvation. The Bible likes to use ‘plants’ as analogies and so do I.  The ‘root’ is the most important part of a plant and it’s the part that no one can see, except God. That’s why no one can judge a person by outward appearance. A plant can look tried and withered, even dead, but if it has a good ‘root’, that plant can rebound and be stronger than before.  So how do I get ‘faith’ and how do I know when I have it? Faith is being ‘certain’ of what you cannot see (Heb.11:1). In other words, it just believes that God exists (from the Bible) and He’s the One, True, Living God. Obviously, not everyone has the same amount of ‘faith’ because some people are more ‘certain’ than others. Faith is increased by knowledge and understanding of the Word as a person matures. Yet, it only takes a little to be ‘saved’ so how can you tell if you have enough?  Let me ask you something: When you get on your knees to pray, do you think you’re talking to an all-powerful, all-knowing God?  You must or you would be talking to yourself, so every time you pray, you are proving your faith. If you ever doubt your own faith, which happens to many people, just go to a private spot and pray, reminding yourself that you wouldn't be doing that if you didn't believe. It sounds too simple to be true but try it and see. Step 1: Salvation: Faith in God, alone, will not get a person to heaven. The Muslims and Jews believe in the same God of Abraham but salvation can only come through Jesus because it was only through His sacrifice that our sins can be forgiven. And that’s how you get to heaven. Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom.10:9);In other words, speak out loud and tell God that you believe in Jesus and want your sins forgiven. It’s that simple ... but you have to ask. You may not feel different right away but follow the rest of these steps and you will. Remember: ‘Believing in your heart’ is that element of ‘faith’ that Satan wants to steal away before you ever get started (seed 1). After you get past the prayer, you are officially ‘saved’ but you must develop a ‘root’ or you could ‘fall away’ in ‘times of testing’ (seed 2). After all, being ‘saved’ does not mean all your struggles are going to disappear. In fact, everyone who is accepted by God undergoes some type of ‘testing’ or ‘discipline’, eventually, because that’s how God ‘trains us’, as a Father should (Heb.12:5-11). Yet, God will not let a person be tempted more than he can bear and He will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it. (1Cor. 10:13)  I heard a person refer to that verse once and say, “God must think I'm pretty strong.”  Lol!  Yes ..., He sure does. God knows exactly what He’s doing. After all, ‘holding on to your faith’ in times of trouble is what makes that ‘root’ stronger. All those who persevere will be rewarded.