Satisfied
After praying about this, God placed the acronym “SATISFIED” in my mind. (which is so appropriate – for KNOWING JESUS AS LORD – & living the CHRISTIAN LIFE – has truly SATISFIED me!) Within a few minutes, I saw what The Holy Spirit was showing me!
My hope & prayer is that there will be those who come to UNDERSTAND SALVATION & WILL BE BORN AGAIN. And my hope & prayer is that you will memorize “SATISFIED,” use it to EVANGELIZE others, and use it to TEACH YOUR CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN!
*** The first section goes through BEFORE THE ACT OF SALVATION – THE ACTUAL ACT OF SALVATION – & FOLLOWING THE ACT OF SALVATION.
*** The section that follows is a repeat, BUT WITH SOME COMMENTS ADDED – so you CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND each part. IF YOU GET CONFUSED OR WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO PERSONALLY EXPLAIN THE “HOW” AND UNFOLD THE ESSENCE OF BEING “SATISFIED,” I WOULD TREASURE THE OPPORTUNITY!
BEFORE THE ACT OF SALVATION:
(S) SINNERS: We all need Salvation.
ROMANS 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(A) ATTITUDE: We must have a repentant heart and mind.
LUKE 13:3, “… unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
(T) TIME: If we are to be Saved – Born Again – we must accept Christ when we feel Him calling, when we feel the weight of Conviction brought by The Holy Spirit.
HEBREWS 3:7-8, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts …”
JAMES 4:8, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
JEREMIAH 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
(I) INDIVIDUAL: There is only one who can Save us, Jesus Christ.
ACTS 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
JOHN 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
THE ACTUAL ACT OF SALVATION:
(S) SALVATION: The actual act of Salvation, of being Born Again.
ROMANS 10:9-10, “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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
EPHESIANS 2:8-100, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
FOLLOWING THE ACTUAL ACT OF SALVATION:
(F) FOLLOWING THE ACT OF SALVATION: Baptism is our public testimony that we are a Follower of Jesus Christ – and a symbol of our old nature having been washed away, rising to a new life in Christ.
1 PETER 3:21, “… this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
(I) INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: Our power to serve God and to be continually transformed – our teacher who instructs us about truth.
GALATIANS 4:6, “… God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.”
ACTS 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
JOHN 6:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
(E) EDUCATION FOR A CHRISTIAN: Our knowledge of the WORD.
HEBREWS 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
1 PETER 3:15, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
2 TIMOTHY 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
2 PETER 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(D) DISCIPLESHIP AS A CHRISTIAN: We are to follow Jesus – as His Disciples – being obedient to His Teachings and to The Word of God.
LUKE 14:27, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
LUKE 17:10, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.’”
MATTHEW 16:24, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”
____________________________________________________________________________________
SATISFIED with COMMENTS ADDED
BEFORE THE ACT OF SALVATION:
(S) SINNERS: We all need Salvation.
ROMANS 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
*** God created the first man and woman, Adam & Eve, and they lived in His Divine GLORY – in His Presence. When they SINNED, the fall brought about what is referred to as “THE ORIGINAL SIN.” All of humanity inherited a sinful nature. This is why our Souls hunger for God, for His Presence, His GLORY – but our SIN SEPARATES us from God. Without being SAVED, SIN will SEPARATE US FROM GOD FOR ALL ETERNITY.
(A) ATTITUDE: We must have a repentant heart and mind.
LUKE 13:3, “… unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
*** To REPENT, in the Biblical sense, involves a profound change of mind and heart – leading to a turning away from sin and a turning toward God. It is not merely feeling sorry for one’s sins (although one will feel painful sorrow for past sins), but involves a decisive break from past behaviors – a commitment to follow God’s Will. This can only take place when we become aware of our need for God – when the Holy Spirit has Convicted us of siin.
(T) TIME: If we are to be Saved – Born Again – we must accept Christ when we feel Him calling, when we feel the weight of Conviction brought by The Holy Spirit.
HEBREWS 3:7-8, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts …”
JAMES 4:8, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
JEREMIAH 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
*** There are very special times when THE HOLY SPIRIT grips one’s heart & soul with Conviction; a person cannot explain what is taking place (nor does one need to) – but instinctively, in the depths of one’s Spirit, he/she knows that God is issuing a Divine Invitation – an invitation to Intimately Meet Jesus and to be Saved! There are other times, after a person has rejected God’s Calling over and over again, that one’s Soul becomes callous. A person can cease to be sensitive to God’s invitation. But the great news is that even when God is not passionately pursuing a person, he/she can passionately pursue God! If a person seeks after God with all their heart – continues to pray – continues to read The Word of God – continues to search for Him in Worship with the church – eventually, God will again come near, and will issue yet another Invitation from Heaven!
*** But it is a dangerous thing to experience God Calling you to Salvation – and reject Him. Sin, especially continual and unrepentant sin, can cause a heart to go beyond not being sensitive to God’s Voice – and can cause a heart to grow hard. One’s sins can have a cumulative and powerful desensitizing effect on the spiritual conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong – causing one to totally push God away. (1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2 and ROMANS 1:18-28 are sobering passages).
*** THE GREAT NEWS is that if you have continued reading this far, your Soul is still yearning for God – and a Saving Relationship with Jesus is still available. IF RIGHT NOW, YOU FEEL CONVICTED & SENSE THE PRESENCE OF GOD – DO NOT WAIT! PRAISE GOD, Jesus is waiting for you with open arms!
(I) INDIVIDUAL: There is only one who can Save us, Jesus Christ.
ACTS 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
JOHN 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
*** Only Jesus can provide forgiveness of sin, for on the Cross, He paid the price for our sins – He ATONED for our sins, He took our sins and allowed them to be placed upon Him. And only Jesus rose from the dead as He did, and allowed thousands to see him after His Resurrection. Although humanity knows Jesus to be THE SAVIOR, The Resurrection was an exclamation point intended to remove any doubt.
THE ACTUAL ACT OF SALVATION:
(S) SALVATION: The actual act of Salvation, of being Born Again.
ROMANS 10:9-10, “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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
EPHESIANS 2:8-10, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
1 JOHN 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
*** When this moment comes, it is a divine, supernatural experience – the most important and precious of our lives! We feel the emptiness in our souls and the conviction of The Holy Spirit. We finally let go and cry out, “Jesus, I surrender – please forgive me of my sins and enter my life as Savior, Lord, & Master.”
*** This requires us to BELIEVE that He is the Risen Savior. Though we cannot initially explain everything – the Witness of The Holy Spirit and our Souls – affirm Him to be Risen! And then we must CONFESS our belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord. When we BELIEVE and then unashamedly acknowledge – PROFESS – our Faith is Jesus – the Wondrous Act of Salvation cleanses us of sin and we Sense the INDWELLING OF JESUS WITHIN US!
*** This is made possible by GRACE – the Unmerited Favor of God – Him giving us that which we do not deserve! And it is made possible by The Holy Spirit giving us a FAITH in JESUS that we may not initially be able to explain. We can’t earn the favor of God, nor can we earn Salvation. It is the GIFT OF GOD!
*** My “Papaw” was Born Again while working in the bottom of a coal mine. My father was Born Again while in a Worship Service in Kentucky. I was Born Again in the back yard of my old home place, where Dad & Mom still lived. After feeling Conviction that I could not escape, I drove to the house where I was raised. It was as if Dad was expecting me. I made up an excuse for being there and then spent 3 days wrestling with God. On the third night, I drove to a hill by the lake. Before leaving, my Dad simply said, “I know what you are battling and I will be here praying for you.” On that hill, I paced back and forth – finally attempting to talk to God. I remember uttering the words, “God, I don’t understand all of this, but if you want me – here I am.” I drove back to my Dad. It was around 12:30 AM and I found him praying for me by the large tree in the back yard. As I walked towards him, his words were simple: “Son, what do you want to do?” My response was simple, “I want to know Jesus the way you do.” As I knelt by that tree, he asked me if I was Repentant – if I was ready to ask God for Forgiveness – if I believed In Jesus as the Risen Savior – and if I was ready to accept Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. As I wept, my answer to all was “Yes, Yes, Yes!” I knelt down as he placed one hand on my head and lifted the other hand towards Heaven – as he prayed that God would not only Save me – but that He would bathe me in His Glory. IT WAS A DIVINE, SUPERNATURAL MOMENT THAT I CANNOT FULLY EXPLAIN – but I rose to my feet as a NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS!
*** A few years later, I realized that I needed to GROW IN MY FAITH – I NEEDED TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE LIFE, MINISTRY, DEATH & RESURRECTION OF JESUS! I had heard a Christian say, “The Soul cannot Fully Embrace that which the Mind Rejects.” SAVING FAITH is NOT BLIND FAITH – it is a SPIRITUAL & SUPERNATURAL EVENT that is beyond description – & IT IS ENOUGH! But as we Grow In Christ, many will have the experience I had – in which we wrestle with Doubts – which Leads us to an Even Greater FAITH! (I encourage you to watch my Video Message on this Topic: DOUBTS Can Be A DOOR)
FOLLOWING THE ACTUAL ACT OF SALVATION:
(F) FOLLOWING THE ACT OF SALVATION: Baptism is our public testimony that we are a Follower of Jesus Christ – and a symbol of our old nature having been washed away, rising to a new life in Christ.
1 PETER 3:21, “… this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
*** I could not wait to be Baptized, to tell the world that I was a Follower of Jesus Christ! My Dad baptized me in a makeshift pool, and I could sense more of the Glory and Presence of God! NOTE: As we become more Obedient to what God requires, we will Experience more of Him! (Read JOHN 14:15-24).
*** BAPTISM does not “SAVE” us, rather, it is our testimony to the world that we are now a follower of Jesus Christ. ACTS 2:41, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” And as already noted, it is our pledge to God: 1 PETER 3:21, “… this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
*** In all the Scripture verses that mention being Baptized, Baptism is always that which follows the actual act of Salvation.
(I) INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: Our power to serve God and to be continually transformed – our teacher who instructs us about truth.
GALATIANS 4:6, “… God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.”
ACTS 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
JOHN 6:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
*** Once we are SAVED – THE HOLY SPIRIT begins to FILL our lives, begins to LEAD US INTO ALL TRUTH, begins to give us POWER OVER SIN, and LIVES WITHIN US – GIVING US THE WITNESS THAT WE ARE NO LONGER CITIZENS OF THIS WORLD! And when we sin – THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS OUR HEARTS LIKE A TON WEIGHT SITTING UPON OUR SOUL! Thank God, when we ask for Forgiveness, He will Forgive and put us back on course.
(E) EDUCATION FOR A CHRISTIAN: Our knowledge of the Word.
HEBREWS 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
1 PETER 3:15, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
2 TIMOTHY 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
2 PETER 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
*** The WORD OF GOD IS A LAMP, an INSTRUCTION MANUAL ON HOW WE MUST LIVE OUR LIVES & BE OBEDIENT, a RECORD OF PROMISES & BLESSINGS, a DIVINE BOOK THAT TELLS US HOW WE MUST LIVE OUR LIVES, a SUPERNATURAL SOURCE OF STRENGTH. As we read it, we are TRANSFORMED and we DISCOVER HOW TO FIGHT THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE WE HAVE NOW ENTERED! (Read EPHESIANS 6:10-17) It is ALIVE AND ACTIVE!
(D) DISCIPLESHIP AS A CHRISTIAN: We are to follow Jesus – as His Disciples – being obedient to His Teachings and to The Word of God.
LUKE 14:27, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
LUKE 17:10, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.’”
MATTHEW 16:24, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”
*** Deitrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We cannot be a Christian without surrendering everything to Jesus, without dying to our own self-centered lives, without denying ourselves and following our Master & Lord. This is not an immediate result – it is a lifelong pursuit! And as I noted before, as we become more obedient, we experience more of God. HIS PRESENCE WITHIN US IS THE REWARD FOR OBEDIENCE.
*** I want to live like a man who is NOT SATISFIED by the things of this World – but is SATISFIED BY LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – FOR THAT IS MY PERSONAL TRUTH!!!
I invite you to check out my videos on this website. These are all categorized under the “MESSAGES” tab. And I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU!