Questions: “How do I know I am saved? How do I know God accepts me? How do I know God forgives my sins?”
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish—come to destruction, be lost—but have eternal (everlasting) life.
(John 3:16 AMP)That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Rom. 10:9-10 KJV)For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption—the Spirit producing sonship—in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba! [That is,] Father!
The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God…
And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the first fruits of the (Holy) Spirit—a foretaste of the blissful things to come—groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).
(Rom. 8:15-16,23)God said, Let Us [father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over every thing that creeps upon the earth.
So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Gen. 1:26-27)
God said to you and me, “I love you so much that I am going to make you just like Me.” And now that God has made us, every chance he gets the devil comes along and says to us: “You’re not anything. You’re nobody. You’re not worth anything.”
And many among us believe the devil’s lies.
One day it dawned on me that God has given us a contract, and it’s the Bible. When we have a lack of knowledge about our contract, it’s hard for us to stop the devil from causing us to break that contract.
But when we get the knowledge of what this contract says, we have the right to resist the devil and say to him:
“No, devil, you cannot force me to break the contract because it is legal and biding. It is an agreement between my Father God and me, through Jesus, and He is the judge and jury, not you. You cannot make me break my contract.”
The contract states that you and I are “somebody” to God and that He can and will do great and wonderful things in us and through us and around us.
But we have to take authority over our surroundings in the name of Jesus and say: “This is my contract and, devil, in the name of Jesus you will not cause me to break it. I am ‘somebody’ to God.”
You need to know today that this is your day—you can rise up! You may not know that you are “somebody” to God, but the contract states that you are (Gen. 1:26-27).
In other words, as a believer you have a rich inheritance through your contract with God because of the death of Jesus Christ for your sins.
In Christ you are somebody!
by Cheryl Prewitt-Salem.
Excerpt permission granted by Praise Books
Cheryl Salem walked the runway to become Miss America 1980, despite what appeared to be all odds stacked against her. Poverty, sexual abuse, a horrific car crash that resulted in a physical handicap and over 100 stitches in her face were no match for what God had planned for her life. Through simple, childlike faith in Him, she overcame these insurmountable obstacles and eventually took the crown in Atlantic City! She has used this distinction as a springboard to launch the Gospel of Jesus Christ into churches, schools, women's retreats, television appearances, etc. Prison ministries, women's shelters, inner-city outreaches, and disaster relief programs have made use of Cheryl's books and CDs to offer hope and help to those in need. According to Cheryl, "None of these things would be possible, if not for my Jesus."
The Spirit of God is flowing through Cheryl in an amazing way as He leads her to minister in a fascinating, prophetic way that involves a flow of music and teaching that is sung, instead of spoken. This move of the Spirit is precious and sweet, and God is touching people at the very core of their being as he gently ministers to them, Spirit to spirit (John 4:23-24), as deep calls out to deep. (Psalm 42:7)
Trials, tragedies, and the storms of life cannot keep Cheryl from singing, praising God, and ministering the Gospel! Both Harry and Cheryl are sought-after ministers who are speakers at churches and events across the nation. Harry often conducts Men's Fellowship Meetings, and Cheryl has bookings at Ladies Events numerous times throughout the year. But their central focus, their chief purpose, is to take their vibrant, tag-team style of ministry into churches across the globe. God impressed upon their hearts years ago to go 'two by two' to reach families one by one. (Luke 10:1-2)