The hard parts of Scripture will remain a mystery to you unless you have this one thing.

Not a thing, really, but a person.

Unless you have the Holy Spirit, you will NOT be able to read with understanding or apply the hard parts of Scripture.

How do I know if I have the Holy Spirit?

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have the Holy Spirit. That was Jesus’ promise when he went away from this earth that the Holy Spirit will come and live inside (indwell) those who believe in him (John 14:17) and among other things, he will give you understanding of Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:12).

That happened for me when I was a child.

I am grateful that I grew up in a Christian home. In fact, my parents met each other when they were attending Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

They were faithful to teach God’s word and live His word at home and to faithfully bring my siblings and me to church whenever the doors were open.

One day as a young elementary schooler, I was sitting on the couch watching TV. During a commercial break, I don’t know why, but I was thinking about what I had been learning about Jesus in Sunday School. In that moment it hit me that His death on the cross counted for ME! I decided that moment to trust in Jesus for eternal salvation. At that moment, unbeknownst to me, the Holy Spirit entered me and ever since then I have been growing more like the Lord each day.

I have grown in the Lord because I continued to faithfully attend church. I grow through reading the Bible and praying on my own and with Bible Study groups like Bible Study Fellowship. I grow through obeying the Lord and serving him by serving others both inside my home and outside my home.

I’m not perfect and I won’t reach perfection here on this earth. But that is the promise of living as a Christian: one day when this life is finished, because I trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior, I will be in eternity with God forever.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, please do so! There is no other way to have perfect peace in this life or to live with God forever in heaven.

How do you do it?

• Acknowledge that you are a sinner and there is no way that you can get rid of your sin on your own. Because of our sin, we deserve eternal death and to be separated from God forever. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Recognize that Jesus, God’s Son, died in our place in order to pay the punishment for the sins of the world. Since he died for our sins, we don’t have to. And since he came back to life, we know that the punishment is finished. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Respond to God in trust and acceptance. Tell him that you understand that Jesus’ death counts for you! Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

What is your story? If you are a Christian and have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, please share! Comment below! I’m looking forward to hearing your story!