Salvation

I am writing this to attempt to convey the lessons I have learned through my own Salvation experience and to impart the absolute importance of protecting and growing through our walk in service to the Lord.

Salvation is beyond question the single most important decision we can or could ever possibly make during our existence! This single decision is ETERNAL! It determines whether we will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell and, with that understanding, should not be taken lightly!

Allow me to clarify one thing I believe to be a great misconception—just repeating a led prayer of salvation does NOT mean you are saved! Salvation requires desire!

A person must desire to be forgiven. We must be convicted of our sin and believe that Jesus Christ IS the only begotten Son of God the Father, that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified for our iniquities, took on all the sins of our lives, died upon the cross, and was risen by the Father in three days—victorious over the grave! If this knowledge was/is your experience, then you are truly saved by Grace through Faith!

But if you only repeated a prayer of salvation for any reason other than the desire and understanding that is contained in the Scripture, then according to my understanding of the Word of God, you should question your standing in the Kingdom of Heaven! I’m sure this may come as a dire shock to some (as well it should)! Salvation is no minor concern; it is in fact the single most important one! Now that I have covered the initial subject, let’s move forward.

The things I wish I had been taught and told in the very early days of my salvation I will endeavor to impart to you, the reader. I was a product of the modern organized church.

Although my salvation was almost 30 years ago, the same is even more prevalent today. The current philosophy seems to be to get them saved and then place them out into the world alone, so that Satan can kick them through the goalposts of life. Sadly, this is often what takes place.

What I mean by this is there is a great lack of further discipleship for newly saved Christians. This is one of the main reasons so many folks fall away or never have any growth after their salvation. Since this truth seems to be so common, here is my advice to the newly saved along with those that have been saved for years:

Fill every aspect of your life with God and God’s Word! Do not put your faith in people. Start your day with prayer everyday—do not allow yourself to be diverted from praying in the morning! Speak to God throughout your day and do this everyday, just as you start your day in prayer.

Avoid those things that are ungodly as if they were the plague, and separate yourself from them no matter what the perceived loss may be! Now that I have upset a lot of the old pew warmers, I’ll continue.

Do everything you possibly can to separate yourself from those things that are not feeding you as a Christian and helping you grow in your walk with the Lord. Read your Bible; make it habit to read even as little as a single verse daily.

Listen to recorded sermons from men like Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, D. James Kennedy, R.C. Sproul—true called men of God. Read and listen to the works of great Christian men such as Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Joel C. Rosenberg, Dwight Pentecost, and so on.

Make every effort to grow in your knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and the principals of the Word of God. Pray and ask the Lord to send you Godly mentors and people in your life to help you and support you in your walk and service to God. This applies not only to the newly saved but to all of us who have been saved by the Grace of God through the Faith of our understanding.

I have said for years if there was a single truth I could impart to all Christians it would be the truth of this scripture:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I want to emphasize to all of you there is great power in the armor of God, but first you must have a working understanding of the Word of God! In verse 13 we are told Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Learn of this armor and use it always! In 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul stated he “had stayed the course and fought the good fight”. This was the truth, not just a comment.

As Christians, one thing that is certain is that we will be attacked and attacked in many ways and through many avenues—often when we least expect it and from directions we would not suspect! You will be tempted in most all ways, in emotion and fleshly things.

I caution you to recognize these things quickly and turn immediately to the Word of God and prayer! When Jesus was tempted, even He quoted scripture! Do this yourself! Read the Word out loud, resist evil in all things and in all ways! Being a Christian in this world is not all sunshine and rainbows. At times it can be quite difficult and challenging, and that is just fact! 

Matthew 7:13-14 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

It is the same for all that are truly saved, and more so for those that are trying to serve God! For those that are called to Preach and Teach, this applies even more! Scripture clearly tells us that to whom much is given, much is required.

As you walk through your Christian life, pray for your Preacher and teachers, pray for one another, ask the Godly people you know to pray for you—we all need prayer cover and support. The truth is there is Power in the Word of God and there is Power in Prayer!

So let’s learn about prayer. We are told to pray fervently—this means with intent and with earnest desire from your heart and mind. We are also told to pray without ceasing—this means to pray continuously, to talk with the Lord God and speak as if Heaven were surrounding you, as if Christ Jesus Himself were walking by your side!

My brothers and sisters, if God feels so very far away then your prayer life is suffering. The more you pray, the closer God will feel to you!

When you pray, understand that everything happens in God’s perfect timing. In the book of Daniel we are told of a time Daniel prayed and asked God for an answer.

God sent an angel to Daniel with that answer, but the angel was interrupted by a demon and they battled for 21 days before the host of Heaven could get to Daniel with the answer.

This teaches us to do just as Daniel did—that is keep praying until your prayer is answered. One of the hardest things for Christians to come to terms with is that sometimes the answer to our prayer is “No”, and we may not know why until we are with the Lord.

We must have Faith that God’s plan is perfect in all things and that His will has dominion over all! It must have that dominion in your heart and mind as well; we must always have the absolute understanding of the Sovereignty of God.

To wrap this up, you must Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Lean not on your own understanding, but lean on the Word of God.

Do not put your faith in people; put your faith only in God and His Holy Word. Keep your eyes and ears open; be aware of what is going on in this world so you know what to pray for, but do not get caught up in the world, and always remember that if you are truly saved you are a child of God, so act like it and let the world see God’s love through you. Most of all, have a firm understanding of your salvation. Pray and pray every day, trusting the Lord in every way.

Kenneth Kellar
A Man Called by God to Teach and Disciple