You know how we love to say, “I gave my life to Jesus!” like it’s this grand, noble thing? Like we just handed God a premium, limited-edition, top-tier package labeled “My Life – Handle With Care.”
But let’s pause for a second.
Did Jesus actually accept it?
I mean… if we’re being honest, what exactly did we give Him?
😳😳😳😳
A life full of mistakes? ✔️
A heart that changes its mind every five minutes? ✔️
A spiritual résumé with “Previously a Sinner” still listed as my current job title? ✔️✔️✔️
Not to be dramatic, but if Jesus were running a “Trade Your Life” business, I’d be that guy in line handing Him a half-eaten sandwich like, “Here, Lord, take this. It’s all I got.”
And Jesus? He actually takes it. WHAT?!
What Did I Think Was Happening?
When I “gave my life to Christ,” I thought I was making a trade.
“Here you go, Jesus. My life in exchange for eternal security, divine guidance, and a VIP pass to heaven. Deal?”
It sounded nice. Noble. A little poetic.
But here’s the thing—
that’s not how salvation works.
What Actually Happened?
Spoiler alert:
I didn’t give my life to Jesus.
He gave His life for me.
📖 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
— 1 John 4:10
Read that again. Yeah, read it again!
I didn’t show up like a spiritual entrepreneur offering God a startup investment. No, I was drowning, and Jesus jumped in to save me while I was still flailing like a fish out of water.
He didn’t accept my life because it was valuable—He accepted it because He is merciful.
So… What Now?
If salvation isn’t about me impressing Jesus with my “offering,” then what does He actually want?
🔹 Not just a decision—A relationship. Salvation isn’t a moment; it’s a journey of walking with Christ every day.
🔹 Not just surrender—Total transformation. I don’t just “give” my life to Jesus; I receive His life in exchange for mine.
🔹 Not just religion—Radical love. Following Jesus isn’t about trying harder. It’s about resting in what He’s already done.
So, Did Jesus Accept My Life?
Nope.
Instead, He gave me His.
And between you and me? I got the better deal. 😎
🔥 Over to You!
Ever thought about this before? Have we sometimes made salvation seem more about our decision rather than His grace? Let’s chat in the comments!
Five years ago, I heard a song that changed me. It wasn’t just another melody—it was a voice straight to my heart. Ray Boltz’s “Always Be a Child” hit me deep, and to this day, every time I hear it, something inside me melts.
You see, life makes you feel like you have to grow up, toughen up, figure it out. But then Jesus whispers, “You’ll always be a child in My eyes.” And suddenly, the weight lifts.
I had a conversation with Him about it. Maybe it’s a conversation you’ve needed too:
A Conversation With Jesus: I’ll Always Be Your Child
Me: Jesus… can I talk to You for a moment?
Jesus: Always, My child. What’s on your heart?
Me: It’s funny, Lord. I’ve grown, changed, struggled… But every time I hear that song, it’s like I’m back where I started—just a child in Your arms.
I close my eyes, and suddenly, I’m not this “grown-up” trying to figure life out. I’m just… Yours.
Jesus: Because that’s exactly who you are.
Me: But Lord, I don’t always feel like Your child. Sometimes, I feel like I should have figured things out by now. That I should be stronger, braver, more put together. But then I hear the words—“When you need some love, My arms are open wide…”
And I realize how much I need that love.
Jesus: Victor,
I have loved you with an everlasting love
(Jeremiah 31:3)
You don’t outgrow My love. You don’t graduate from being My child. Even when you think you’ve wandered too far, even when your faith feels weak—My arms are still open.
Me: But what about the times I push You away? The moments I get so caught up in life that I forget You?
Jesus: Even then.
📖 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
— 2 Timothy 2:13
Me: So… even as I’m growing older, You’ll always see me as Your child?
Jesus: Always. You may change, but My love doesn’t. You’ll always be safe in My hands. And no matter how far you go, I’ll always be here, whispering, Come home.
We’ve complicated Christianity. Somewhere along the way, we turned following Jesus into a performance—a constant, exhausting effort to “be better,” “do more,” and “shine brighter.” But what if we got it all wrong?
What if shining for Christ was never about trying harder but simply turning toward Him?
1️⃣ The Moon Doesn’t Try to Shine—It Just Reflects
Ever noticed how the moon never stresses about shining? It doesn’t wake up (if it ever sleeps) and say, “Oh no! What if I’m not glowing enough tonight?” It simply faces the sun, and boom—light.
Eric Gilmour puts it this way:
🗣️ “When Christianity changes from behaving to beholding, struggling is replaced with snuggling and wrestling with nestling.”
Eric Gilmour (Sonship int’l)
Christianity isn’t about behavior modification—it’s about intimacy with Jesus. The more we behold Him, the more we reflect Him. Just like the moon, our job isn’t to generate light but to stay positioned where His light can hit us.
📖 “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18
Transformation happens not by striving, but by staring.
2️⃣ The One Thing That Can Block Your Light
But here’s the problem—sometimes, the moon doesn’t shine. Not because the sun stopped shining, but because something got in the way.
What happens during a lunar eclipse? The earth comes between the moon and the sun. The world blocks the light.
Same with us.
When the world gets between us and Jesus, our light fades. Not because His power has diminished, but because we’ve let something else steal our focus.
🔹 Sin? It dims the light.
🔹 Fear of people’s opinions? That’s an eclipse.
🔹 Busyness and distractions? They cast a shadow.
🔹 Self-effort instead of surrender? That’s wrestling instead of nestling.
Jesus warned about this:
📖 “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
— Matthew 5:15
Could it be that we are the ones covering our own light?
3️⃣ Stop Trying—Start Turning
Here’s where it gets real—you can’t make yourself shine. You can try harder or work more, but if you’re facing the wrong direction, no amount of effort will produce light.
Eric Gilmour again:
🗣️ “The secret to shining is not more effort—it’s more exposure to Him.”
🔥 Want to shine? Face the Son.
🔥 Want to radiate Christ? Stay in His presence.
🔥 Want effortless transformation? Shift from struggling to snuggling.
It’s not about trying to be holy—it’s about getting so close to Jesus that holiness becomes your natural glow.
4️⃣ The Question You Need to Ask
So here’s the real question:
Are you trying to shine, or are you positioned to shine?
The moon doesn’t work hard to be bright—it simply stays in the right place. The same goes for us. If we’re not shining, we don’t need more effort—we need more exposure to Jesus.
🔥 Final Thought: Are You Facing the Son?
Look at your life. Has something eclipsed your light? Are you striving instead of soaking in His presence?
💬 What’s one thing that tries to block your light? How do you stay positioned to reflect Christ? Let’s talk! 👇🔥
Have you ever felt like you’ve messed up one too many times? Like, maybe you’ve sinned so much that God is just done with you? Maybe you promised you’d never fall into that sin again… but you did. And now, a voice in your head whispers:
"God is tired of you."
"You’ve failed too many times."
"He’s given up on you."
That’s a terrifying thought. What if it’s true? Can you push God to the point where He finally says,
"Enough! I’m done with you."
Let’s get real about this.
1️⃣ The Fear That God Has Given Up on You
There are a few reasons why people feel like God might have abandoned them:
🔹 Repeated Sin – “I keep failing. How could God still forgive me?”
🔹 Spiritual Dryness – “I don’t feel His presence anymore. Has He left me?”
🔹 Hardened Heart – “I’ve ignored Him for so long. Has He stopped calling me?”
🔹 The Unforgivable Sin – “Jesus spoke of a sin that can’t be forgiven. Have I committed it?”
It’s scary, right? That feeling of distance from God, like you’ve been put on some kind of divine blacklist.
But let’s take a closer look at what the Bible actually says.
2️⃣ Can You Sin So Much That God Gives Up on You?Imagine Peter and Judas.
Both betrayed Jesus. One was restored, the other was lost forever.
🔹 Peter: A Man Who Messed Up… Badly
Peter denied Jesus three times—not just privately, but publicly. This was his best friend, his teacher, his Messiah… and Peter swore he didn’t even know Him.
If there was ever a moment for Jesus to say, “I’m done with you”, this was it.
And yet, after the resurrection, Jesus restores Peter with love:
📖 “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
— John 21:17
Jesus didn’t abandon Peter, even after a huge failure.
🔹 Judas: A Man Who Gave Up on God
Now, look at Judas. He also betrayed Jesus, but instead of running to Jesus for mercy, he ran to despair. He gave up.
The difference? Peter turned back to Jesus. Judas walked away.
🚨 God doesn’t give up on people. People give up on God.
3️⃣ The Real Danger: A Hardened Heart
The Bible warns about a hardened heart—a heart that no longer cares about sin, no longer feels conviction, no longer seeks God.
📖 “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”
— Hebrews 3:15
A hardened heart isn’t when you feel guilty for sin. It’s when you stop caring altogether.
Do you still feel sorrow over sin? Do you still desire God? Then you haven’t gone too far. A person who is too far gone wouldn’t even be reading this right now.
4️⃣ What About the Unforgivable Sin?
Jesus spoke about one sin that can never be forgiven—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
📖 “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins… but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.”
— Mark 3:28-29
What does that mean? Have you committed it?
First, let’s clear up a myth:
🚨 The unforgivable sin is NOT:
Saying something angry about God.
Having doubts or struggling with faith.
Accidentally saying something wrong about the Holy Spirit.
So what is it?
It’s a lifetime of rejecting God’s call. It’s when a person continually, stubbornly refuses to turn to Jesus until their heart is so hardened that they no longer can.
If you’re still seeking God, you haven’t committed it. Period.
5️⃣ So, Does God Ever Give Up on Us?
God is incredibly patient.
📖 “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise… He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
— 2 Peter 3:9
If you’re still alive, if you still have breath in your lungs, God hasn’t given up on you.Look at the people Jesus forgave:
✅ A thief on the cross—saved in his final moments.
✅ A murderer like Paul—turned into an apostle.
✅ A prostitute like Mary Magdalene—redeemed and loved.
God’s grace isn’t fragile. It doesn’t shatter after your 100th mistake. He is more willing to forgive than we are to ask.
📖 “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”
— Romans 5:20
🔥 Final Thought: Will You Turn Back?
The real question isn’t “Will God give up on me?”
The real question is “Will I give up on God?”
God doesn’t shut the door—we do.
So if you’re still wondering, still searching, still feeling that tug in your heart—don’t ignore it. That’s the Holy Spirit drawing you back.
💬 What do you think? Have you ever felt like God was done with you? What pulled you back? Let’s talk! 👇🔥
We hear it all the time: “Are you saved?” But what does that even mean? Saved from what? How do you know you are truly saved?
Here’s the scary part: Jesus Himself said that some people who think they are saved… aren’t.
📖 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
— Matthew 7:21
Think about that—people who pray, go to church, maybe even preach… but Jesus says, “I never knew you.”
That means there is such a thing as false salvation. People can have a fake version of faith that looks real but isn’t. So, what does false salvation look like? And how do we know we have the real thing?
1️⃣ The Illusion of False Salvation
A false sense of salvation is like drinking saltwater when you’re thirsty. It looks like it will quench your thirst, but the more you drink, the more dehydrated you become.
Jesus described false believers as people who claim to know Him but never truly surrendered to Him. They might look Christian on the outside but lack the real, transforming power of Christ.
2️⃣ Signs of False Salvation (With Illustrations)
1. Salvation by Words, Not Heart
🚨 “I said the sinner’s prayer, so I’m saved, right?”
Imagine James o. One Sunday, during an emotional altar call, he walks to the front, repeats a prayer after the pastor, and everyone claps. He leaves feeling good. But nothing in his life changes. He doesn’t seek God, doesn’t fight sin, doesn’t care about holiness.
James believes he’s saved because he prayed a prayer. But here’s the truth: Saying words doesn’t save you—faith in Christ does.
📖 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
— Matthew 15:8
🛑 False Salvation: Saying “Lord, Lord” but never actually surrendering.
✅ True Salvation: A heart transformed by God, not just lips that say the right things.
2. Salvation by Works, Not Grace
🚨 “I go to church, I tithe, I serve… I must be saved!”
Now see Debbie. She’s the definition of a “good Christian.” She never misses church, she donates to charity, she even volunteers every Sunday. But ask her about Jesus? She doesn’t really know Him. She trusts her good works more than God’s grace.
The Pharisees were like this. They followed all the religious rules but had no real relationship with God.
📖 “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8-9
🛑 False Salvation: Trusting in church attendance, religious activities, or personal goodness.
✅ True Salvation: Trusting in Christ alone for salvation.
3. Emotional Salvation, Not True Faith
🚨 “I felt God’s presence in worship, so I must be saved!”
Now it’s Sarah. She loves worship services. The music makes her cry, she feels goosebumps, and in those moments, she feels close to God. But when she steps outside church? Nothing changes. She has no hunger for God’s Word, no fight against sin, no desire for righteousness.
Feeling moved emotionally is not the same as salvation. Emotions fade, but true salvation leads to a lasting relationship with Jesus.
📖 “The seed on rocky ground represents those who receive the word with joy, but since they have no root, they last only a short time.”
— Mark 4:16-17
🛑 False Salvation: Temporary excitement about God without true commitment.
✅ True Salvation: A lasting faith that endures, even when emotions fade.
4. Cultural Christianity
🚨 “I was born in a Christian home, so I’m saved.”
Meet John. He grew up in a Christian family. He knows Bible verses, prays before meals, and calls himself a Christian. But he’s never actually surrendered his life to Jesus. He assumes he’s saved because his parents are Christians.
But here’s the truth: Salvation isn’t inherited. You don’t become a Christian by birth—it’s a personal decision.
📖 “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
— John 1:12
🛑 False Salvation: Thinking Christianity is just a cultural identity.
✅ True Salvation: A personal decision to follow Christ.
3️⃣ What True Salvation Looks Like
Now, let’s talk about real salvation—the kind that transforms, sustains, and secures us in Christ.
📖 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
Here’s how you know your salvation is real:
✅ 1. True Salvation Begins with Genuine Repentance
Not just “feeling bad” about sin—turning away from sin and turning to Jesus.
✅ 2. True Salvation is By Grace, Through Faith (Not Works)
📖 “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works.”
— Ephesians 2:8-9
You can’t earn salvation; you receive it by faith in Christ alone.
✅ 3. True Salvation Produces a Changed Life
Not perfection, but transformation. If Jesus is in you, it shows.
There’s a hunger for God, a hatred for sin, and a desire to obey Him.
✅ 4. True Salvation Endures
📖 “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”
— Matthew 24:13
A true believer doesn’t walk away from the faith.They may struggle, but they cling to Christ till the end.
🔥 Final Thought: Are You Truly Saved?
This isn’t about scaring anyone—it’s about examining ourselves. Paul said:
📖 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5
Salvation is not a feeling. It’s not church attendance. It’s not good works. It’s a genuine, surrendered relationship with Jesus.
💬 What do you think? Have you ever struggled with assurance of salvation? How can we be sure our faith is real? Let’s talk! 👇🔥
