It takes courage and a bold step of faith when you turn your back on old ways of living life, choose to confess your sins, repent from your sins, and accept Jesus Christ openly as your Lord and Saviour till eternity comes. Nobody can do these things of their own accord except for those whose eyes have been opened and given the revelation that Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord, the redeemer of all sinners and the giver of life.
Staying in faith can be quite a struggle for new Christians. Sometimes, we can be easily swayed with words that make us turn our backs on God. Other times, we are faced with so much hardship that we run back to our old ways of living life, and at other times, we are simply persecuted for turning our backs on religion and embracing a relationship with God. In all our struggle to stay faith in Christ, however, backslide from our newly found faith in Christ. Begum Bilquis Sheikh was a new Christian who converted from Islam to Christianity, and in her book, I Dared to Call Him Father, she narrated her story of family exclusions, community condemnations, death threats and several attempts to dissuade her from her newly found faith in Christ. Her journey to becoming a fully-fledged Christian was not at all that smooth. Yet she persisted in her faith, and she followed Christ with all her heart, her mind, and all her might. Had she not been convinced of her call to Christ, she would have crumbled under pressure, and she would have lost her faith entirely.
A very smart and very intelligent gentleman once tried to confuse and dissuade my faith in God. Though he professed his belief in God, he still questioned God’s intent and authority on every level. By God’s grace, I was able to deduce that his reasonings and arguments with scriptural quotations were nothing but philosophical. Supposing God did not make me strong in faith, his arguments could have dissuaded me from believing in God and following Christ, I could’ve been lured away from faith, and who knows what could’ve happened afterwards?
The Bible says that Christians, children of God, believers in Christ, and followers of Jesus Christ must “see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceits, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ“(Colossians 2:8).
There are many people like Begum Bilquis Sheikh’s community and this gentleman in the universe with good intentions. Their aim is to convince believers of what they believe to be the truth, but the truth can only be found in Christ Jesus (John 1:14). If human reasoning is not aligned with God’s will, then it’s only plain ideologies and philosophies of the universe. Whatever stands against your faith stands against your light, and Jesus Christ is your light (John 8:12). Be wary of such teachings, search the spirit behind such ideas and check all teachings against the scripture; if they are not aligned with God’s mind, they are not of God. Â Be warned. Stay away from human ideologies and affirm your faith in God.
Speak the Word and Change Your World for Good.
Day 1.
I declare that I am no longer under the control of sin. I believe in Christ through whom I will overcome in this sinful world ( Galatians 3:22) (1 John 5:5)
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Day 2.
I declare my belief that Jesus is the son of God and I am saved by the name of Jesus. (1 John 5:13)(1 John 5:5).
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Day 3.
I declare that the spirit of Christ now dwells in my heart, and through him, I have become a child of God (John 1:12)(John 1:12).
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Day 4.
I believe through Jesus Christ I have eternal life, and I will not perish with this world or in the world to come (John 3:16)
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Day 5.
I declare that I am no longer condemned to spiritual death, sicknesses, and diseases of this world (John 3:18), but I am accepted by God through his son Jesus Christ, who gives me a new life.
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Day 6.
I declare that I no longer thirst or hunger after the things of the flesh, but I am now filled by Christ, who is the bread of life and the living water. (John 6:35)
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Day 7.
I believe in Christ Jesus hence rivers of living water flow through me (John 7:38)
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Day 8.
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20)
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Day 9.
Henceforth, I will live by example for other believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12)
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Day 10.
I believe Jesus Christ is my healer, and I declare that my faith has made me whole (Mark 10:52)
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Day 11.
I believe, and I receive everything I ask for in the name of Jesus, they are mine (Mark 11:24)
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Day 12.
I believe I am saved and baptized through the holy spirit of Jesus Christ, who lives in me (Mark 16:16)
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Day 13.
I believe I will see the glory of God through Jesus Christ, whom I believe in (John 11:40)
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Day 14.
I declare Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, through him, I am saved (Romans 10:9)
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Day 15.
I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord, and I profess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, I am justified, and I am saved (Romans 10:10)
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