Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 60

One thing for certain about salvation is, it is part of a greater
plan. Once we realize that our
lives are created with this plan
as an outline, it can become very
difficult to understand the adjustments needed to live a life made
up of choices. It’s not enough
to learn you have the ability to
make choices, for you also have
the knowledge enabling you
to recognize God’s gift of love
and truth throughout the various trials and experiences you
face. Receiving the gift of salvation is made by a decision. It is
a personal matter of acceptance
of his faith and grace while in
a physical form, and this gift is
received by faith alone.
Ephesians 2:8 ~”For by grace
you are saved, through faith,
and this not from yourselves; it
is God’s gift-not from works, so
that no one can boast.”
GOD’S GIFTS
By accepting God’s gifts and
vowing to keep his commandments, many parts of your life
will begin to make sense. You
find happiness in the smallest of
things, and you find God’s influence when you need it the most.
There are times when life experiences will bring sorrow, yet
somehow, just the right people
will present either themselves or
the knowledge, to help you find
the means to succeed. This happens all as a response to choice.
Your choosing to follow God, to
receive his gifts and to pursue
salvation brings forth fruit in your
life in the form of provisional
tools influencing your character to stand strong against the
temptations of Satan and sin.
Romans 8:38-39 ~ 38 For I am

convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present
nor the future, no any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
God’s love is with us through
the most difficult of challenges
and during those calmer times.
Remember this peace when
these grim choices appear
before you.
MAKING AMENDS
Consider the gifts given, and
the plan. Salvation was so
easily made available. You
have had many choices in your
life. Sometimes you remembered God when you made
them, but you have also made
some wrong choices. That’s
okay, right. Everyone makes a
bad choice here and there, so
why is this one any different?
Well, this is salvation we are
referring to. Do you remember
how this came to us? Do you
remember the choice made,
the payment made for our
sins? First, let’s think about
what happens when we make a
good choice? How do you feel?
Okay, now when you make a
wrong choice, how do you feel?
Why is there a difference?

Some people will tell you what
you feel is guilt- you have a
guilty conscience for making
the wrong choice. Growing up,
I was told that conscience was
the spirit reminding me a bad
choice or a wrong choice, is a
sin. The way it was explained to
me was when you make a bad

choice then you commit a sin.
The scripture calls this spiritual
death. For what happens when
you commit sin is you separate yourself from God and this
causes shame and guilt.
Isaiah 59:1-2 ~ 1 Behold, the
LORD’S hand is not so short
That it cannot save; Nor is His
ear so dull That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made
a separation between you and
your God, And your sins have
hidden His face from you so
that He does not hear.
How do you get past this? You
confess that sin to God, for you
cannot overcome the effects of
sin without God. Your Father
loves you, and he wants to
hear you.
Romans 10:9 ~ “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord,’ and believe in your heart
that God raised HIM from the
dead, you will be saved.”
He sent his Son, Jesus Christ,
to pay for your sins. This payment is part of the amends of
Jesus Christ, who voluntarily
suffered for your sins and sorrows. It is through his grace
and mercy you are forgiven for
your sins. You must make the
choice to receive it by asking
for him to help you, to walk in
faith daily, to repent of your
sins, to be baptized, to receive
the Holy Spirit and to follow the
word and the teachings of the
word every day of your life. You
will face trials and you will be
faced with conflict, but as you
are filled with the mercy and
love of the Lord, you will persevere.
Continuously asking for for-