What does it mean to believe and what does it look like?

What does it mean to actually believe in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus existed? Do you believe He died and rose again? Did you repeat a prayer after someone? Do you believe he died on the cross a horrible painful death for your sins, so you can have an eternity with Jesus in heaven and live out the everyday showing others Jesus? It does say in the bible in Romans that whoever confesses with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For some of you you read this and say yes I can full confidence that I am saved. Others may say, I repeated a prayer on time but NOT ONE THING has changed in my life after that. I encourage you to think about that. The bible says For it is with your heart that you believe. So do you believe in your heart?

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

So when your saved people should be able to tell! Your life should look different! As a Christian were told NOT to look like the world. In the bible they refer to satan as ruler of the world. Why would someone who is saved by Jesus want to look like the product of something that satan rules over! NOT ME! I understand this is hard, it really is, but once you get that fire and deep passion you want to be different, you know God smiles upon different, and you want others to be that way too. Let's step out if faith. People go to church, say they believe, listen to the message, but change absolutely nothing else in their lives. The bible says

James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forget what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.

We are all guilty at some point for hearing and not doing, but lets change this. Let's open our hearts and minds for Jesus to transform us! Let's make sure when we confess JESUS IS LORD and believe it in our hearts that we repent and let God penetrate every area of our lives to reflect Him. I want to know when I get to the pearly gates Jesus KNOWS ME! That he doesn't know of me, but knows me by the personal relationship I seek to have with him DAILY! One thing the bible talks about when you receive Jesus you receive the Spirit (Holy Spirit) (Acts 2:38) So now that your saved and have this relationship with Jesus, he sends his spirit to be with you, the bible refers to the Holy Spirit as the Counselor, our Advocate ( someone who supports). When we receive the Holy Spirit things should really start to change in our lives. When we live in the power of the Spirit things should look more supernatural than natural in our lives. We are not living to what God called us to be if you can explain everything that happens in our lives, apart from the work of the Spirit. In this book I'm reading called Forgotten God, Francis Chan uses a really cool description of the Spirit I want to share. He says image a caterpillar that all its life has crawled on the ground and eaten leaves, then one day takes a nap, a long nap, and wakes up and says WOW I've got these beautiful wings and I can fly. That is how much our life should change when we encounter Jesus and Holy Spirit. We shouldn't be crawling anymore because we have this awesome potentinal now that completely changes who we are. Our old selves have died, we are a new creation in Christ. I want others to be able to tell that from spending time with me. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Acts 4:13
When the men saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

We should want others to see that we spend time with Jesus and his spirit is on us. Stop and think of the first person who comes to mind when you like Spirit-filled. Aren't they just fun to be around? Don't they carry this light and joy with them? We can have it too, its not their light anyway its Jesus'!!!!

2 Corinthians 2:4
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

prayer: Jesus, you are so good! Holy Spirit come and enter every area of our lives. Let whatever we say and do be led by You. Let others see Your glory by how we live our lives. Let it be a reflection of who you are and the power of Your Spirit.
Amen.