Student of the word, I loved your testimony.
My transformation was like your family, over a period of time and still is gradual. PTL
I wanted to clarify the Apostle Pauls words about confessing with your mouth and salvation. It occurs when you have heard the gospel. Someone had to have given the seed somewhere that would get in the heart and grow. It’s very much like getting pregnant. The seed must enter in before any life starts. A woman knows her own body, she knows that a change is taking place, though not immediately, but in time she will know..
I am replying to you, but speaking to the whole online congregation.
Something on the inside of us will blurt out that Jesus Christ is LORD. We can ask anyone on the street who is not a believer and ask, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is LORD”, the replies that I have always received, “yeah sure”. It’s just a mind thing, it’s not coming out of the heart.
I remember years ago over an incident that was so innocent and didn’t require any of what happened next. It was over peanut butter sandwiches. Anyway, to get to that meat of the story, my Aunt chased me from the kitchen to a bedroom with butter knife she started stabbing me with it, digging it into my leg saying, “i hate you, I hate you”. And i said, “Why do you hate me?” and she said, “I don’t hate you”. As if shocked that I would suggest such a thing. But her heart spoke her real hatred for me. When she heard me speak, her mind denied the thought.
With the heart the mouth speaketh. Salvation is voiced from the heart, just as it did for you as the Padre dropped a seed in your ears which sank down into your heart and there it started to grow and the mouth is the outlet by which all things must vomit out.
And I am please to say that my bread is ready to come out of the oven. YUM YUM