{"id":1565,"date":"2019-04-30T20:07:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T18:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thrivechurch.co.za\/edenvale\/?page_id=1565"},"modified":"2024-10-18T13:34:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:34:08","slug":"follow-jesus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thrivechurch.co.za\/edenvale\/next-steps\/follow-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row force_equal_height_columns=&#8221;main_row&#8221; dfd_row_config=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; mobile_destroy_equal_heights=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243; column_responsive_mobile_classes=&#8221;dfd-remove-left-padding,dfd-remove-right-padding&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1564424424951{padding-right: 60px !important;padding-left: 60px !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<div class=\"dfd-spacer-module\"  data-units=\"px\" data-wide_resolution=\"1280\" data-wide_size=\"50\" data-normal_resolution=\"1024\" data-normal_size=\"50\" data-tablet_resolution=\"800\" data-tablet_size=\"25\" data-mobile_resolution=\"480\" data-mobile_size=\"25\" style=\"height: 50px;\"><\/div><div class=\"dfd-heading-shortcode\"><div class=\"dfd-heading-module-wrap  text-center style_01 dfd-heading-6a259a65e72d8 dfd-disable-resposive-headings\" id=\"dfd-heading-6a259a65e72d8\" ><div class=\"inline-block\"><div class=\"dfd-heading-module\"><h5 class=\"widget-title dfd-title \" style=\"\">Follow Jesus<\/h5><div class=\"dfd-heading-delimiter dfd-img-lazy-load\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(function($) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$(\"head\").append(\"<style>.dfd-heading-6a259a65e72d8.dfd-heading-module-wrap .dfd-heading-module .dfd-heading-delimiter {border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;width:100px;border-bottom-color:#dddddd;}.dfd-heading-6a259a65e72d8.dfd-heading-module-wrap .dfd-heading-module .dfd-heading-delimiter {margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;}<\/style>\");\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t})(jQuery);\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script><\/div><div class=\"dfd-spacer-module\"  data-units=\"px\" data-wide_resolution=\"1280\" data-wide_size=\"25\" data-normal_resolution=\"1024\" data-normal_size=\"25\" data-tablet_resolution=\"800\" data-tablet_size=\"25\" data-mobile_resolution=\"480\" data-mobile_size=\"25\" style=\"height: 25px;\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]At Thrive Church our purpose is to help people move towards Jesus! It is a lifelong journey that starts with a decision to follow Jesus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to be sure of your salvation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Can anyone really be sure that they are saved and forgiven and have a fresh start with God after praying a simple prayer? Yes, they can!<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s really quite simple. The Bible gives us the truth about salvation and we have listed a number of encouraging promises for you to read and place your trust in.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIf you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>Romans 10:9-10 NLT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Therefore, if you have prayed and asked Jesus into your life and believe with all your heart that He is your Saviour, then you are saved. But you might say that you do not \u2018feel\u2019 saved. Well, the Bible again says&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cI tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>John 5:24 NLT <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you now know this, yet feel that you still sin and fail, what then? The Bible goes on to tell us how to respond to sin and failure while God is working in us. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIf we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>1 John 1:7-9 NLT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You now need to walk in faith believing that God is true to His word and that you are saved. This is the most exciting decision you could make, but there is more&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to go on and grow in God<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In order for you to grow and become all that God has for you in Christ, there are several important steps you will need to take.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1: Believe that Jesus Christ has come into your life<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you have asked Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Saviour then you can be sure that He will respond and do just that. It is a fact, not a feeling, and you will need to trust His promises, not your feelings. Feelings will often lie to us and make us feel we are not saved.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus himself said&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cLook! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>Revelation 3:20-21 NLT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cHe came into the very world He created, but the world didn\u2019t recognise Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn &#8211; not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>John 1:10-13 NLT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This tells us that we are saved and accepted by God because of our trust in Jesus, not our performance or works. If you feel unworthy or unsure then it is not because God has not accepted you, but that you have not fully believed or understood that God has accepted you in Christ.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 2: Trust God with your whole life<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>God has awesome plans for your life and has had His eye on you from before you were even born. Believe that God is good and that He wants to be good to you. Believe and fully trust that God wants to bless you and help you in every area of your life. Pray and ask for your needs to be met.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cO LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in \u2013 behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>Psalm 139:1-5 NIV<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cFor you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother\u2019s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>Psalm 139:13-18 NIV<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 3: Read the Bible and pray regularly<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Reading the Bible regularly will teach you about God, and praying regularly will help you connect with God and have your needs met. Also when we pray, God speaks to us; it is not a one-way conversation. You can connect with God about all the issues in your life. For example your fears, concerns, emotional life, family, marriage, children, school, job, studies, finances, career, habits and all the things that are holding you back from God\u2019s best for your life. The Bible has all the practical guidelines you need for living a successful life.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cLike newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord\u2019s kindness.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><strong>1 Peter 2:2-3 NLT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jesus encourages us to come to God confidently in prayer for anything we need or for any challenge we may be facing. Pray with confidence and boldness, fully expecting God to answer your prayers because you are now one of His children.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cSo I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><strong>Luke 11:9-10 NIV <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>REMEMBER<\/strong>: GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!<\/p>\n<p>Please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLO7fJn_wgMObmlMHfHc3YuFhzhgPZxotF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">click here<\/a> if you&#8217;re looking for a worship playlist to connect with.<\/p>\n<p>To connect with one of our team members for more information or assistance, please fill in the form below[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"dfd-spacer-module\"  data-units=\"px\" data-wide_resolution=\"1280\" data-wide_size=\"50\" data-normal_resolution=\"1024\" data-normal_size=\"50\" data-tablet_resolution=\"800\" data-tablet_size=\"25\" data-mobile_resolution=\"480\" data-mobile_size=\"25\" style=\"height: 50px;\"><\/div><div id=\"dfd-button-6a259a65e7f8d\" class=\"dfd-button-module-wrap dfd-button-6a259a65e7f8d\"><div 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