Devotional Thoughts: Confess Jesus

I first openly declared this years ago as a teen. I was tired of failing at life doing things my way. It just wasn’t working out. I surrendered the course of my life to God. I openly declared, confessed with my mouth Jesus is Lord. This wasn’t a magical thing I spoke, but an outflow of giving my life to God.

I’m thinking today also about many who follow God in places where you can be killed for openly declaring Jesus is Lord. This verse isn’t so difficult for us.

When we come across the word believe in the New Testament it has a deeper meaning in Greek than it does in our English language. Believing something affects everything you are, your choices, your lifestyle, your outlook on life.

Some of us need to stop believing certain things, confess Jesus as Lord and believing will replace those dark things we believe that hold us captive in our hearts. This sets us free from awful debilitating thoughts like, “I’m ugly,” “I’m weak,” “I’m not good enough.” It also sets us free from the polar opposite thinking that we are better than other people, or that we are the savior of the world.

One way we openly declare Jesus is Lord is through baptism. Baptism shows who we belong to. Baptism is obedience and following through in our faith. It’s the mark of a Christian. I used to teach kids in gang ridden neighborhoods that gangs have colors and symbols to show they belong. Christians have baptism to show we are in God’s gang, God’s family.

What does my life say to others? What does your life say? we are declaring something whether we like it or not. If you haven’t arrived at confessing Jesus is Lord, God raised Jesus from the dead you can do that today.

That’s what freed me years ago. You too can be free.