Are You Sure You’re Sure?

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1:9-14

I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.   2 Timothy 1:12

Night after night little Ricky was scared to crawl into bed. He struggled to go to sleep as spooky thoughts kept him wide-awake. He saw creepy shapes float across the ceiling. He feared that monsters hid in the dark shadows of his closet. He thought he could hear big-fanged creatures munch on the dust bunnies under his bed.

Believe it or not, some of us are haunted by some even scarier spiritual questions. We might wonder, Am I really saved? Has anything in my life really changed? If I’m a Christian, then why don’t I feel any different? We might think, Maybe I’m not really a Christian. Maybe I didn’t do it right.

Talk about it: Do you ever worry that you really aren’t a Christian?

For Satan, the enemy of your soul, every day is Halloween. Satan is always on the job, trying to scare the truth out of you and make you doubt your salvation—the fact that you really belong to God.

Doubts are common. But a Christian doesn’t have to feel saved in order to be saved, any more than a millionaire has to feel rich in order to be rich.

In 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul said some awesome things in some interesting ways. He said that “I know the one in whom I trust,” not just “what I trust.” He also said, “I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him.” Paul wasn’t just putting his faith in facts, but in a dependable friend. He was trusting the God who had proven himself worth trusting.

When you wonder whether you really are a Christian, read Isaiah 12:2 aloud several times: “God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” Then pray this Scripture-based prayer aloud:

Father, you are the one who saves me. Help me to trust and not be afraid. You give me strength and make me sing. Help me draw near to you with a sincere heart and a sure faith. Grab hold of my heart and give me sure knowledge that the gospel is true. Thank you for your promise that I belong to you—today and forever. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. (See Isaiah 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 10:22.)

TALK: Do you ever wonder if you are really saved? Spend some time looking up the additional Bible passages listed above.

PRAY: God, thank you that we can trust our life to you—now and forever!

ACT: Write out the prayer above. Put it where you can see it often until God’s assurance takes hold in your heart.