Do you remember the joy in your heart when you first realized—you knew that you knew—that you had eternal life?

I do.

My testimony is nothing dramatic. I have no great story of deliverance from a life of addiction, loss, or sorrow. Yet somehow God knew I would seek Him and believe. That I, at age fourteen, would have the humility of heart to realize that I needed something or someone greater than myself to make it through this life.  

I was a freshman in high school when one of my close friends shared a Bible verse with me that changed my life. It says “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)

I was shocked at the simplicity of it!  Could prayer really be that simple?

This started me on a quest to learn more about this God of the Bible. A journey that has now taken me through several decades and the valleys and peaks—the heartaches, disappointments and struggles, as well as the joys and triumphs—of life.

I still recall that moment of unspeakable joy and boundless freedom I felt in my heart when I realized death was no longer something to be feared. That when I confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord, and believed that God rose Him from the dead, I was brought into the presence of an Almighty God, a loving Heavenly Father who would never leave me.

The gift of Holy Spirit I received at the time of my new birth in Christ is the assurance of His presence for all eternity.

His presence is my present.

Yours too.

Our gift is not meant to sit upon a shelf and collect dust. It’s there to be carried with us and used, like a well-worn teddy bear goes with a child.

I’m learning to seek His presence not only before I shut my eyes at night—but throughout the day, all the time.

Jesus longs to communicate with you right now.

Are you using your gift? Are you enjoying His presence today?

Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Elton

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