Should I Feel Different After I Give My Life To Christ?
Do I have to feel anything after I repent and give life to Christ? I’ve sinned greatly, I’m dying, I just repented, but I fear it wasn’t real. I want to love Jesus and follow Him, but it feels so fake, and I didn’t feel anything.
The genuineness of your faith and the genuineness of your repentance is not always measured by how it feels. We do rejoice when a person comes to Christ and feels very deeply. We rejoice when there’s just this great, positive demonstration such as tears and laughter and exhilaration, and we praise the Lord for all that. But those things don’t prove that the faith and the repentance were real.
I’ll be very straightforward. What really proves the faith and repentance is real is if you continue to believe it tomorrow and the day after that. For your remaining days on earth, you should live them for the Lord and for His glory, whether it feels exhilarating or it feels like nothing. Live for the Lord; that’s your assurance that you’ve truly trusted Him. The other thing to do is to cry out to God and ask Him to help you. Remember the prayer of the man who came to Jesus, when his son was ill and needed a healing. He said to Jesus. “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” I think that’s kind of where you’re at right now. You believe, but you’re aware that your belief is not complete.
Nobody’s faith is perfect. If we were saved by the perfection of our faith, we’d all go to hell. But we’re not saved by the perfection of our faith. We’re saved by the perfection of our Savior, and we bring our weak faith to a perfect Savior and put our trust in Him. Maybe the answer for you is to take your eyes off yourself and the quality or level of your faith, and instead let your mind and heart be filled with the greatness of Jesus Christ, who He is, how much He loves you, and what He did to rescue you.