Examine Yourself- part 6 of 6

Let me tell you something else. The saved person does not ask "How close can I get to sin without falling?" They ask, "How close can I get to God?" They don't walk the line between light and darkness. They run from the edge and press into the throne. They want no part of the things that once held them in chains. They don't flirt with the grave they were raised out of. They dance in the freedom of new life, and yet we live in an age where sin is celebrated, where compromise is marketed as wisdom, where holiness is mocked, and truth is considered hate. But you, if you are truly saved, you must be different, you must be set apart, you must shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. You must walk the narrow road even when it is lonely, and yes, it will cost you. The narrow road is never crowded, it's never easy, but it is holy, and it leads to life.

Jesus never said, "Follow me and you'll be comfortable." He said, "Deny yourself, take up your cross follow me."
And hear this, if your walk with Christ hasn't cost you anything, you may not be walking with Christ at all, because following Jesus will cost you friends, it will cost you popularity, it may cost you opportunities, it will cost you your pride. But what you gain... oh what you gain, cannot be measured in earthly terms. You gain peace that surpasses understanding, joy unspeakable, a hope that never fails, and a home not made with human hands... eternal in the heavens. You gain Him and He is worth it all.

But you must want Him more than the world. You must want Him more than your comfort. You must want Him more than your sin. You must want Him more than your reputation. You must want Him more than your own life. Because only when Christ is your treasure will salvation take hold of your soul. Only when He becomes your everything will you experience the fullness of what it means to be saved.

Do you long for Him or do you just long for what He can do for you?

Many seek His hand but not His heart. They want the blessings not the blesser; they want the gifts not the giver. But true salvation doesn't come to those who want a better life, it comes to those who want a new life, a holy life. You may have sat in church your whole life, you may have a bible worn with time, you may have perfect church attendance, and a thousand verses memorized, but none of that will matter if Jesus Christ has not become Lord of your life. You can know every word of the book and still miss the Word made flesh.

Salvation is not a ritual, it is not a routine, it is not an emotional moment during a song, it is not a temporary high during a revival. It is a divine exchange... His life for yours, His righteousness for your sin, His spirit for your flesh. And when that exchange happens... truly happens, it changes everything. Your desires shift, your mindset transforms, your spirit awakens, your tongue speaks life, your hands serve, your feet walk in truth, your soul yearns for the will of God above all else. This is not religion, this is resurrection, and don't let the world tame your fire. Don't let comfort kill your passion. Don't let culture dilute your holiness. You are not saved to blend in. You were saved to stand out. You were not redeemed to be silent; you were redeemed to roar with righteousness. You were not filled with the spirit to sit quietly in compromise; you were filled to burn brightly with boldness.

The Holy Spirit is not a guest in your house, He is the owner. He doesn't come in to take a corner, He comes to take over. And if you have truly been born again, you will welcome that takeover. You will surrender every room of your heart. No more hidden closets, no more locked doors. He gets it all, and listen to me closely... if there's still a room you won't give Him, if there's still a sin you protect, if there's still a part of your life you say not yet to, then you have not yet truly made Him Lord. And if He is not Lord of all then He is not Lord at all.

You must examine your heart, not with fear, but with honesty, because God is not waiting to strike you down, He is waiting to raise you up. But He will not raise up a false version of you. He will not bless your mask. He will not anoint your performance. He blesses what is real, He touches what is broken, He revives what is surrendered. Come out of hiding, come out of religion, come out of routine, come out of complacency. Let your soul be searched by the light of heaven. Let his truth pierce through your comfort. Let His word dismantle your pride, and let Him save you...
truly  save you.

So I ask you now not as a preacher to a crowd but as one soul crying out to another in the name of Jesus Christ. Are you truly saved? Not halfway, not sort of, not I think so... but born again, washed by the blood, filled with the Spirit, walking the narrow way. This is not the time to gamble with eternity. This is not the hour to play games with your soul. This is the moment of decision. This is the sound of the Spirit calling you home, not to religion, but to repentance; not to tradition, but to transformation; not to shallow comfort, but to the cross. Don't wait until your breath is shallow and your time is up. Don't wait until your heart is hardened and your ears no longer hear the whisper of God. Today is the day of salvation, today is the day to fall on your knees and say "Lord I surrender. Not my will but Yours, not my way but Your way, not my life but Yours alone. Let the pride fall, let the mass crack, let the tears come."

God is not looking for the strong and polished. He is searching for the broken and willing, He is seeking the heart that cries "Here I am Lord take all of me.” He will not turn away the humble, He will not reject the contrite, He will not ignore the cry of a desperate soul. This is your hour right now, not tomorrow, not after you fix yourself, not after you figure it all out. Now come as you are but don't stay as you are. Let the fire of God consume what needs to die and let His Spirit raise up a new creation in you, one who walks in truth, one who lives in righteousness, one who bears fruit that lasts.

The world doesn't need more comfortable Christians. The world is desperate for holy ones, for bold ones, for people who have truly been with Jesus. So rise up not in your strength but in His. Stand firm not in your opinion, but in His word. Love fiercely, not in your flesh, but by His Spirit. And when you walk out of this moment, don't just walk away convicted, walk away changed. Don't just feel the truth, live it. Don't just hear the call, answer it. Because there's a lost world waiting to see what a real child of God looks like. Let it be you.

Let the fire of heaven burn in your bones. Let the purity of Christ shine through your eyes. Let your life scream to the world "I am not my own, I belong to Jesus." And when the storms come, you will not shake. When the battles rage, you will not fall. When the enemy roars, you will not retreat. Because you are not standing alone. You are standing with God. So walk with courage. Live with holy conviction. Love with fire. Preach with boldness. Forgive with grace. And never, never settle for a salvation that doesn't transform you. You were not made for lukewarm living you were made for holy fire. Now go and burn for Him.

(Billy Graham)