Yep, I believe. And that's good news.

7 Reasons you should be  THRILLED  I’m a Believer

** Please give me a moment to explain my definition of a Believer **

(Perhaps I will give a definition of what a Believer is NOT in another post.)

•  I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the son of God. There is one God. Creator of all. And that there is a Holy Spirit, though, I admit...I have not spent much time getting to know the Spirit...honestly, I am a little intimidated by it, but I am working on that mental block.
• I believe that the Bible, the Word of God, is absolute truth. (There are debatable matters that I may or may not have interest in debating with you. We can discuss this in private. And I will never claim I know all the answers to your questions. That's between you and God.)
•  I believe that I was separated from God because of my transgressions (which have been MANY) and God provided a way to atone for those faults so that I do not have to spend eternity separated from Him (which, to me, is the purest definition of Hell – separation from God). I believe the atonement is accepting Christ's sacrifice on the cross in place of my own life and asking him to come in and forgive me and change me from the inside out.
• I believe there is one salvation. Once saved, always saved. (By God's grace we are saved and not through our good works so no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9)  However, sanctification is an ongoing, lifelong thing that is very, very good for us to take part in on a daily basis.

** Everything else may or may not be just politics in my eyes **

 

SO, without further ado...
My 7 Reasons
(And these DO depend on whether or not I'm walking
with God and reading the Word, b/c otherwise, I'm HORRIBLE)

1. I answer to a perfect higher power. - What this means for you...I know I'm not perfect and I never will be. I am accountable to something greater than anything in or of this world. I know right and wrong. I have a conscience above my desires or whims...even if I don't always listen. There are set codes. That whole, "Whatever is right for me, is right for me" ... I call that a cop-out. (And I try to pull that crap all the time. Usually doesn't end well.)
2. I do not find my identity in you. - Super-awesome news for you! I will not demand that you inflate my ego nor will every little thing you say crush me.  I will also not change like shifting sand depending on if someone is flattering me or stepping on my toes. This means I won't be a needy, life-sucking drain on you, begging you to validate me at every turn. I do like to please people, but it's not an end-all, be-all. And I'll say this - if all you have for me is negativity, controlling, manipulating behavior and criticism...then there's tha doh, yo! I don't like to be around life-sucking people, either. It's called boundaries. And it IS Biblical. (Even Jesus said it's OK to set boundaries when dealing with problem people. Luke 9:5)
3. When we have issues, I know you're not the enemy. - That means I'm not going to bad-mouth you to every living soul I know. I may have one or two very close, trusted people that I gain wisdom from and ask advice of, but I will not bash and batter you to make myself feel better. Because the key words are "we" have issues. That means me, too. Also, because I believe in the Scripture, Eph. 6:12 ... and that's good news for both of us.
4. When I'm out-of-line, you can point me to Scripture. - I can, have and probably will try to argue my point until I'm blue in the face. Sometimes, when I know I'm wrong. A lot of time, when I truly think I'm right. However, there is one thing I can't and don't argue with...the Word. You wanna shut me up? Speak the Truth to me. You want me to respect you AND shut up, KNOW the Word and then speak the Truth to me in love. And then let me be...becerze I jurst bern hurmbled and sometimes, that ain't pretty. (Besides, don't push your luck. I'm still human. Grrrrr. :) )
5. I won't judge your journey. - I have been judged. I don't like it. I have walked some pretty fantastically weird, spiritual walks that some people thought were wrong. I am not going to pretend to know you from the inside out. Only God can know you like that. You've experienced things I will never know about or understand. And vice versa. And I sure as heck do not know your relationship with God. But I DO know God walks with us all and we all have a journey. If you let me walk beside you, I promise to do my best to be a friend and love you along the way.
6. I know your life is just as important as mine. - This belief will keep me from trying to hurt you on purpose. Or take what is not mine. God holds me accountable for my actions. Not just what I do in my life, but how I affect others. I know I stumble. I know I trip up and I try not to bring anyone down with me...but it happens. I'm not going to set myself up as better than you or anyone else. I have worth. And so do you. God says so.
7. I'm going to be happy for your successes and mourn your losses. - This is rooted in 2 Corinthians 1:4 "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." It's also a commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. I love it when things work out in my life...I hate it when they don't. I'll be the same with you. If everything is going your way, I WILL rejoice with you...even if everything isn't going "my way." I'm not a jealous person. I'm not particularly competitive. This also means I want to help you achieve your dreams and I want to help you overcome the lies that come in times of defeat. 

One last note: None of these things I do perfectly. Ever. ...see #1.

That's why I need Christ. Why I am so glad there is a perfect God. Because I ain't even close.