Am I Really Converted?
By Pastor Myckal Morehouse
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." -- Acts 3:19
Am I really converted? How does one know for sure? Maybe I'm not, and am I lost then? -- These haunting questions at times plague the people of God. But how does one know if they are truly converted anyway?
The problem, many times, lies with how we view conversion. In many minds conversion is an event, a singular moment in time when there was a dramatic shift in a person's life. But when a church member doesn't have a "from gangs to God" story, some question "What's wrong with me? Maybe I should fall into the world so I too can have a dramatic story", but you don't need to fall deep into the pit of drugs and dark living to know true conversion. Conversion is not an event, it is a process begun by the Holy Spirit in each of our lives because all have sinned and all are in need of redemption.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, the first work He does is to convict us of sin (what we do that is wrong), of righteousness (what we should be doing which God approves of), and of judgment (the ultimate destruction that will come upon us in our sins). When we realize our hopeless condition, the Holy Spirit opens to the sinner's mind the gospel that Jesus has provided a way of salvation through His merits, grace, and atoning sacrifice "for ME". The hopeless soul, inspired by such a divine glimpse of the grace of Christ, will reach forth his hand of faith and grasp upon the promise and salvation of God for him. He will then freely confess his sin, repent of his sin, and seek to live a holy life through the divine power that Christ offers.
It is then that power from heaven works a work of transformation upon the soul which the Bible calls "conversion" -- and this process is repeated in the Christian's life again and again -- and as long as we follow this process, we are being converted day by day, and our faith gives us the assurance that we are truly children of God, heirs of heaven!
Instead of asking "am, I converted", may I suggest you change the question to "am I being converted"? Am I allowing Christ to bring me through the process of conversion and am I trusting Him to accomplish this work in me? If so, then yes my friend you do have a conversion story -- and yes, Jesus will finish the good work He has begun in your life! May God bless each of us to follow the process of conversion day by day.
