Believe and Follow Jesus

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,

and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:31 NKJV

Suppose one day you were at an old cabin in a scenic wilderness relaxing and enjoying the quite of the day. Everything is so peaceful so you decide to take a nap on a hammock strung up between two trees outside of the old cabin. Then right in the middle of your slumber you are awakened to a raging forest fire surrounding you. You get up and start looking for a way of escape, but cannot find one. You tell yourself "I will find a way out of this miss" but you are having no luck. Then a man from search and rescue comes and tells you “there is one way out, but you must follow me and if you do I will lead you to safety.” What would you do? It would depend upon if you believed and had faith in him, or not. Am I not correct? If you say “I believe” then run in the opposite direction, it would show a lack of faith. If you believed the man, you would follow him, would you not?

So many times I hear people say they “believe in Jesus” then live like the devil. The only time they call upon Him is when they are in trouble. Then the only time you hear them speak His name; it is used as a dirty swear word. If this is you, I encourage you to ask yourself “Do I really believe?” Then ask, “Who is it that I am following?”

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 
(John 10:27 NKJV)


Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
(Luke 9:23-26 NKJV)