How Do I Know I Responded?

You might think this is a funny title. Right.

But, in the spiritual arena, this is a common thought - one that myself and many others have had.

So, let's say you responded in one of the ways described in The Response.

Here's some of the questions most people have:

• Did anything really happen?
• How do I know if anything happened?
• Did God hear me and accept my response?
• Did I really start a relationship with God?
• Did I do one or all of those response things?
• Did I do my part so that God would respond?

Here are some things that might help:

Feelings

First, the role of feelings. It's normal to look to your emotions to gauge whether something happened or not. In a relationship with another person, we usually judge the status of the relationship using our feelings.

In the case of responding to God, we might look for an emotional confirmation of some type. But, perhaps you felt something; maybe you didn't. The problem is, that emotions are not a good enough indicator for this type of relationship response. We need something stronger. We need solid promises and commitments.

Better: Promises and Commitments

Feelings are great, but better than feelings, are solid promises and commitments.

When a person gets married, they are usually (and hopefully) feeling great about the relationship. But, at some point, the day-to-day realities of life can make emotions negative or positive and everything in-between. But, we don't give up on the relationship. We remember our commitment and our promises and continue. In most cases, positive emotions re-emerge. But, in the end, emotions, alone, are not a strong enough pillar on which to base our relationship.

The Commitment and Promises of God to You

God has made many promises to you but, if you are usure of whether God answered your response to Him, please consider the two promises below.

Reference	Promise
Revelation 3:20	Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
I John 5:11-13	The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.

Now, follow the flowchart that contains these two promises and see a few simple questions can help you know that you have eternal life.

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