A belief is an idea one holds about the nature of reality.  Jesus is the true and living way.  He is the key to reality itself.  The beliefs we hold must correspond to reality — that which is really real, as opposed to mere appearance or fantasy.  The following statements I believe to be true and to correspond to reality.  They form the basis for my view of myself, God, the world, others, life and death, good and evil and everything in between.

THIS I BELIEVE

• There is only one true and living God (Exodus 20:2-3) who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and He is worthy of all honor, praise, and glory as the Creator, Sustainer, and Beginning and End of all things (Revelation 4:11; 5:9-10;Isaiah 43:1,7,21). This is the God of the Bible.

• God is a personal God, knows us by name, and is intimately involved in our daily lives working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Isaiah 43:1; Romans 8:28)

• God is always personally present with me, has plans to give me a hope and a future, and has prepared works in advance specifically for me to do.  I have a purpose.  (Psalm 139:1-18; Matthew 28:20; Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10)

• God is kind and compassionate and knows every single thing about me. (Psalm 103:8-14; 1John 3:1-3; Hebrews 4:12-13)

• God is in my midst and is mighty to save; He rejoices over me with singing and quiets me with His love.  (Zephaniah 3:17)

• God’s mercies are new every morning and His grace is sufficient for every need. (Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

• God has accepted me and is joyfully supportive of me. (Romans 5:8-11; 15:17)

• God is always present and eager to be with me and enables me to be all that He created me to be. (Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 13:5)

• I am created in His image to have fellowship with Him, to bring glory, honor, and praise to Him through my life, to show forth His excellencies. (1 Peter 2:9).  When God created human beings in His image, he formed living, breathing humans who would represent Him with purpose, trust, confidence, decisiveness, creativity, and responsibility.

• As a result of this fellowship with God, I gain His perspective, power, and purpose to change lives.

• I believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Living Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14)

• I believe that Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8), that he disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15).

• When Jesus endured the Cross and triumphed over death, He didn’t just make a way to come back to God, He became the Way for all who believe, to be reconciled again with God.  This I believe!

• I believe that God has proven his love for me because, when I was still a sinner, Christ died for me (Romans 5:8).

• I believe that He delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to His kingdom, and in Him, I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

• Not only am I fully redeemed and forgiven, reconciled and redeemed, but also delivered, set free, and healed by the stripes He bore.  (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:25) This I believe.

• I believe that Jesus shed His blood for me to seal the New Covenant of healing, forgiveness, restoration, victory over all the powers of darkness, fear, shame and guilt.  It is a covenant of freedom to be all God created me to be and to live from the heart He gave me.  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:16-17; Jeremiah 32:41-44; Jeremiah 33:6)

• I believe that I am now a child of God (1John 3:1-3) and that I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).

• I believe that I am saved by the grace of God through faith, that it was a gift and not the result of any works on my part (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• I believe that apart from Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5), but that I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,  so I declare myself completely dependent on Him.  Because I believe this to be true, I choose to abide in Christ in order to bear much fruit and glorify the Lord (John 15:8).  Philippians 4:13)

• I believe that the truth will set me free (John 8:32) and that walking in the light is the only path of fellowship (1 John 1:7).

• I believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and that He is the head over all rule and authority (Colossians 2:10). 

• I believe that Satan and his demons are subject to me in Christ since I am a member of Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:19-23).

• I believe that mankind was created to live in a state of Shalom:  peace, prosperity, goodness, and order, right relationships with God and others, embracing the concepts of harmony, security, serenity, wholeness, health, even success. 

• Although shattered by the Fall of Man, shalom was restored to all who believe by the free gift of Jesus when He died for us and when He said, “My shalom I leave with you; my peace (shalom) I give to you . . .” (John 14:27). We can live in Shalom now.

• I believe that the Kingdom of God is not a place, but a REALITY, that it is God’s good pleasure to give it to us, and that it is within us who believe, and that we are to seek it first with every fiber of our being.  God is King.  It is not a military triumph but a victory over everything that plagues us:  sin, sickness, death, and unfaithfulness. (Luke 17:20; Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:32).

• I believe in giving thanks in all circumstances and for all things, for the Lord commands it, as well as encouraging the fainthearted, helping the weak, being patient with all, praying without ceasing.  (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 5:20)

• I believe we have a personal enemy and are in a battle against his lies and deceit.  The victory has been won and we are assured that we do not fight alone.  The weapons of our warfare are not physical, but they are mighty in God to the pulling down of demonic strongholds, destroying arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and in taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  We are well-equipped with defensive armor, and offensive weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20).

• I believe in the power of forgiveness, not only for my own sins, restoring me to God, but the freedom and healing that is mine when I freely and effectively forgive others for their sins. 

• I believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit on the earth today with all His gifts and the fruit of walking with Him.  Comforter, Teacher, Living God, Life Giver, Breath of God . . .

• I believe that loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is to love one another as Christ loves us, doing unto others as we would have them to do to us.  By this will all men know that we belong to God through Jesus Christ.  (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Matthew 7:12; 22:37-40; Luke 10:27; John 13:35)

• I believe that children are a heritage from the Lord, that the fruit of the womb is His reward and that life begins at conception.  Faithful parenting as part of faithful stewardship over His heritage is something for which we will have to give an account . . . not for perfect children, but for being faithful to Him.

• I believe that before we were formed in the womb, God knew us, set us apart, and appointed us.  (Jeremiah 1:5)

• I believe that the civil Liberty which we have in America is a gift from the Lord, the Author of Liberty, that it is one of man’s unalienable rights and that faithful stewardship over it is a duty and a privilege, sacred and holy.  That Liberty is a legacy to be carefully guarded and handed over to our posterity.

• I believe Jesus is the WAY, God is the WAYMAKER, and the Holy Spirit comforts, guides and shows us the WAYMARKS on our journey home.

• I believe it is our responsibility to leave Way Marks for others to follow as they journey home.

Patricia Holloway Smith (c) 4/18/2020