Is Christ Real To You? / Guest Post by Jaxson Kaebel

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a Christian home. We went to church as a family every Sunday. Like most Christian families, my parents taught my three younger siblings and I to pray before we ate and before we went to bed. However, in my heart, I didn’t feel like I really needed God in my life.

I went through the motions for years like this and didn’t come to truly know Jesus until I was invited to a Northstar hockey camp in Alexandria, Minnesota at 14 years old. My flesh really didn’t want to attend the camp, but I was encouraged to go and I am so glad I did because my life was completely changed for eternity!

When I arrived, the environment around these Christian hockey players was different. Something they would often say that stood out to me was, “We are Christians that happen to be hockey players, not hockey players that are Christians.” I had never thought about it, but there is a lot of truth in that saying. Being a Christian is way more important than being a hockey player in life; being a Christian is who I am not what I do.

During the three days at camp, we had chapel every night and I found myself wondering, “If I died today would I go to heaven or hell?” This question just stuck with me and tugged at me more and more.       

On the last night, the speaker shared his testimony about how he was fully in the dark and then was brought to life through God. At the end of his testimony he said, “If you want to fully surrender your life to Christ right now, I want you to come up on stage.” In my heart, I felt a major pull, which I couldn’t shake. A voice spoke to my soul that I needed to make my relationship with Christ real. In that moment, I stood up in front of everyone and proclaimed, “I fully surrender myself to Christ!” This moment marked an important moment in my life! I said the Believer’s Prayer and felt this instant joy in my heart. From that moment on, I have been following Christ to the fullest! Taking up my cross daily and truly following Him.

What about you? Is Christ real to you or are you going through the motions like I did for years? Are you fully surrendered to Christ or just living in a Christian environment?

Growing up in a Christian home can make it easy to say you are a Christian. However, you need to search your heart and be honest with yourself on whether your relationship with Jesus Christ is real. It can’t be done for you by your parents, friends, or even your pastors. The only person who can fully surrender your life to Christ is you. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” You must deny yourself to follow Christ and surrender your past worldly ways so you can live fully in Him.  

You simply need to talk to God about it. Ask Him to search your heart (Psalm 139:23-24). The Holy Spirit will dwell in you if you are fully willing to surrender. The Lord will speak to you.

As a follower of Christ, it is important to stand on the truth, be obedient to what God says, and pursue Him daily. By doing this and living a life fully alive in Him, your teammates and coaches will take notice. It will show them that you are different and set apart because you won’t be doing the same things others are doing. This can open up opportunities for you to share the Gospel with people who take notice and ask.

A simple way to show your team you are a Christian is to consistently do the right thing. By not participating in the worldly things that your teammates are doing, by having control over your tongue and what you say, by making God-honoring choices in the little and big things in life, these differences will get them thinking and asking themselves what’s different about you. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Shine bright in the darkness!! Prayerfully, this will give you an opportunity to share the Gospel! 

Once you have determined if your relationship with Jesus is real and fully surrendered to him, you can live unashamed for Jesus and make an impact for Him! It is invaluable to know in your heart that you are a true follower of Christ and are following the steps God has determined for you because His plan is perfect!