Sarah Bickerstaff
Sarah Bickerstaff's Story
Break Through
I realized that it’s not by anything I can do that will get me to heaven, but only by what Christ did for me.
“For it is by grace we are saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
It took me a while to realize the reality of this verse. Throughout junior high and high school, ever
since I became a Christian, I was the definition of a “goody-goody”. I was convinced that doing
good things or not doing bad things would get me to heaven. I just knew that every time I didn’t
drink and everyone else did that I was better than them and I became so prideful. I
mean who needed an actual relationship with Christ when all I had to do was be good? I thought I
was so great that I didn’t need the Lord because I was fine running my own life. I wanted complete control of my life, but still wanted to enjoy the benefits of being a Christian. I had asked the
Lord into my life, but didn’t allow Him to come in. My whole view of Christianity was totally
wrong. Then reality hit. I went on a retreat and the speaker talked about being a luke warm
Christian. He referred to Revelation 3:16, which says “Because you are luke warm-neither hot nor cold-I will spit you out of my mouth.” This verse really hit me hard because I realized that I had
been going through every motion, doing everything right, and saying everything right, but I really
wasn’t a Christian. I didn't have a personal relationship with Him-it was just all about good works and legalism. Christ wasn’t dwelling in me, and He definitely wasn’t Lord of my life. I
realized that it’s not by anything I can do that will get me to heaven, but only by what Christ did
for me. It is COMPLETELY by His grace that I am saved. I was finally able to give Him control of my life and live for Him, and it is absolutely amazing. I was able to experience the hope and joy that He had to offer me.
Since then,God has blessed
me so much with awesome Christian friends and so many wonderful oppurtunities. I was able to go on summer project to Fort Lauderdale this past summer and I grew more in my walk than ever. I became comfortable with sharing my faith, learned the importance of a daily quiet time and fellowship and vulnerability with other believers, and soo much more. Even though I’ve gone through some hard times, like losing one of my friends by a drunk driver and going through another tough divorce in my family, God has given me the strength to get through them, and I know that no amount of good deeds could’ve gotten me through that. I’m so thankful that the Lord allowed me to realize that it is by His grace that I am saved, not by works.