Often times, believers are deeply troubled by introspection. Where are the peace and joy I am supposed to have? If I really am a Christian, why do I often feel so troubled? Then, they begin to judge their standing in Christ based on their subjective feelings. Peace and joy are indeed fruits of salvation, but they must not be absolutely relied upon to guage our standing in Christ. The objective reality is this: at the cross, where I repented and believed, I was granted complete forgiveness of my sins and a guarantee of eternal life. We must learn to get the promises of Scripture deeply ingrained in our minds and souls. Then, when the enemy fires his fiery darts at us, we boldly declare the objective truths that God has graciously given us. Consider these precious words from our friend, Charles Spurgeon:
“Understand that you must not look upon the possession of joy and peace as being the absolutely necessary consequence of your being saved. A man may be in the lifeboat, but that lifeboat may be so tossed about that he may still feel himself exceedingly ill, and think himself to be still in peril. It is not his sense of safety that makes him safe; he is safe because he is in the lifeboat, whether he is sensible of this or not. Understand then that joy and peace are not infallible or indispensable evidences of safety, and that they certainly are not unchanging evidences. The brightest Christians lose their joy, and some of those that stand well in the things of God, and concerning whom you would entertain no doubt, entertain a great many suspicions, however, about themselves. Joy and peace are the element of a Christian, but he is sometimes out of his element: joy and peace are his usual states, but there are times when, with fightings within and wars without, his joy departs, and his peace is broken. The leaves on the tree prove that the tree is alive, but the absence of leaves will not prove that the tree is dead.” Charles Spurgeon
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