How Your Perception Changes After a Semester

One of our Bible School students gave me a comparison of what she had learned after a semester of Bible School ... think her words are insightful on many fronts ... read these thoughts and you will know how your mind changes after a year of school.

Now that I know the truth it's hard to remember ever live without it. So I try and think back to before Bible school, why I come? Think about it, I'm pretty sure I wrote on my application that I wanted to know what I thought and why I believed it. I wanted to make Christ the foundation and make my faith my own.

At what point has the change from Sunday school stories of living truth? Trying to think back to what exactly what I thought before I came, or at least thought that I thought is tricky, but it is what I came up with. I believed in God and Satan, heaven and hell, I thought of Jesus, I believed in prayer, asking God for the things I wanted. I thought the Bible was a book full of stories about other people who also knew God. I thought about going to church on Sunday and pray before meals. I believe in a religion. Well in addition to Bible school I got what I came for. That is, I now know what it is that I believe and that is what ...

I still believe in God, but now I think he is omnipotent, all knowing and all present. I still believe in Satan, but now I think he is powerless because the light will never be solved by darkness. I still believe in heaven, but now, I think it's about life on earth today, not just the sky one day.

, I still believe in hell, but now I think that hell is not living in God's rest. I still believe in Jesus, but now I think he lives so I can get life and the product of his life in me is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-mastery.

I still believe in prayer, but now I think more than telling God what I want, I'll listen to what he wants. I still believe in the church, but now I think that the church not just on Sundays but every day. I still believe the Bible, but now I believe that the Bible shows God's character.

I now believe that God is faithful, even when I am faithless. I believe that God is good always. And without him I am angry.

I believe that God loves me and that His love is patient and kind, without envy, boasting, arrogance and rudeness. His love is not irritable or angry. It rejoices in the truth, and it bares all things. His love never fails. I believe God's nature never fails.

I think he is changing me more into His image each day. I think he is faithful to complete the good work he has begun in me. I believe that God is enough for every moment.

I believe that God is everything I need. I believe that every moment is a choice to follow Him. I believe that God is always teaching me more about who he is.

I believe that Jesus is the only path to salvation. I believe in truth. And I believe truth sets you free.