How to Know if You’re Saved

This might be the most important question you’ll ever ask yourself: Am I saved?

If you’ve ever laid awake at night wondering if you’re truly born again, if you’ve ever doubted your salvation because you still struggle with sin, or if you’ve ever felt like you need to do more to prove you’re saved—this is for you.

Let’s settle this once and for all.

The Simple Steps: Romans 10:9

The path to salvation isn’t complicated. God didn’t hide it behind a maze of rituals, rules, or requirements.

Romans 10:9 lays it out plainly: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

That’s it.

Confess with your mouth. Believe in your heart. You will be saved.

Not “you might be saved.” Not “you could be saved if you’re good enough.”

You WILL be saved.

But here’s where so many people get tripped up: “believe in your heart.”

What Does “Believe in Your Heart” Really Mean?

When the Bible says “believe in your heart,” it’s not talking about emotions. It’s not talking about feelings. And it’s definitely not talking about works.

Your heart, in Scripture, represents the core of who you are—your will, your faith, your deepest convictions.

Many people think “believing in your heart” means proving your faith through works. They think it means you have to show evidence: church attendance, Bible reading, good deeds, perfect behavior.

But that’s not what it means.

Believing in your heart means you have genuinely placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

It’s not about what you do. It’s about what you believe. And more importantly—who you trust.

The Man After God’s Own Heart

If you want to understand what true heart posture looks like, look at King David—the man the Bible calls “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

Now, let’s be honest about David’s sins, because they were serious:

• He committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4)
• He murdered Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11:15)
• He numbered Israel out of pride, which led to 70,000 deaths (2 Samuel 24:10-15)
• He failed as a father, and his family was full of violence and betrayal (2 Samuel 13-18)

David wasn’t sinless. He wasn’t perfect. He made massive, devastating mistakes.

So why does God call him “a man after My own heart”?

Because David never replaced God in his heart.

Look at what David did when he sinned:

When the prophet Nathan confronted him about Bathsheba, David immediately repented: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t justify himself. He fell before God and wrote Psalm 51, one of the most beautiful prayers of repentance in all of Scripture: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

When his son Absalom betrayed him and tried to take his throne, David didn’t turn bitter toward God. He fled Jerusalem weeping, but he still worshiped: “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more” (Psalm 71:14).

Even when he sinned by numbering Israel and God sent judgment, David cried out: “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong” (2 Samuel 24:17). He took responsibility and threw himself on God’s mercy.

At the end of the day, when all was said and done, David finished the race praising God.

His last recorded words? A song of praise: “The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning'” (2 Samuel 23:3-4).

David’s heart always turned back to God. That’s what made him a man after God’s own heart—not his perfection, but his refusal to let anything replace God.

The Devil’s Agenda: Replace God with Idols

Here’s what the enemy wants more than anything: for you to replace God in your heart with something else.

He wants you dependent on things and people who are sure to fail you. He wants you trusting in your own works, your own goodness, your own ability to measure up.

Because when you do that, you’ll never feel secure. You’ll never feel saved. You’ll always be striving, always questioning, always doubting.

But God will never fail you.

Hebrews 13:5 says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

That’s a promise. Not based on your performance. Not based on your perfection. Based on His character.

Those Who Call Upon the Name of the Lord SHALL Be Saved

Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Not “might be saved.”

Not “could be saved if they’re good enough.”

SHALL be saved.

That’s a guarantee. A done deal. A finished work.

And here’s something you need to hear: God wants you saved more than you want to be saved.

He’s not sitting in Heaven hoping you fail. He’s not waiting for you to mess up so He can reject you. He’s not against you.

He is FOR you.

Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God is on your side. He’s cheering for you. He sent His Son to die for you because He wants you with Him forever.

As much as we try to do good works, we’ll never measure up to God. And we don’t have to.

That’s the whole point of grace.

Your Faith Is Producing Good Works

Now, here’s the thing: if you’re truly saved, your faith will produce good works. Not to earn salvation, but as evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in you.

James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

But let me be clear: works don’t save you. They’re the fruit of salvation, not the root.

So let me ask you: Have you changed since coming to Christ?

Maybe you’re not perfect yet. Maybe you still struggle. But think about it:

• Are you more forgiving than you used to be?
• Are you less angry? Less violent? Less bitter?
• Do you care about things you didn’t care about before?
• Do you feel conviction when you sin instead of just apathy?
• Do you have a desire to know God more, even when it’s hard?

So, any changes you’ve made – that’s the Holy Spirit at work in you!

Ted White’s Story: Conviction Is the Evidence

Let me tell you about Ted White, a faith healer who leads New Hope Church in New Hampshire.

Before Ted was baptized, he struggled with drug addiction. And here’s the part that might surprise you: he used drugs the day after he was baptized.

Devastated and confused, Ted called the pastor who had led him to Christ. He said, “It’s not working. I’m still using drugs.”

Now, the pastor could have condemned him. He could have questioned Ted’s salvation. He could have said, “Well, maybe you’re not really saved.”

But he didn’t.

Instead, the pastor asked a simple question: “But how do you feel about using the drugs now?”

Ted responded, “Terrible.”

The pastor said, “Good. That’s the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in you.”

Do you see what happened there?

Before salvation, Ted used drugs and felt nothing. After salvation, he used drugs and felt convicted.

That conviction—that terrible feeling—wasn’t condemnation. It was evidence that the Holy Spirit was alive in him, transforming him from the inside out.

Ted didn’t instantly become perfect the moment he was baptized. But he was saved. And the Holy Spirit was working in him, leading him step by step toward freedom.

Today, Ted White is a pastor leading others to Christ.

If you’re waiting for the day that God is going to magically snap His fingers and break you out of all your sin patterns, you’ve likely been fed a lie.

As I wrote in my article “How to Be a Perfect Christian,” sanctification is a lifelong journey that won’t end until we get rid of this Adamic, sin-nature flesh and take on the new body God will give us at His return.

You’re saved the moment you believe. But you’re being transformed day by day, moment by moment, as the Holy Spirit works in you.

Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

God is leading you into good works. And He’s going to continue leading you until the day you die, because everyone benefits from good works.

God benefits—He’s glorified.

The people around you benefit—they’re blessed.

And you benefit—not with salvation (you already have that), but with the blessings that overflow and the peace that comes from walking in obedience.

There are rewards for obedience, but we’ll talk about that another day.

The point is this: your good works are evidence that you’re saved, not the reason you’re saved.

Let’s Address the Elephant in the Room

Some of you are going to read this and think I’m saying, “God doesn’t want me to do any works,” but that’s not what I’m saying at all.

He does want you to do good works. But He wants you to do them from the position of being His kid, not from a servant position.

And so long as you think Father God is a taskmaster who disapproves of your every breath, you will always walk in bondage.

The point of this message is to set you free so that you can go and do good work—not for salvation, but for the pat on the head the Father gives you and the peace that comes when sins are kicked out of your life.

There’s a huge difference between working TO be loved and working BECAUSE you’re loved.

One is slavery. The other is sonship.

One is striving. The other is rest.

One is fear-driven. The other is love-motivated.

God wants you free. Not lazy. Free.

Free to serve Him with joy, not obligation. Free to obey Him out of love, not terror. Free to walk in good works because you know who you are—His beloved child—not because you’re trying to prove you deserve to be.

The Armor of God: Salvation Is a Helmet, Not Gloves

Here’s something powerful: when God designed the armor of God in Ephesians 6, He made salvation a helmet.

Not gloves. Not shoes. A helmet.

Why does that matter?

Because a helmet is something you put on your head—something you believe, not something you do.

If salvation were gloves, we’d think we had to work for it—doing something with our hands.

If salvation were shoes, we’d think we had to go somewhere—performing some action, some pilgrimage, some ritual.

But salvation is a helmet. It’s something you wear on your head. It’s what you believe.

Ephesians 6:17 says, “Take the helmet of salvation.”

You don’t earn a helmet. You don’t work for a helmet. You take it. You receive it. You put it on.

That’s how salvation works. You believe. You receive. You’re saved.

The Work God Requires

But if you’re still intent on doing a work to be saved, let me tell you what work God requires.

John 6:28-29 says, “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'”

Read that again.

The work of God is to believe in Jesus.

That’s it. That’s the work. Not cleaning yourself up. Not performing perfectly. Not proving yourself worthy.

Believing. Trusting. Receiving.

If you’ve done that—if you’ve truly placed your faith in Jesus Christ—then you are saved.

Activation: Speak These Truths Over Yourself

Right now, I want you to declare these truths out loud. Let them settle deep into your spirit. Let them silence every doubt, every fear, every lie that says you’re not saved.

Say this with me:

“I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“I have confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I am saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“There is no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

“I am a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“I am sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

“Nothing can separate me from the love of God.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“I have eternal life because I believe in Jesus.” (John 3:16)

“My salvation is secure. It is not based on my works but on His finished work.” (Titus 3:5)

“I am a child of God, and nothing can change that.” (John 1:12)

“I called upon the name of the Lord, and I am saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Now say it one more time, and let it sink in:

“I am saved.”

So, Here’s the Question: Are You Saved?

Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord?

Do you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead?

Have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

If the answer is yes, then you are saved.

Not because you’re perfect. Not because you’ve done enough. Not because you’ve proven yourself worthy.

Because Jesus is enough. His blood is enough. His sacrifice is enough.

And if you’re still doubting, here’s what I want you to do: stop looking at yourself and start looking at Him.

Stop measuring your worthiness and start trusting His.

Stop trying to earn what He’s already freely given.

You are saved. Not by works, but by grace. And that’s a promise.