By Ann Farabee

Jesus in the everyday. Jesus in the every day.

We need both.

Everyday is an adjective that describes something that is seen or used every day. It can also mean ordinary or typical.

Every day is a phrase that means each day — as in each and every day.

Time to move on from the vocabulary lesson — to the Jesus lesson!

We need Jesus in those areas of our lives that we see — and are part of our each and every day. Saving our “Jesus Time” for Sunday morning is not enough.

How could that even be possible if Jesus lives in our hearts, because He is always with us?

Jesus makes time for us, and we should make time for Him.

It is always Jesus Time.

At the age of 13, I walked down the aisle of a church after seeing a drama about choosing between heaven and hell. I chose heaven that night! The drama was intense, but the choice seemed so simple. As I knelt at the altar, a lady knelt to pray with me. After our time of prayer, she said, “You don’t have to go to hell now!”

That statement also seemed a little intense for a 13-year-old that knew little about church, but the words of that unknown lady have gone through my mind hundreds, if not thousands, of times in my life. I knew when I stood up after praying that night, I had, indeed, accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, and I did not have to go to hell. I also still remember the feeling of the Holy Spirit ministering to my spirit.

Sometimes, throughout my life, doubts have crept in, because how was I sure that I “accepted Jesus” the correct way and that Jesus accepted me? Did I even say the right thing in my prayer?

I think perhaps a better question would be, “Did I say the right thing in my heart?” The answer is yes. Not only did Jesus change my life by giving me the promise of eternal life, but Jesus also gave me the promise of the Holy Spirit in my everyday life, and also in every day of my life. Even as a child, I was able to connect with my Heavenly Father in ways I have never forgotten — like reading a Bible verse when no one was around, praying by myself, and going to a place of solitude, which was some big rocks behind my family’s garage where I could sit and talk to Jesus. Jesus made salvation simple enough for even a child to understand. I know, because I was a child and I understood.

Something that amazes me is that decades later, I remember that night I accepted Christ.

After I prayed, something felt different. Oh, it was not something that anyone else could see at that moment, but it was a feeling in my heart. In God’s Word, the meaning of the word ‘heart’ is our physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual center.

Jesus abides there.

God so loved the world — that included me. God gave His only begotten Son — for me.

I know that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life. That also includes me — and all who believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior.

I accepted Jesus into my heart and I often literally place my hand on my heart as I pray.

Whosoever means whoever or whatever. I am whosoever and so are you.

We are all whosoever, and Jesus will live in the hearts of all believers. Not just every day, but in our everyday.

John 3:15 says, “That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”