Grace, Sin, and God's Influence: Local Woman Shares Story of Faith

You're Beautiful With Brian Trust! Ft: Sarah Crane

ALTON - On a recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, Sarah Crane shared her belief in God and her advice to new Christians who want to develop a relationship with Him.

Crane believes that God shows grace, but people must work hard to learn from their sins and not repeat them. She feels the only way to grow and find peace is through your relationship with God, and she encourages people to focus on building that relationship through prayer, studying scripture, and putting your trust in Him.

“You can search all day long for peace. You will not find it because God is the only one who is going to give you the peace that you’re looking for,” Crane said. “Jesus didn’t call us to be Christians. He called us to be disciples. That just means to live out what Jesus did. Live it out. Read your Word. Apply your Word to your life every single day. Let it resonate to everyone else around you.”

Crane urges people to leave behind their fleshly desires and focus on what God wants for them. Though she knows God shows grace, she also believes we need to make an effort not to sin. She emphasized that she is “nobody’s judge” and everyone needs to “work out your own salvation,” but there are rules in the Bible that we must follow.

“We all fall short. But if we willingly keep on sinning, the Bible tells us, if we willingly keep doing the things that we know are sin, there is no more sacrifice. Jesus’s sacrifice, there’s no more for it, because we’re taking God’s grace for granted,” she explained. “That’s why the Bible tells us that we have to crucify our flesh. That means kill off our fleshly desires. Don’t keep going after sin after sin after sin after sin and falling into temptation. We cannot do it. Jesus is coming back, and we have to be ready.”

Crane understands it is difficult to change, which is why she believes one’s relationship with God is so important. By surrounding yourself with scripture, Christian music and others who share your beliefs, your desires begin to change.

This leads people to act in ways that more closely align with their beliefs. Crane feels that opening yourself up to God allows Him to change you for the better.

“We cannot change ourselves,” she said. “The more scripture you pour into yourself, the more you apply that scripture, the more you read your Word, the more you listen to preaching, the more you listen to Christian music, something inside of you changes. You will not desire to go out and even drink anymore. You won’t desire that. Something inside of you will trigger and it’s just like, man, this is not the life I want to live anymore.”

Crane points to Deuteronomy 30:19 — “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on Heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” — as an example of God’s instruction.

She believes every Christian has a choice to make, and they must choose life. Not only does this bring you “everlasting life,” but it also encourages your children and those around you to make the same decision.

Above all else, Crane urges people to focus on building their relationship with God. She said it’s “super simple” to start this relationship, and it will bring you more peace and joy than you can imagine.

“Talk to God. Talk to Him like He’s your friend,” she advised. “He wants to hear from you. He loves you. He sent His son here to die on a cross for you, for each and every single one of you and me too. And He did it before we were ever even alive. So talk to Him. He wants to have a real relationship with you. He wants you to be in communication with Him. That’s all He wants from you. And when you’re in more communication with Him, He’ll change you from the inside.”

Watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust at 2 p.m. on Thursdays at RiverBender.com/Beautiful.

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