If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, I would encourage you to consider it. Going to church doesn't automatically give you eternal life in Heaven. In fact, believing in God doesn't either. The Bible says in James 2:19, "You believe there is one God. Good! Event the demons believe that- and shudder." It also says in Mark 16:3, "Truly, truly, I say to you,unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Being born again means to believe that Jesus was sent to this earth to forgive the sin of man. He died on the cross to bear our sins- past, present and future- so that we would not have to die for punishment for the things we have done wrong. But through a relationship with Jesus, we can be forgiven. Forgiveness is never ending and all encompassing. Jesus forgives ALL that we have done- not just the lies and the hatred, but the murder, the adultery and the porn addiction. Jesus wants you to receive Him and follow Him for the rest of your life. It is a transforming experience. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Did you get that?? Once you receive Christ, you are a new creation! You are no longer known by your sin, your old self. God makes you new. Don't think you need to clean up your mess first and then come to Him. Jesus wants you just as You are. He will wash away all the mess, He will transform you by His power. You can't do it on your own. You need Him. Once you accept that Jesus died for you, and that you can live in freedom from the bondage of sin in your life, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within you. He will be your Helper, guiding you and giving you the wisdom of God to make choices that honor Him. (John 16:5-11) Deciding to follow Jesus doesn't make life easy, we will still experience heart ache, suffering and pain. But we can lay all our burdens down at the feet of Jesus and He will carry them for us. We don't have to live life on our own. We don't have to try to get through tough circumstances on our own. God wants to walk with us through the hard times as well as everyday life. Living for the Holy God requires repentance. Repentance means to turn away from our sin to honor God. It means to do our part in not repeating the same sin- asking God to give us a renewed mind. Repentance doesn't happen just once- it's ongoing as the Spirit reveals to you things in your life that need God's transforming power. If there are things in your life that would not honor God that you aware of, repent! Choosing to follow Jesus isn't a decision you should make lightly- because you will NEVER be the same again. Following Jesus with all that you are will change your life forever.
There is nothing special about the prayer I wrote below, but the content of it is important. If you are ready to make this commitment you can pray this prayer or one similar to receive Jesus:
Jesus, I want to know You. Thank You for dying for me- even though I am the one who deserves death. But because of You I can live forever in Your Presence and in relationship with You. My life is not my own, take my life- all that I am, I surrender it to You today. Please forgive me for my sin and transform me by Your Holy Spirit to be more like You. Make me new today. Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer I would love to know about it!! Please email me at pruningmefeedback@gmail.com and bless me with your testimony! Also I encourage you to check out this site: http://whatsnextkit.tv/ through Life Church. I listen to all of their sermons and love the ministry that they do. Here are some things you should do now:
** I firmly believe that once you receive Jesus, baptism should take place soon after. Consult your pastor to determine how the church goes about this. The reason I believe in baptism after conversion is because Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13-15) and because of the many references of conversion and baptism together. Here are some references:
Matthew 28:19- (Jesus is speaking to His disciples) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Mark 16:16- (Jesus speaking to His disciples) "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:5- Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
There is nothing special about the prayer I wrote below, but the content of it is important. If you are ready to make this commitment you can pray this prayer or one similar to receive Jesus:
Jesus, I want to know You. Thank You for dying for me- even though I am the one who deserves death. But because of You I can live forever in Your Presence and in relationship with You. My life is not my own, take my life- all that I am, I surrender it to You today. Please forgive me for my sin and transform me by Your Holy Spirit to be more like You. Make me new today. Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer I would love to know about it!! Please email me at pruningmefeedback@gmail.com and bless me with your testimony! Also I encourage you to check out this site: http://whatsnextkit.tv/ through Life Church. I listen to all of their sermons and love the ministry that they do. Here are some things you should do now:
- get a Bible- my favorites are the ESV Study Bible by Crossway Bibles (http://www.crossway.org/bibles/) and the NIV Application Study Bible from Zondervan
- if you don't have a church, find one!
- let a leader in the church know you are a new believer- its important to get connected with other believers and celebrate your decision!
- get baptized**
** I firmly believe that once you receive Jesus, baptism should take place soon after. Consult your pastor to determine how the church goes about this. The reason I believe in baptism after conversion is because Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13-15) and because of the many references of conversion and baptism together. Here are some references:
Matthew 28:19- (Jesus is speaking to His disciples) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Mark 16:16- (Jesus speaking to His disciples) "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:5- Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
- Leanne 12-08-11
