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If you are ready to accept Jesus into your life as your
Savior and Lord, I encourage you to say the following
prayer from the heart. The following prayer is just a
guideline. I encourage you to say your own prayer but if
you are not sure how to pray, the following prayer is a
good example of how to call upon Jesus.
Keep in mind we are not saved through a "magical" recital
or prayer but through the conscious acceptance of Jesus as
our only savior and by living according to His word and will.
"Dear Father, I believe you sent Jesus to save me from sin.
Today I confess my sins and accept Jesus as the Lord of
my life and my personal savior. I turn my life over to You
today. Please make me a new creature through Your Holy
Spirit and change my heart. Help me walk in Your ways as
You reveal yourself to me. Thank You Jesus for dying for
my sins. I accept Your gift of salvation today and confess
that You are Lord."
Savior and Lord, I encourage you to say the following
prayer from the heart. The following prayer is just a
guideline. I encourage you to say your own prayer but if
you are not sure how to pray, the following prayer is a
good example of how to call upon Jesus.
Keep in mind we are not saved through a "magical" recital
or prayer but through the conscious acceptance of Jesus as
our only savior and by living according to His word and will.
"Dear Father, I believe you sent Jesus to save me from sin.
Today I confess my sins and accept Jesus as the Lord of
my life and my personal savior. I turn my life over to You
today. Please make me a new creature through Your Holy
Spirit and change my heart. Help me walk in Your ways as
You reveal yourself to me. Thank You Jesus for dying for
my sins. I accept Your gift of salvation today and confess
that You are Lord."
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There are a couple of things you can do to strengthen your faith and to build your relationship with God. The
three obvious ways are to read the Bible (I suggest a Study Bible and to start with the New Testament), to
attend a spirit-filled church that adheres to sound Biblical teachings, and to spend time in prayer. Ask God to
reveal Himself to you through the Holy Spirit and to draw you to Him.
three obvious ways are to read the Bible (I suggest a Study Bible and to start with the New Testament), to
attend a spirit-filled church that adheres to sound Biblical teachings, and to spend time in prayer. Ask God to
reveal Himself to you through the Holy Spirit and to draw you to Him.
As you start your Christian walk, I urge you to test the teachings you receive against the Word of God. If
someone is teaching something that goes against what is taught in the Bible, we are to reject that doctrine.
Some examples of false teachings I often hear are as follows:
Those are just a few examples I see often. If you are suspicious of something you are being taught, I welcome
you to contact me anytime with your questions and urge you to compare such teachings with the Bible.
someone is teaching something that goes against what is taught in the Bible, we are to reject that doctrine.
Some examples of false teachings I often hear are as follows:
- Sin all you want- you're saved! Although Jesus' blood does cover all sins and we are saved through
Him, His death was not a get out of jail free card or indulgence. Again, this does not mean we will never
sin nor does this mean our salvation is partly based on being a "good person." However, if our love for
Jesus is genuine, we will want to obey His Word and not take advantage of His grace. - Priests, the saints, and Mary are your intercessors. Not so. We are told there is only one
intercessor between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. We are to pray to and call upon Jesus only. - Earn your way into God's grace through good works or rites and rituals. Although doing good
works and turning away from sin are byproducts of our transformation through Christ, it is not the way
to God. Salvation is offered freely through Jesus alone and not by works or rituals so no man can boast
that he saved himself. - There are many paths to God. All religions worship the same deity. If this was true, Jesus
never would have had to come to earth in human form to die on the cross. This is a more recent
deception that has multiple purposes: To take the focus off of Jesus, to cheapen the gift of grace, and to
please other faiths in this age of tolerance. - Jesus wasn't actually the son of God, Jesus was just a prophet, Jesus never actually came
to earth in human form, or Jesus is just part of the salvation equation. The Bible tells us to test
the spirits, teachers, prophets, and even those claiming to be believers. It is emphasized that anyone
who denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is not of God but a deceiver. Furthermore, anyone who
says Jesus is only "a part" of the road to salvation and not "the whole" of salvation is not adhering to
Biblical teaching.
Those are just a few examples I see often. If you are suspicious of something you are being taught, I welcome
you to contact me anytime with your questions and urge you to compare such teachings with the Bible.
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One thing that breaks my heart is to see proclaimed Christians who "live it up" Monday through Saturday and
then put on a pious facade on Sunday morning. There are others who claim to be Christians because they were
raised in a Christian environment but never personally accepted Jesus or bothered to develop a relationship
with Him. Although this is a very human thing to do, God brings us to a higher level of responsibility.
Jesus explicitly states that there will be those who call him Lord but He tells them to depart from Him and that
He never knew them. Statistically, there are over one billion professing Christians in the world but logic (and
the Bible) tells us that many are wolves in sheep's clothing, false teachers, and people who claim to be
Christians but are not.
We are not saved through rites and rituals, good works, reciting prayers, and jumping through hoops of man
made doctrine. God looks at the heart. Some try to fool the world by claiming to be Christians in order to
achieve wealth, fame, status, or approval but God knows His sheep and can see right through it.
This age is one of the most challenging ages ever for Christians. Temptation is all around us in terms of
secularism, entertainment, the media, and the love of money but we are told to turn away from things that
displease the Lord. This includes but is not limited to sexual immorality and adultery, drug and alcohol abuse,
the love of money, unethical business practices, violence, taking advantage of others for our personal gain, etc.
Take a moment to look at the things mentioned above and think of some common negative side effects that
goes along with such behavior. There are quite a few consequences to each action. Even though the above
might be seen as cool, ambitious, or fun by the world, Jesus calls us to reject such practices. Not because He is
a boring God and doesn't want us to have any fun but because he knows the consequences of sin will destroy
us physically and spiritually.
Of course this does not mean we will never sin again. God realizes this world is a spiritual battlefield and He
also knows our weaknesses. The reason Jesus had to save us was because He knew we were incapable of
earning our own salvation. However, He also knows our hearts. God knows the difference between those who
truly love and follow Him ("If you love Me you will obey My commandments") and the pretenders.
then put on a pious facade on Sunday morning. There are others who claim to be Christians because they were
raised in a Christian environment but never personally accepted Jesus or bothered to develop a relationship
with Him. Although this is a very human thing to do, God brings us to a higher level of responsibility.
Jesus explicitly states that there will be those who call him Lord but He tells them to depart from Him and that
He never knew them. Statistically, there are over one billion professing Christians in the world but logic (and
the Bible) tells us that many are wolves in sheep's clothing, false teachers, and people who claim to be
Christians but are not.
We are not saved through rites and rituals, good works, reciting prayers, and jumping through hoops of man
made doctrine. God looks at the heart. Some try to fool the world by claiming to be Christians in order to
achieve wealth, fame, status, or approval but God knows His sheep and can see right through it.
This age is one of the most challenging ages ever for Christians. Temptation is all around us in terms of
secularism, entertainment, the media, and the love of money but we are told to turn away from things that
displease the Lord. This includes but is not limited to sexual immorality and adultery, drug and alcohol abuse,
the love of money, unethical business practices, violence, taking advantage of others for our personal gain, etc.
Take a moment to look at the things mentioned above and think of some common negative side effects that
goes along with such behavior. There are quite a few consequences to each action. Even though the above
might be seen as cool, ambitious, or fun by the world, Jesus calls us to reject such practices. Not because He is
a boring God and doesn't want us to have any fun but because he knows the consequences of sin will destroy
us physically and spiritually.
Of course this does not mean we will never sin again. God realizes this world is a spiritual battlefield and He
also knows our weaknesses. The reason Jesus had to save us was because He knew we were incapable of
earning our own salvation. However, He also knows our hearts. God knows the difference between those who
truly love and follow Him ("If you love Me you will obey My commandments") and the pretenders.
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