You and I are alike.

You and I, and every other human on planet Earth have three basic needs:

1. The need to be loved
2. The need to be needed
3. The need to be accepted

What if I told you I knew how you could get all three of those needs satisfied? What if I told you that I am not selling one single thing? What if I told you these three needs cannot be earned, because they are simply a gift?

You see, there was a time in my life when I didn’t have the peace, hope and purpose I now enjoy. I was looking at the world hoping there was more to life than this.  I used people to try to satisfy my longings and my need for acceptance.

But somebody took the time to tell me of a God who deeply loves me and has a purpose and a hope for my life. This wasn’t a far away and distant God, but a God who wanted me to have eternal life and follow after Him in this life and then when I die I will be with Him forever in heaven.

But I had a problem.

God is perfect and Heaven is perfect and I am not! So I couldn’t get into heaven and could not start a relationship with such a perfect God in my broken condition. But this God made a way for me through His son Jesus Christ coming to earth to die for my sin and to make me alive in Him. Then after 3 days, He rose again, proving He was the real deal.

So I opened my heart and mind to Jesus being Lord of my life.

I asked Him to forgive me of the junk I had done wrong and give me new life, and asked Him for the power to live for Him, and not for myself.

And do you know what happened? I received new hope, peace and purpose. It was supernatural. And it hasn’t stopped yet!

So, how about you? Are you ready for a new beginning in life? The Bible says that when we confess Jesus as the boss/Lord of our life, we are a new creation… the old things pass away and everything becomes new!

“What would hinder you from surrendering your total life to Jesus today?” 

Fear? Uncertainty? Peer pressure? Maybe you avoid thinking about eternal issues? Maybe you think God has too many other important issues to deal with?

Here’s the good news.

God loves you! And if we confess our sins to Jesus, He will forgive them all… period… no matter how large or small the sin. Why would you gamble and wait?

Listen as the A,B,Cs tell us how to get to heaven:

• Admit I have done wrong. I am a sinner. And God cannot let even one little sin into heaven, or it would no longer be heaven.  God wants to have a proper relationship with me but I am in no condition to have that without Jesus.

• Believe in my heart that Jesus literally came to die for my sins, and rose again, proving He was the real deal.  Believe that Jesus gives new life to those who believe in Him and makes right relationship with God a possibility.

• Confess my sin and ask for His great forgiveness. Be willing to turn away from any sin with God’s help. Confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior… my boss.

You can’t clean up your life before you come to God. You must come just as you are. He isn’t impressed with our cleanness or good works, because He is completely sinless. He invites us to be forgiven and free!  Even the best most moral people we know need Jesus.  This is true because the Bible teaches us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It also tells us that we were born dead in our sin and trespasses. You see, the issue is about living, having eternal life.  Only Jesus can give us this life.

So, what do you think? What would hinder you from asking Jesus to be the king of your life today? Nothing? Then, will you pray this prayer from your heart right now?

Go ahead and pray this aloud right now if you can mean it from your heart:

“Dear Jesus,

I admit I have done wrong, and that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sin. I believe You died in my place and rose again. So I confess my sins to you. Please forgive me and give me a new beginning. I ask You to be the boss and Lord of my heart. Help me now to live for You. I thank You for Your great love and forgiveness. I pray this in Jesus’ name… amen!”

Congratulations! If you meant that prayer from your heart, then God heard you right now. He has forgiven you of every rotten and sinful thing you have ever committed. Whether your sin was small or large, it is forgiven. And now you have a brand new beginning… a clean slate!

I am so happy that you prayed to ask Jesus to be the king of your heart.

This is a new and exciting beginning for you! I know it took a lot of courage and a little faith, but God heard your prayer.

And since you invited Jesus to be your Lord, He will now give you direction, guidance, comfort and peace. His purposes will now begin to be lived out in your life as you partner with Him each day. The sky is going to look bluer, and the grass greener. And when you have problems, you can run to Him in prayer.

And here is how you can keep this love for God fresh and strong:

• Read the Bible and pray regularly. I would encourage you to start reading in the book of Saint John. It will tell you all about Jesus and His awesome love for you. And prayer is simply talking to God. Thank Him for the good things in your life, and ask Him for wisdom in the hard things of life.
• Start attending a church that believes the Bible is true, and preaches about knowing Jesus personally like you now do. In the Knoxville area Harvest Church is a great place to get to know other believers in Jesus and become part of the family of God.  Fellowship with other believers is highly important for all of us in Jesus Christ.
• Be water baptized. It will help seal the deal in your heart and your commitment will be stronger. It is the act that makes the spiritual break with the power of death and sin and Your church can help you with this.
• Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask God to fill you everyday with His Spirit, and to release His gifts in you. The first 5 chapters of the book of Acts will help you.
• Tell someone else as often as you can about your prayer today, and how Jesus forgave you.

One more thing,  Will you email me today and tell me of your decision to make Jesus the king of your heart. Maybe this is the first time you have ever done this, or maybe you wandered off spiritually and now have come back home. In any case, I would love to hear from you.

“I’m relatively a good person… certainly not as bad as many people.”

There are two areas that are problematic with this approach:

1. “How many good works do you have to do to gain eternal life and be able to go to heaven when you die? What if you are one good work short?

2. If you can obtain eternal life and get into heaven by good works, why then did Jesus have to come and die?

The Bible teaches us that we cannot EARN eternal life and merit our own entrance into heaven. It is a gift that we receive by faith. Good works are very important, but none of them can erase our sin. Only Jesus and His work on the cross can forgive us.

What would hinder you from truly surrendering your life to the authority and love of Jesus Christ, the only God who died for YOU?

“I have sinned a lot and my sins are really bad.”

According to the Bible, we have ALL sinned, and thus NO ONE can claim to be good and no one can manufacture their own eternal life with God. Whether our sins seem small or large, few or many, we are all disqualified. We are all sinners.

But God’s love covers EVERY sin. Even as Jesus was dying on the cross, two murderers were also being crucified with Him. One mocked Jesus, but the other pleaded with Jesus to forgive Him. And Jesus said He would.

So, enough excuses.  It is time to call out to God and ask Him to be in control of your life.  Ask Him to forgive you and be your Lord, Savior and boss of your life.

“I’m not ready.”

Have you considered your eternal destiny if you were to die unexpectedly? 

How would you know when you are ready?

Just as there is a God who loves you so deeply, there also is a devil who hates you completely. He will give you all sorts of reasons and excuses NOT to give your life and heart to Jesus. That’s why the Bible calls him the ‘father of all lies’.

Or, maybe you are not ready to give up some sin in your life, that’s nothing new.

If your favorite sin will keep you away from God’s love and out of heaven, is it worth it? And any sin you give up will be replaced by a far greater joy and peace in your heart, I promise.

Go ahead. Reach out to God in faith, and leave the excuses behind you. He will help you everyday.

"God has too many more important issues than my prayers.”

Do you think the God Who holds the whole universe together can only answer 20 prayer requests a day? Do you think you have to wait in line, or to clean up your life first before God will hear you?

The Bible says that He desires that all would repent and escape the judgement that is to come.

You don’t know when your last day on earth will take place. You can be assured of having eternal life by putting your faith in Him and receiving new life in Him.