THE WAY OF SALVATION I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19, NIV). Dear Friend, The above Scripture is my prayer for you if you are not yet a believer ... that your eyes would be opened to receive all the glories of God and His heavenly kingdom. Our limited minds can only just begin to understand the magnificent treasures in His many mansions and the peace and joy that await us at His throne. Let me walk you through the steps to salvation! Acknowledge that you have fallen short of Gods standards (The 10 Commandments). Realize that your own efforts will never enable you to escape the judgment of God over your failure to meet His standards. Profess that Jesus Christ paid with His own blood on the cross for your sins and failures. Affirm that you receive His payment on the Cross to be for you personally. Repent of your sins and ask for His forgiveness. By faith, receive that forgiveness. Begin immediately to walk with Him everyday by reading His Word. Finally, find a Bible-believing church and become a member of the visible body of Christ. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6, NIV). Following Jesus is the only way to salvation. The alternative leads to sin and damnation in a fiery hell. The finality of spiritual death or the shining promise of life everlasting. Which do you choose? It is without question the greatest decision youll ever make! For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NIV). Its that simple! Whoever means you. But Michael, you argue, you cant mean me. Ive lived a wretched life; Im a slave to sin; I cant change; Im doomed to a lifetime of guilt and shame. Yes, I do mean you! I want you to count on these assurances from God Himself: When you are tempted to think guilt is too powerful for you, remember Gods grace is more powerful. When you are tempted to think your past is too dark for anyone to know it, remember Gods grace is bright and will dissipate the darkness of your past. When you are overwhelmed by your weaknesses, be assured that His grace can give you the strength to resist temptation and to put the love of God ahead of all else in your life! For it is through Gods merciful grace that you are saved from your love of self and its consequences. No one can ever earn their way to heaven. All of us by nature are sinners through inheritance of Adams sinful nature. When he disobeyed God, Adam transmitted those consequences through all generations: The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23, NIV). But God reversed the curse of Adams sin and mankinds inevitable damnation by sending His Son to redeem us from the wages of our sins with His death upon the cross. This is Gods gift of salvation to us unworthy sinners. This is how much He loves us and wants to be our heavenly Father. All God asks of you is for you to turn from sin and receive the saving power of His Son Jesus so that you may be born again as a believer. What do I mean by born again? When you repent of your sins and unconditionally surrender your life to Christ, you will begin a process of radical change in your life and your character. You will begin a journey of wondrous hope which will lead you to a full, satisfying, enriching communion with God your Father for all eternity. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! All this from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting mens sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:17-19, NIV). Does becoming a follower of Christ mean youll never be tempted to sin again? Of course not! Only Jesus was without sin. You are always going to be under attack from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Indeed, the more faithful you are as a believer, the more severe the attacks. But God will send His Holy Spirit to dwell within you, to comfort, protect, defend, and shield you. Through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, you are strengthened, you soar over circumstances, you defeat fear. You begin to experience what is known as the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God sends His Holy Spirit to every genuine born-again believer to insure liberty and victory over sin. But the Holy Spirit does more. The Holy Spirit seals your permanent adoption as a child of God. As an obedient child, you begin to surrender your self-will and seek His will. In the process, God will re-shape and re-direct your life so that you learn your true identity, and you learn Gods amazing purpose for you as His chosen son or daughter. God is Abba, our heavenly Daddy, our loving Father. On your earthly journey, you can seek Him in prayer and find communion with Him. In the hereafter, you can look upon the radiance of His whole countenance. Then, you will inherit the full majesty of His kingdom, His infinite glory, and His unfathomable riches. Nothing can take that away from you! He has promised this to all believers and He will not forsake you! If you sincerely want to be born again in Christ, please pray with me now: Oh God, how great You are to love a sinner like me. I know I can never deserve your forgiveness. I can only ask for your mercy. I repent of my sins and desire with all my heart to have your Son Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life. I surrender my life to you unconditionally. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to direct my ways, guide my days, and make me your obedient child. I ask this in the great name of Jesus, amen. If you have prayed this simple prayer with honesty and sincerity, you have embarked on the most exciting adventure in your life, an adventure of discovering who you really are as your old self continues to die in you and your new self is born again as a son or daughter of God and brother or sister of His Son Jesus Christ. You have become a member of the Royal Family and are entitled to all its rights and privileges! Keep your eyes riveted on this reward so that nothing on earth ever causes you to alter your course or abandon your faith in Jesus Christ. How can you know if your surrender is genuine? Heres how you can tell: You love God more than anyone or anything (Matthew 10:37). You have a hatred for sin (Psalm 51). You have genuine humility (Matthew 5:3). You have a genuine desire for prayer (Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18). You love others and want to serve and pray for them (1 John 4:7-8). You are growing spiritually (Ephesians 4:13). You are living in obedience to God (John 14:15; 15:10). Praise the Lord for your salvation! Tell others by being a witness for Christ! Be a faithful follower! Confess your sins each day (1 John 1:9) and thank God for His mercy in leading you to the sincere repentance (Romans 2:4) which turned your old sinful life around and led you to a new abundant life in Christ. Be strengthened in your faith through daily prayer and Bible reading. Please let us know at Leading The Way how the new you is growing and changing and becoming more like Jesus Christ. Please contact us by email and share your good news! In Christ, Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 04:00:47 +0000
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