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(Note: Just so you know, these verses are from the King James Version (KJV) Bible, which I’ve used here because it’s in the Public Domain and free for use. The KJV is a great translation that stays true to the original Hebrew and Greek, but if the Old English sounds a bit difficult to understand, you’re not alone!! For Bible study, I mainly use the English Standard Version (ESV), so I’d recommend that as well)
🌸 How to receive Jesus as your personal Savior:
Did you know that Jesus Christ loves you very much and He willingly laid down His life to die for you and me on the cross? (John 10:17-18) It’s because we are all sinners and we could never earn our way into heaven. None of us are "good!” That's why Jesus came down to the earth He created (God in flesh) and lived a perfect life as a sacrifice so that there is hope for you and me to be in heaven and not hell, forever.
Jesus never did a single thing wrong! He never was unkind, selfish, or even said something wrong out of stress or frustration. He had perfect self-control, perfect intentions- a beautiful, clean heart. But me and you, we have ALL made mistakes, we have all done or said or thought something wrong. Yet Jesus was the one who died in our place - we who deserve to be punished. He ransomed our souls so that we don't have to go to hell. Heaven and hell are FOR EVER! Salvation is a free gift. It cannot be earned!
All you have to do is ask for forgiveness, repent (turn away from your sins), ask Him to come into your heart, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide, teach, and comfort you throughout your life.
Just say this prayer out loud, from your heart:
"Heavenly Father,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. Please forgive me for all of my sins- for everything that I have said, done or thought wrong. I repent and turn away from them. Please help me to live a holy life because I cannot do it without You. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and that You raised Him back to life on the third day so that through Him I can have eternal life. Jesus, please come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord of my life.”
🌸 Verses to encourage you:
🌷 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." – John 3:16
🌷 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." – 2 Corinthians 5:17
🌷 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." – Ephesians 2:8–9
🌷 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." – Jeremiah 29:11
🌷 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." – 1 John 1:9
🌷 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." – Romans 10: 9, 13
🌸 How to grow close to God:
When you accept Jesus into your heart, it is so beautiful because only He can give you peace. The world and its pleasures cannot give you that peace. People cannot give you peace. Some try to find peace in things like alcohol, smoking, TV, drugs, relationships, food, our jobs, family, ourselves, and the list goes on. But, those things don’t satisfy our souls. Even though we love and care for our family, friends, animals- they are blessings from God, but they could never perfectly fulfill you. Only God will never fail you, so you can place your hope in Him. You can trust God.
He loves you so much and wants to be your friend. The God who created the world … wants to be there for you in every little thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re needing help with making a big decision, or you have a small need … nothing is too little for Him and His heart is there to listen to you, and He wants to help you. He is your Heavenly Father ❤️ He created you and knows you deeper than you know yourself.
The Creator of heaven and earth knows your name. He knows the number of hairs on your head. You are more precious to Him than you can imagine. I want to encourage you with a beautiful song: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
In order to grow close to God, He has provided His Word (the Bible) for you. It includes His Promises. You can read some of God’s Promises here on this page ❤️ Anything you have need of, and any problem that you have, the Bible has an answer for you.
In addition to reading God’s Word, it’s very important to pray! Prayer is the key to communicating with God. Being a Christian without prayer is like trying to live without ... breathing! God is as close to us as we allow. If you don’t know how to pray, it’s ok! You can just start by respectfully and humbly approaching Him, and know that He sent His Son to die for you. Just talk to God. Ask Him questions. HE LOVES YOU !!!
You don’t have to have all the words because He can hear your heart. He just wants you to come to Him. He does not need your money, possessions, for you to try and be “good” or perfect. He already knows you are NOT perfect, He knows every thought you ever had, everything you’ve ever done wrong! And yet, He loves you deeper than anyone could ever love you, with a PERFECT love that will never change.
You can read verses on prayer here.
🌸 Here are some ideas on what you can pray for (with reference verses):
Forgiveness
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
Peace
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27
Strength
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." - Philippians 4:13
Help
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1
Provision (Financial, emotional, etc.)
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19
Healing
"O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me." - Psalm 30:2
Wisdom
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." - James 1:5
Protection
Psalm 91 (the whole chapter)
Praying for others
... and more!
(I really like this song! It’s called “Nobody Loves Me Like You Love Me” by Chris Tomlin. Also, another beautiful song: “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” by Charity Gayle)
🌸 Some commonly asked questions:
- Who was the Bible written by? It was inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. God used his people as vessels to write it, so… God did! It was not written my humans in the sense of the content but God used the humans that He created to put those words together for us. It doesn’t diminish the fact that He inspired it and ultimately wrote it. He can use one person to bring comfort to another, He can send angels to help those in need, He can use a baby, a puppy, a flower, a sunny day- He can use something beautiful to bring hope and happiness to you and me. He especially loves using His children to be there for one another; He provides family, spouses, companion animals, even random strangers to help us. God can absolutely do it without our help but He uses us because.. He can!
- How do you know that the Bible is true? It’s my conviction deep down that God means what He says and He is who He says He is. The Bible is true for me because I have seen the love, kindness, forgiveness, goodness, mercy of God, and through faith I have seen Him help me in my life many times, over and over. Because I know Jesus and it’s the most beautiful thing that’s happened to me. Also, as my life and the world plays out, I see the truth of Scripture and also prophecies coming to pass. Also, if you look at the prophecies in the Bible, many have already come to pass.
- Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Ultimately, bad things happen because of sin that entered the world through disobedience. It's not God's doing. He does not cause evil but evil exists. There is an enemy that hates and wants to destroy us. It is not God's desire for us to suffer, but the world was built upon the foundation of His Principles, and sin has consequences.
God is not just loving and kind, He is also holy and perfect. That means He cannot tolerate sin, yet Jesus died for our sins ... God showed grace by sending Jesus to die for us so that we can be restored to Himself. Jesus died for our sicknesses and brokenness. And one day SOON, He will come back again to make everything right. God allows things for a reason and to be honest, only He has all the answers. But I know that He will bring beauty from ashes because He is a Redeemer. And we will finally understand.
God can use brokenness to lead to our good. For example, you don’t become tough if life were always easy; you have to go through suffering before you're triumphant. That in itself is precious, because strong is beautiful. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."