That’s a big question, and we’re so glad you’re asking it!
You may be surprised that having a relationship with God doesn’t require doing a bunch of good things or trying to be a better person to earn God’s acceptance. God has made it clear in the Bible that we can begin a relationship with Him right now through Jesus Christ without cleaning ourselves up or trying to impress Him. Here’s how…
God has a plan for your life! Isn’t that amazing news? YOU are here on purpose.
The Bible tells us in Psalm 139 … [God] made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You [God] for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Wow! You are wonderfully complex and created just the way God wants you to be!
Your Creator wants you to know Him and live your life for Him. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give them (that’s you!) a rich and satisfying life.” – a complete life full of purpose. (John 10:10)
There’s just one problem – We are separated from God and the life He has for us because we do things that put up a wall between us and Him.
We’ve all done things, said things, thought things, that aren’t good. Those things are called “sin.” The word sin in the Bible means to miss the mark. Picture yourself aiming at a target with a bow and arrow but never being able to hit the bullseye. No matter how much we try on our own to be good enough for God, we will always miss the mark.
The Bible tells us that every one of us “has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious (perfect) standard.” (Romans 3:23) The unfortunate reality is that the result of sin is death, which is spiritual separation from God. (Romans 6:23) This spiritual separation makes us lose sight of our identity and purpose. It makes life confusing and meaningless.
The good news is that God wants you to live eternally with Him, to know your identity as His child, and to find your purpose in life. He has the solution for our problem of sin, and that solution is Jesus Christ.
Jesus made a way for you to be forgiven for missing the mark, so you can know Him and live with Him forever! John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
God loves you so deeply that he sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for your sins. Jesus died in your place so you can be reunited with God and live in eternity with him. The great news is that this “eternal life” and personal relationship with God begins the moment you tell God all the bad things you’ve done and confess that you need Him to save you.
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3)
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
But that’s not where it ends. Jesus rose again and conquered death. He is alive!
“Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day...” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Jesus is the only way to God. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
To be forgiven, we have to admit what we’ve done wrong and ask God to forgive us. Then, we must acknowledge Him as Lord of our life. That means we promise to live for Him and obey His word, the Bible. We give up our ideas and thoughts on how we want to live or think life should be lived, and we trust Jesus to call the shots for our life and let Him have the authority over everything.
This doesn’t mean we never miss the mark again. It means we are forgiven, and every time we come to God honestly and are sorry for what we’ve done wrong, He will forgive us.
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
That’s it. We confess Jesus as Lord and accept God’s love for us, and his forgiveness for our sins.
Are you ready to turn from your sins, from the past mistakes of your life, and enter a new life with Jesus? If are, then say this prayer:
Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I’m so sorry for my rebellion. Please forgive me. Thank You for sending Jesus to die in my place. I want to trust Him. I want purpose in my life, and I know only You can give that to me. I give my life to you. Please guide me and help me follow you. Amen.
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)
Now that you’ve prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, it’s important to continue your relationship with Him in these ways:
Tell someone what you have done. The Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Be baptized – this is an important public action that declares your new faith in Jesus.
Find a Bible teaching church and go regularly to learn more about God – because God is infinite, you will be learning wonderful things about Him forever!
Be part of a small group – a prayer group, Bible study, youth group – so you can make Christian friends and learn to live for Jesus.
We would love to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus! Please call us at Miracle Ranch (253) 851-4410 or email [email protected].
