Romans 10:13 – For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 – 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.
Life is hard. Even our best days often involve struggle, frustration, and pain. As difficult as this is, do not be discouraged. Do not give up! There is great cause for hope and celebration! Jesus Christ has fought hard for you. He offers you new and everlasting life.
If you are reading this today, please know that the creator of the universe sees you. He sees your hurt and your pain. He sees your struggles, your sin, your addictions, and your shame. In fact, he doesn’t just see you. He loves you just as you are. He is not ashamed of you. He has not forgotten you. God loves you in your mess.
Roman 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God is not scared away by our bad choices. He loves us so much that He chose to pay the price for our sins even when we wanted nothing to do with Him.
God is offering you new life, abundant life. This is a free gift. It cannot be earned. No amount of good works will ever get you into heaven. God offers you His mercy (I don’t get the punishment I deserve) and grace (His unmerited favor). He offers this to you freely, but you must choose to accept His gift.
This free gift of salvation is not just a simple prayer that you pray, though it may start that way. To accept this gift, you must ask for forgiveness for trying to do things in your own strength according to what you thought was right. God is calling you to agree with Him, that His ways are best. He asks you to abdicate the thrown of your will over your life. Let Him be the boss. Commit to following His will. If you have never committed your life to Jesus now is the time. He is calling you. You might begin this lifelong commitment by praying this prayer or something similar:
Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you were willing to die, so that I could be free from my sin. Lord, I ask you to forgive me for all my sin. Please start your new life in me today. God I ask that your Holy Spirit would come and empower me to follow you. I know I can’t do this in my strength. I need your Holy Spirit to change my heart so I can follow you. Please lead me and guide me. I ask in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, or one like it, from the depths of your heart, you can be assured that He has answered. He is with you and His Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. Your new life starts now and goes on after your physical death for all eternity.
Scripture tells us that a day is coming when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. An earth where sin no longer reigns. The apostle John tells us in Revelation 21:4, “He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This is our ultimate hope. It is a life free from sickness and pain, away from sorrow and even death.
If you made a choice today to find your ultimate hope in Jesus, we would like to encourage you to find a good “Bible believing” church to join. God created you to live in community. You will need the love and support of fellow believers to walk out your faith in everyday life.
Life is hard. Even our best days often involve struggle, frustration, and pain. As difficult as this is, do not be discouraged. Do not give up! There is great cause for hope and celebration! Jesus Christ has fought hard for you. You have now received the fruits of His labor – everlasting life. May you find eternal hope and healing in Him.
— Pastor Jason Fogde