The Prayer of Salvation is the most important prayer you will ever pray.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
This one verse is essentially the heart of Christianity. "For God so loved." God's love for us is so amazing, so gigantic, it is hard to even comprehend. God's love for you is beyond measure! In fact, I believe when we get to heaven we will spend eternity unfolding more of God's intricate love for us.
God loves us so much He wants to be present in every part of our lives. But sin, which is rebellion against God's holiness, whether it is intentional or not, separates us from God. God's holiness is so, well, holy that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves holy enough so that God can dwell in us. We cannot do enough good deeds and even if we go to church everyday for the rest of our lives, it cannot make us holy enough.
But God's love for us is enormous and His desire to dwell with us is so great that "He gave His One and Only Son", to come to us, to teach us about our Heavenly Father's love for us. Jesus willingly left the splendor of Heaven, to be the one and only sacrifice worthy enough to cleanse us from all our sin. He sacrificed His life, was beaten and hung on a cross, carrying sin with Him. I mean He carried ALL sin, yours, mine and all mankind spanning all of time. Jesus was laid in a tomb, and three days later He rose from the dead. Death, sin, hell and the grave all defeated.
"...that whoever believes in him..." Seriously, that is how easy it is to have our sins forgiven, to be remembered no more by our Heavenly Father, ya know, people sometimes like to throw our mistakes in our face sometimes, but God will never hold our sins against us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) God's forgiveness is freely given, anytime, anywhere without limitations. "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)
"...will not perish but have eternal life." When we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts, the Bible tells us that His Holy Spirit ushers into our lives the spirit of the Son, Jesus. When that happens, it is Christ's righteousness that now covers us, it's like we're given brand new, white t-shirt to wear that says, "Righteous", "Saved", "Forgiven", you pick the word, but because we have Christ's clean "shirt" on, we can boldly go to our Heavenly Father, and when He sees us, He doesn't see all the wrong we've done, instead he sees that we are wearing that pure "shirt" Jesus put on us when we were saved. Christ in us enables us to live our lives with purpose, how God created us to live and to live it abundantly, but it also assures us that when we die, eternity with God in heaven is our reward.
Prayer
Praying to God is simply talking to Him as you would anyone else, you don't need to know certain words or phrasings, it doesn't have to be in a certain place or at a specific time. Jesus says that when we call on Him, He will hear us. If you want to experience salvation through Christ, just talk to Him from your heart. But if you feel like you need a little help, here are a few prayers that may help you out.
1) "Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
2) God, thank you for creating me and for loving me. I am tired of living my own way. I need help and I'm asking You to be in charge of my life. I am sorry for all the ways I have messed up and sinned against you. Please forgive me. I believe that Your son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins, rose from the dead, and has the power to forgive me for all I've done wrong. I surrender my life to You and want to live Your way, not mine.
3) "Dear God, I come before you today with a humble heart and surrender my life to you. I believe that Jesus Christ was born free of sin, died on the cross as a payment for my own sin, and rose three days later. I believe in your gift of salvation and eternal life because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God, today I repent and turn from my old way of life. Because of your mercy and grace, I can have childlike faith. Today I ask for new life through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, God for forgiving me and making me brand new. In Jesus' name, Amen.
What To Do Now?
Welcome to the Family of God! Now the journey begins. As with any other relationship we have, we can choose nurture it, deepen the bond or allow the encounter to become a distant memory. As a believer, I can tell you that if you invest your time, truly commit your heart to know Jesus more, He will not disappoint! He has been my Joy, my Strength, my Healer, my Friend and so much more.
The key to nurturing this new relationship with Christ is so easy, some may say it's too easy and neglect to do them. But God is so good, I have found that when I find myself getting complacent in my relationship with Jesus, I just have to ask Him to help me make it a priority and He does. So here are the keys to build a great foundation in Christ.
1) Keep praying, keep talking to Jesus! It can be a few words here or there or a dedicated hour, or both! Just keep talking to Him, sharing your heart. As you pray, take time to listen, because God also wants to share His heart with you.
2) Read your Bible. Buy a Bible, or download a Bible app. And start reading. Don't know where to start, the book of John is a good starting point. Many apps have reading plans. There are many versions of the Bible, so you can understand it better. The Message paraphrase is great for beginners or the New International Version is a great translation also.
3) Get connected to a community of believers. A church is a great place to do that, to learn from other Christians, to be with people who will encourage you in your faith. That's it. Start there, continue there and finish there!
If you have prayed this prayer of salvation, please contact us, let us know so we can pray for you. If you are in the Everett, Washington area, you are welcome to join us!
‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’