Knowing Jesus Personally

Choosing to submit your life to God is the most significant decision you can ever make. This choice involves more than simple intellectual agreement that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Becoming a Christian also requires that you commit the rest of your life to God, to do what He asks of you and to live in accordance with His principles. This decision is not something to be taken lightly. It requires sacrifice and a total reorientation of your life around God rather than yourself. As Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

If you feel you are ready to make this commitment, you can do so right now by telling God you are sorry for your past mistakes, putting your trust in Him and asking Him to make you into the person He created you to be. This step involves faith. You probably still have a number of unanswered questions at this point. But you must be willing to make the decision based on what you know right now and trust God to fill in the details later.

The precise words you use to commit yourself to God are not important. He knows the intentions of your heart. Your prayer can be as simple as "Help!" or it can focus on an issue that is specific to your situation. If you are unsure of what to pray, use the following sample prayer to get started:

"Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. I'm sorry for the things I've done that have broken my relationship with God. Thank you for dying on the cross so that this relationship could be made right. I believe You are the only One who can do this. Only You can give me the power to change and become the person You created me to be. Thank you for forgiving my past mistakes and for giving me eternal life with God. I give my life to You. Please do with it as You wish. Amen."

By praying the above prayer-or one similar to it-you have just taken a giant step toward making God the centre of your life. But these are just the words. What follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through Bible reading, prayer and interaction with other Christians.

If you prayed the prayer above and invited Jesus into your life, you've become a Christian--which means simply, "Christ in one."

Next: I Just Asked Jesus Into My Life.
Or: I Just Re-dedicated My Life To Christ.
Or: I have a question I would like answered first.