How to Have a Personal Relationship With Jesus

Every Easter season I write a similar post.

I shift gears a bit as we approach one of the holiest times of year—a time marked with tragedy and suffering, but also a time of abundant blessing and victory.

This post isn’t intended to be preachy, pretentious, or holier-than-thou. Because I love you and I care about where you spend eternity, I also won’t apologize for taking a few moments to talk about my Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I’d like to introduce Him to you now.

The Plan of Salvation:

Because I base my views on the divinely inspired Word of God, here’s what I believe: Jesus (God’s only Son) was born of a virgin.

He came to this earth in human form where He lived a sinless life and willingly gave His life on the cruel cross of Calvary so that we might be saved and spend an eternity with Him in Heaven.

I believe there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ, God’s son. I base my beliefs on scripture from the Holy Bible.

For those who would like to accept Jesus as their Savior, it’s actually very simple.

There are no prerequisites, no bartering or negotiating required. None of us are blameless or without sin. Jesus welcomes us just as we are! Isn’t that freeing?!

**Here’s how to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and forever have a relationship with Him:**

ADMIT you have sinned and ask (accept) Jesus into your heart. Ask Him for forgiveness. Turn from your sin. Understand that being a Christian doesn’t mean living a life of perfection. That would be unrealistic. It means seeking—on a daily, or sometimes, a minute by minute basis—God’s will. And once you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, you don’t need to keep doing it over and over again. You’re His. He’s yours. Forever. Nothing and no one can snatch you from the Father’s hand.

BELIEVE that Jesus is God’s son and that He died on the cruel cross to save us from our sins so that we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven. There is just no other way. Other “religions” may espouse many “gods” and false teachings. (These myths are perpetrated by the enemy—Satan—who is here to kill, steal, and destroy. He likes nothing better than to cause doubt and create falsehoods.) There is only One true living God.

CONFESS your sin to Jesus. Commit your life to Him. There’s nothing too crummy or sordid that you’ve done that Jesus won’t forgive. It also doesn’t mean that you have to keep wallowing in self-recrimination, berating yourself constantly. Understand, too, that living a life as a Christian isn’t easy. In fact, it’s really hard sometimes because, as humans, we fall incredibly short of the mark. The really awesome thing? Our Heavenly Father understands! Again, he knows that we’re not perfect—He accepts us just as we are—with all our faults and foibles!

(Helpful scriptures: Romans 3:23, 4:25, 10:9. John 3:16. 1 Peter 3:18. Acts 13:38-39. 2 Corinthians 5:17.)

If you asked Jesus into your heart just now, congratulations! Whoop! Whoop! All of Heaven is celebrating! Would you please share your Good News with someone today?

I’d also like to encourage you to become involved in a Bible-believing church. “Church” doesn’t make or break your salvation experience.

**What church does:**

It grows us. Through the study and application of God’s word, we learn. We go from the “baby Christian” mentality to the spiritually mature believer that God intends.

It holds us accountable. When we assemble ourselves with like-minded believers, there’s a sense of family. And our family should support and gently correct when necessary. I don’t mean finger-pointing, though there are some churches like this. (If you’ve visited those that are, those churches might not be the right fit for you.) When we fall short of the mark, seek direction, and learn together, a committed church lovingly guides and nurtures.

It makes us disciples. As we mature in Christ, we come to love Him in a new way. It’s only natural that we should want to spread His message of hope. Ministries within the church teach us how to effectively disciple others. (This is what’s called The Great Commission… Matthew 28:19-20)

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