“Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
I was seven years old. It was a Sunday morning, and I stood at the back pew of Calvary Baptist Church in Butler, Missouri. As the preacher invited people to accept Jesus, I sensed a tugging at my heart. I knew God was speaking to me. Even though I wanted to go forward, I didn’t. Instead of walking to the front of the church, I went downstairs to the basement. My mother followed me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. I told her my stomach hurt because it did. I was nervous and scared. I can’t recall exactly what my mom said, but her words calmed me down. After a few minutes, she and I went back into the service, and I walked up the aisle to the pastor.
Brother Green and I knelt by the altar, and he shared Bible verses with me, including Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (KJV).” The truth of the gospel penetrated my soul. I needed Jesus. I confessed my sin to God and asked Jesus to come into my life. On June 3, 1979, God gloriously saved me!
Decades later, I’m still overwhelmed by God’s great love. That he would send his Son to die for me is unimaginable! That he would choose me before the creation of the world to be his child is incomprehensible! As long as I live, I’ll never be able to grasp the full extent of his affection for me.
Have you met the Lord and been saved by grace? If so, then praise him! Thank God for what he has done, and share your story with others. If you’ve not yet accepted God’s gift of salvation, I urge you to open your heart to him. He loves you more than you can understand. You don’t have to do anything but ask. The Lord is waiting for you to come to him. Just believe and receive. . . and be saved.
Note:
According to the Bible, if you want to become a follower of Christ, you need to:
A – Admit that you are a sinner in need of God’s grace.
B – Believe that Jesus came to this earth as the Son of God, lived a perfect life, died for your sins, and rose again to give you eternal life.
C – Confess your sins to God and receive his forgiveness.
Following is a sample prayer for salvation. Of course, you should use your own words to talk to God, but this prayer might help guide you:
“God, I acknowledge that I’m a sinner in need of your forgiveness. I’m sorry for the life I’ve lived. I repent of my sin (turn away from it) and choose to follow you.
Your Word says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess 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).”
I believe you sent your Son, Jesus, to die in my place. I believe Jesus paid the penalty for my sin and that he rose from the dead on the third day.
Today, God, I accept your gift of salvation. I declare that Jesus is now my Savior and Lord of my life. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for making a way for me to have a personal relationship with you. I want all that I do to bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
I love your website! However, In John 3:5 when Jesus was asked how to be born again, he answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Now then, to be born of the water is baptism and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, when they asked Peter how to be saved, he said in verse 38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Some people say that we receive the Holy Spirit (or Ghost) instantly when we believe on Jesus as our savior. But in Acts 19, Paul asked some disciples, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” So Paul baptized them and in verse 6 it says, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” So, the initial infilling of the Holy Ghost has the proof of speaking in tongues. How wonderful that we can have this evidence and know for sure that we are saved!! God bless.
Yolanda, thank you for your feedback!