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You can know
God personally!
Because of God's deep love for you, he has
already made all the necessary arrangements for you to enjoy His wonderful
plan for your life. We aren't born again by our own efforts
to reach God. We need a whole new heart or spirit that can have
fellowship with God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you
can enjoy a personal relationship with God. Jesus made it possible to bridge the
chasm which separates us from God.
John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know
you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
What prevents us from knowing
God personally? We are separated from God.
Romans 8:6-8 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the
mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile
to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled
by the sinful nature cannot please God."
A great gulf separates man from God. Man is continually
trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through
human efforts, such as living a good life, philosophy, or religion. But he
inevitably fails.
Jesus Christ is God's
ONLY provision for man's sin. Through him alone we can know God personally
and experience God's love.
Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 "Christ died for our sins... he was
buried... he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures... he
appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than
five hundred..."
John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
We must
individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
John 1:12 "As many as received him, to them he gave the
right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name."
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace that you have been
saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it
is the free gift of God; and because it is not earned no one can boast about
it."
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (a
spirit of repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive
us of our sins and make us what he wants us to be. Just to agree
intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the
cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional
experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.
Jesus Christ is waiting for an invitation to come in to
your life. In fact, he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20).
Perhaps you can sense Christ knocking at the door of
your heart. You can invite him in by faith right now. God knows your
heart so it doesn't matter exactly what words you use. Here's a suggested
prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to
you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life.
Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind
of person you want me to be. Amen
If this prayer expresses the
desire of your heart, pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into your
life just as he has promised. Once you invite Christ into your life, he
promises to never leave you.
Hebrews 13:5 "God has said,
'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"
To know God personally is the
greatest decision you will ever make. If you've just asked Jesus Christ into
your life, we would love to hear from you.
If you prayed this
prayer, please Email me and let me know. |
