Salvation is not a denominational doctrine or a family inheritance. It is a personal experience. If you have any doubt about your salvation, pray the sinner’s prayer (see prayer below). First, you must repent of your sin! Consider your life and anything in it that would grieve God. List those things. Now read the following Bible verses as you consider how God feels about those sins:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-4:3)

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19)

Do you feel convicted to turn away from sin? If you do, you are ready to take the second step, which is to believe that Jesus Christ died for your sin. He has paid the price for those moments when you failed. If you ask for forgiveness, He will freely give it. The Bible makes that very clear:

"Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!" (Romans 5:9-10)

Hand those sins over to Him, and feel His love and forgiveness in your heart. Then you must ask Him to come into your life. He is the door to the Father. Jesus Himself said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). And the apostle John later told the early Christians, “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23).

Take a moment to ask the Lord Jesus to be a part of each day of your life. At a time when you are ready, recite the following prayer of salvation and your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. No one can blot it out. You are His. You will spend eternity with the Father in heaven.

Pray this prayer:

Lord, I ask that You forgive me of all my sins, both known and unknown. I ask that You accept me as Your own and write my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. From this day forward I will read Your Word and obey it. Because of the blood of the Cross, I am now forgiven. My sins are buried in the sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered against me anymore. I am now a child of God, and Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. Amen.

Once you have been redeemed, you have the obligation to redeem others with your testimony, a testimony you are not afraid to give about a God of whom you are not ashamed. Before Jesus left this earth, He commanded His disciples:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus meant this commandment for all those who follow Him, then and now. It is important that you know your responsibility to be obedient and give your testimony with the purpose of bringing others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. However, it is not your responsibility if the person hears your testimony and then refuses to receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. God has given human beings this right. Not all will choose Christ, but you may be surprised how many will do so.

Write your testimony, which is the story of God’s work in your life. You will be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will bring to your mind as you think of all the things God has done for you. Use the following steps to create a testimony that will be easy to share with others.

• My life before Christ.
• My life after Christ. (End your testimony with two questions: “Has this ever happened to you?” and “Have you ever prayed the sinner’s prayer?”
• Think of someone whom you would like to lead to Christ. Once you have yielded to Christ, He will draw the lost to you.

Pray this prayer:

Lord, give me the confidence to share my testimony with others. Allow me to show the love You have unconditionally shown me. Give me the passion that will make the lost jealous for what I have in You. Begin with my family, Lord. Allow Your light to shine through all the broken places in my life. Use my testimony to lead others into everlasting life. Amen.

Ephesians 5:18 instructs us to be “filled with the Spirit.” There has always been a tremendous amount of controversy about when, how, and why this phenomenon occurs. Go to the Word of God and ask the Father to reveal His Holy Spirit to you in a very intimate and personal way. The question you need to ask yourself is: Do I have all of God I want?

Jesus promised His disciples that after the Holy Spirit of God came to dwell in them, He would be their personal Teacher: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit would enable them to remember Jesus’ teachings and correctly understand them.

Pray this prayer:

Father, I ask that You reveal Yourself to me in a way I have never known before. If there is something You have for me that I have not experienced, then show me now. I ask You to pour Your Holy Spirit into my heart. With this infilling, I ask You to impart in me the passion to witness as our disciples did on the day of Pentecost. I ask that You help me with my prayer life, lifting me to levels far beyond my natural strength and understanding. When I pray, I want the authority and the power of the living God. Guide me, through Your Holy Spirit, in the path You would have me go. Father, I ask that You pour into my heart a love so rich that it can be described only as agape love. A love that is so pure that its only source can be the throne of the living God. Lord, if there is more of You, then I want to have it. Amen.

Who has God created you to be? What has He commissioned you to do? A well-known saying sums it up this way: “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.”

As you ask God to direct you, think about your particular skills. What do you enjoy doing? What seems to come naturally to you? Read through the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. God has given you a gift, and He wants you to use it.

Recognize the talents God has given you, once you have identified God’s gifts to you, you are ready to put your gifts before Him – your goals – in writing.

Goal Setting:

• Have a vision for the future.
• Make time to be with God.
• Seek God's will for your life.
• Write down your vision and make it plain.
• Check your goals with the Word of God.
• Stay focused on your vision; don't give way to a defeated attitude.
• Be willing to change if God desires it.

Pray this prayer:

Father, You know the plans You have for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans for my future. I was created in Your image for a purpose. You have given me gifts and talents to accomplish Your purpose. Show me these gifts and talents, that I may develop them. Bind my mind to the mind of Christ Jesus, renewing me daily, that I will be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus. According to your Word, whoever lacks wisdom needs only to ask, and I am asking for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Establish my feet on the path You have set before me. Direct my goals as You direct my feet. Father, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Set my heart and mind on You. Amen.