"How can YOU have a personal relationship with God?"

While many people believe that God is real, many also believe that He is only "watching them from a distance" and has no real desire to know them personally.

Actually, God is very interested in you and desires for YOU to have a personal relationship with Him. 

THE BIBLE SAYS…

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand!”  (Psalm 139:17-18b) 
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

In the beginning, Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony with God and as the Bible puts it, things were "very good."

However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Because of their disobedience, sin entered into the world and because of sin, humankind was separated from God. You see, God is pure and holy and cannot be joined together with sin.  Have you sinned?  Look at the 10 Commandments, it makes no difference how much or how little you've sinned, you still fall short of God's perfection. 

THE BIBLE SAYS…

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

This puts us in a bind, because God tells us in the Bible that the punishment for sin is death–not just physical death, but a spiritual death which will cause separation from God and His kingdom for eternity.

The good news is that God wants you to spend eternity in heaven with Him. 2,000 years ago God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to come to this earth and die on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin.

THE BIBLE SAYS…

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In other words, even though you are separated from God because of your sin, God made a way for you to come back to Him. And, He is offering this salvation to you as a free gift. There is nothing you can do in your own effort to get you to Heaven.  All you have to do is receive it. 

THE BIBLE SAYS …

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

How do you receive this gift and begin a personal relationship with God?

Repent. Be sorry for your sin, which will result in a change of mind, prompted by a change of heart, resulting in a change of life.

Believe. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross to take away your sins and that He is the only way you can enter into a relationship with God.  It is by His grace alone!

Trust.  Begin your relationship with God by praying to Him and telling Him that your desire for forgiveness and how thankful you are for what He did for you!

When you've committed your life to God through Jesus Christ, what has happened to you?

YOU WILL BE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND DESIRE TO SERVE HIM!

Although Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us we cannot do good works to earn salvation, the next verse tells us that we will want to do them after salvation: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

YOU ARE DELIVERED FROM JUDGMENT AFTER DEATH!

Jesus said, " I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." (John 10:9)  And again, " Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)  And again, " there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)1)

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!

" Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)12)

YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER WITH GOD!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Now that you believe in Jesus Christ, you can say with confidence that you are completely accepted by God and you can now begin to live a life that truly pleases Him.

You can be sure that you are saved by trusting what the Bible says and not by trusting your feelings or emotions.  Your feelings will change from time to time but God's "undeserved favor" towards you never changes!

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29).

When Jesus says that "no one is able to snatch you out of God's hand" He really means no one! Not even you can cause God's love toward you to end.

If you made a decision, you will want to tell others!

" However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24)

Will you start by letting us know?  We would love to praise God and rejoice with you!