How to have peace with God
Do you know how much you are loved?
Did you know that you aren’t loved because of what you’ve done, but because of who you are in the eyes of your creator? That’s right, He loves you regardless of what you’ve done in your past! As a matter of fact, He’s demonstrated that deep love for you by shedding His blood on the cross as payment for the sins that you’ve committed, so that you can be reconciled with Him!
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We have all fallen short in this life
God’s Word tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect plan for our lives:
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
The need to be saved
God’s Word is also very clear that if we don’t receive eternal life, we will die separated from God and therefore end up in eternal hell.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Revelations 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
We are saved by grace, not works!
It is not by works that we are saved, but through the grace of God, which we must receive through faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:28, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
What about water baptism?
Water baptism is known in the Bible as the baptism unto repentance. It’s an outward sign of an inward change. It symbolically represents the cleansing of your old sins. Water baptism is both practiced and preached throughout the New Testament.
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, 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.”
Acts 8:12, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
What does God want with you?
Believe it or not, Jesus doesn’t want you to join a religion… He wants a personal intimate relationship with you! A religion is where you follow a strict set of rules so that you can gain favor with God, whereas a relationship is where you’ve already gained favor with your heavenly Father, and as you come to realize that great love that He has for you, your love for Him will grow in response and you will naturally fulfill what He wants you to do.
It was for this special relationship that Christ died for you. Your sins form a wall between you and God. He loves you dearly, but sin is in complete opposition to His ways. Jesus paid the price for your sins, so they could be forgiven and removed from your past. Through the work Jesus did on the cross, He has proclaimed unto you the word of reconciliation!
2 Corinthians 5:19, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
Your relationship with your heavenly Father (your salvation) meant so much to Jesus, that He died for it!
Make the choice today!
God wants you to confess with your mouth, the choice you have made in your heart. For the Bible says that by believing in your heart you are made righteous, but through mouth confession you are saved:
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.”
If you are ready to receive Jesus into your heart, pray this prayer out loud, meaning it from your heart:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I realize I am a sinner. I believe you died and shed your blood for the remission of my sins, so that I may have eternal life. Right now, I turn from my sins and ask that you come into my life, changing me into a new person and washing all my sins away. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Amen.”
Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Become baptized in the Holy Spirit!
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the next step. The Holy Spirit is with you now that you are a child of God, but there’s more… the Bible speaks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is where you are endued (empowered) with power on high… God’s very own Holy Spirit power! I encourage you to read the following teaching which will give you a much better understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit:
The baptism of the Holy Spirit