Your Only Hope
Are you lonely, tired, depressed, empty? There is only one answer, only one Hope.
John 14:6 (HCSB)
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
There are no alternate ways to God – only Jesus. We must become like Him. He loves you more than you can imagine.
Philippians 2:5-8 (HCSB)
5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.
Jesus is God. He chose to leave Heaven where He was sovereign, where there was no pain. Jesus came to earth as a tiny baby. He walked the earth as a common man for 33 years (He emptied Himself). He did this so that you could believe that He understands all of your failures, all of your temptations, all of your victories – because He loves you. He knows what it is like to be a human; He felt pain and sorrow and grief and rejection. He wept; He laughed; He got angry and disgusted
At age 33, Jesus died the cruelest death ever known to mankind. He was crucified. He bled and He died just like you and I would have. He felt the nails. He felt the anger and the meanness. He went through that so that you could go to Heaven when you die. He went through that so that you could experience a joy-filled life while you are on earth.
John 3:16 (HCSB)
16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
How do you experience eternal life?
First you must admit that you are a sinner – that is, that you have done things that God does not approve of.
Romans 3:23 (HCSB)
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever taken something that doesn’t belong to you? Have you ever disobeyed your parents? These are just a few examples of sin. The Bible says that we are all sinners. Do you know that you are a sinner?
Then you must believe. You must believe that Jesus died to save you from your sins. You must believe that He died on the cross for your sins and that three days later God raised Him from the dead.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 (HCSB)
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.
10 With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.
13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
If you believe that you are a sinner, and you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and was raised again on the third day, then you may ask Jesus for forgiveness and tell Him that you believe; and you will be “saved.” Saved from Hell. Saved to eternal life. This means that you will go to Heaven when you die, but it means much more. It means that you are committing your life to Jesus and that you will live as though He is Lord of your life.
If you would like to accept Jesus as your Savior and make Him Lord of your life, you may pray the following prayer and believe that He is your Savior. There is no magic in these words. The act of salvation takes place in your heart.
Pray:
**Jesus, I believe that I am a sinner. I have committed things that were against Your Way. I ask Your forgiveness for my sins. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that on the third day after they buried You, God raised You from the dead. I want You to be the Lord of my life. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and meant it in your heart, you are now a child of God. Congratulations! Welcome to the family of God!
It is very important that you begin to study the Bible and worship with a group of believers that believe and preach God’s Word. You may contact me at LLBannister@hotmail.com and I will be glad to help you find a pastor who will help you. You may contact my husband at pastorbannister@yahoo.com and he will be glad to help you in any way. Just as a newborn baby can’t live on its own, a new Christian needs to be nurtured and helped to understand his/her decision so that he/she can live a joyful abundant life.
God Bless you,
Lisa
Your Only Hope
