Hi, friend! If you’ve found this devotional, you’ve probably followed a link to learn more about following Jesus. I’m so glad you’re here and I know this didn’t find you by accident.
The most wonderful news on earth is found in the Bible—“the gospel.” The gospel is the good news that God made a way for our sins to be forgiven, adopting us as His sons and daughters. One of the most famously quoted passages of scripture sums up the gospel message in one sentence:
“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
You may have some questions, like, “Why did someone have to die?” or, “What words am I supposed to pray to be forgiven?” I’d love to take a few minutes to share more with you about this good news and answer some of these questions.
Why do I need Jesus?
Maybe you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “I’m a relatively good person. Why do I need to be forgiven?” Romans 3:23 tells us,
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
At some point in our lives, every single one of us has struggled to follow at least one of God’s commands. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and it’s been here ever since. No matter how hard we try, none of us will be able to follow the laws written in God’s word perfectly. The law was written to reveal sin and our need for a Savior—a law that is not just found in the Old Testament but also “written on our hearts” (Romans 3:19, Romans 2:14-15). Sin separates us from God. It leads to death and eternity without Him. But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there!
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23
God sent His Son Jesus to our fallen and broken world. He lived a sinless life, yet the world rejected Him. Fully God and fully man, He had the power to escape the cross, but He didn’t. Taking the place of the spotless lambs that were sacrificed in the Old Testament for the atonement of sins, Jesus came and paid that price once and for all. When He did this, He not only fulfilled the Jewish prophecies of their promised Messiah, but He made a way for all who call on the name of Jesus to be saved, including you and me today.
“God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8
What do I say when I pray? How do I make Jesus the Lord of my life?
“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. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10 makes it clear: we must confess out loud that Jesus is Lord, and believe it in our hearts. We can’t simply read a prayer out loud, hoping that lip service alone will be enough to protect us from an eternity far from God. It is a partnership of truly believing this in the depth of your heart and saying it out loud with your mouth.
A “lord” is someone who has power, authority, or rank over others. Believing and confessing that Jesus is Lord is to acknowledge that He is indeed who He says He is, the Son of God, the Lord of all creation.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
This simple step is it—there is nothing we can do to earn this free gift of salvation.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Even though we can’t see Jesus, we can talk to Him anytime, anywhere, like a friend. Let your words pour out to Him from the depths of your heart! Still, if you aren’t sure what to say, here’s a simple prayer to guide you as you accept Him as Lord and Savior:
“Jesus, I believe You are who You say that You are—that You gave Your life on the cross for me and rose from the dead to defeat sin and make me right with You. I confess my sins to you and ask You to be the Lord of my life. Please forgive me and make me right with you. Thank You for this beautiful gift I could never earn! Amen.”
So what’s next?
There is nothing we can do to earn the free gift of salvation—like Ephesians 2 says, it is not a reward for the good things we’ve done. However, Jesus doesn’t want us to go right back into our old sinful habits, because salvation has the power to set us free from them.
It’s evident that Jesus wants us to leave our lives of sin behind. He told those he encountered, “Go and sin no more” (John 5:14, John 8:11).
Following Jesus is like learning to walk—if an infant falls down, they just get back up and keep going. Paul teaches so much about growing up spiritually (1 Corinthians 3:1-3), wrestling with our old sinful nature (Romans 7:14-25), and how important it is to not go on sinning and live however we want (Romans 6).
So what are some practical ways to grow in our new faith?
First, by prayer and reading the Bible.
The Bible is the “living, breathing word of God.” (Hewbrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16) It has the power to speak directly into our circumstances. A great place to start is in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), reading the stories and teachings of Jesus.
Before you read, pray and ask God to speak to you through His word. You’ll be amazed at how He answers this prayer!
You can talk to God about anything. It doesn’t matter how big or how small. He cares about every detail of your life!
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
The Bible can be hard to understand, and we are not meant to figure it out on our own. God made us for community, and we are warned in the Bible not to neglect this (Hebrews 10:25). How do you find community?
Secondly, by finding a Bible-teaching church that you trust.
At church, you can:
Weekly hear the Word of God preached.
Make friends with other Christians who can encourage and pray for you.
Follow the Lord in water baptism (a public declaration of your decision to follow Jesus).
Join a Bible-study group where you can learn and grow.
Be a part of making a difference in the lives of others by participating in things like outreach and missions.
Churches are full of imperfect humans just like you and me, and it’s important to remember that people are not Jesus, and sometimes they will hurt or disappoint us. If you’ve been hurt by church people before, it’s worth the risk to try again to find authentic believers who can cheer you on in your walk with Jesus!
What if I still feel skeptical?
It’s okay to ask all the big questions. The more we search, the more we find what’s actually true, further strengthening our faith.
Jesus’ time on earth is undeniable, as He is a real historical figure accounted for not just Biblically, but also across ancient historians from the 1st century. The Bible itself has proven to be the most historically accurate book throughout the world, with more copies of it by far than any other book that has ever been written. If you’re skeptical about what the Bible has to say about Jesus, a great book to check out is I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek.
Welcome to the family of God!
If you prayed this prayer today, we’d love to hear about it and celebrate with you! Please take a moment to fill out the form below.
