How to start a relationship with God
There are just three simple steps to making Jesus Christ the leader of your life:
STEP ONE: Admit you’re a sinner. The Bible makes it clear that we ALL have a sin problem: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s standard.” You’re not a worse sinner than someone else; and you’re not less-of-a-sinner than someone else. You’re just a sinner, period. The Bible doesn’t compare you to anyone but God; who’s perfect. So when we Admit we’re sinners, we’re simply agreeing, ‘God’s perfect, and I’m not. I can’t live up to His standards.’ Although that’s true for everyone, it’s still hard to admit because of pride. That’s why a relationship with God starts by humbling yourself and admitting, “I’m a sinner.”
STEP TWO: Believe that Jesus paid the price for sin. People believe there are many ways to be accepted by God and granted access to heaven when we die. But the Bible only offers one way: Believe in Jesus Christ. Not just that he existed. Believe that he was the Son of God, that he lived a sinless life and that when he willingly gave his perfect life on the cross, God accepted His sacrifice as the only payment for our sins. John 3:16 says, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” The second step to a relationship with God is believing what the Bible says about who Jesus is and accepting what he did on the cross as God’s only solution to the problem of sin.
STEP THREE: Confess in your own words and from your heart, and ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life. I often say, “A belief is not really a belief until you’re willing to live it.” Thousands of people will tell you, ‘Yea, I believe in Jesus’ if you ask them. But many of them don’t know God and they aren’t going to heaven. Why? Because it’s not enough to believe; you’ve got to act on what you believe. That’s why this last step is so important. Acting on your belief, you say, “God, not only do I believe in Jesus, I choose Jesus to be the Leader and Lord of my life.” Romans 10:9 says, “You will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.”
The prayer below contains the three steps necessary to make Jesus Christ the Leader and Lord of your life. Are you ready? God has been waiting for this moment from the time you were born. He’s listening right now as you pray…
Prayer: ‘God, I admit I’m a sinner. Thanks for loving me anyway. I believe in Jesus. I believe He’s your son. And I believe that when he gave his sinless life on the cross, it took care of my sin problem. Not only do I believe in Jesus; I want Him to be the Leader of my life. Come into my life, Jesus. Help me live for God. In Jesus name. Amen.’
Congratulations on your decision to follow Christ! I wish I was there to celebrate with you. Your new life with God as your leader has just begun. Let me stress: THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. God will be working on you for the rest of your life; helping you live more like Jesus. There’s a bumper sticker that says, ‘Christians aren’t perfect; they’re just forgiven.’ It’s true! Don’t get frustrated or think Jesus cut you from the team the first time you make a mistake. Just be honest with God when you sin, ask him to forgive you right away, and move forward. God is committed to you and he will help you grow stronger through each challenge.
This last part is VERY IMPORTANT: Now that you’ve asked Jesus to be the Leader of your life, you need to find someone that’s been serving God for a while (a guy with a guy, a lady with a lady), tell them about your decision, and ask if you can hang out with them at least once-a-week for the next two or three months. Tell them, “I want to learn everything I can about how to live for God, how to pray and how to read the Bible. I need someone who can help answer questions about things I don’t understand. Will you disciple me?” I can’t stress how important that is! Many Christians never learn the basics of following Christ. As a result, they never discover and become all God intended for them, or they back out on their commitment completely. Discipleship is so important that it was one of the final commands Jesus gave to all believers before he left earth. You will never forget the person who disciples you! Don’t put this off. Pray about it and ask God to direct you to someone right away!
Romans 3:23 NLT
2 Romans 10:9 CEVU
3 There are many great books that teach the basics of following Christ. One I’ve used is Follow by Dan McNaughton and Bryan Koch. It teaches the 7 main steps to becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus, complete with interactive questions in each chapter and Leader’s Notes in the back.
4 Matthew 28:19 is known as The Great Commission – “…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.”
