A brief outline of three basic and simple steps which a person needs to take in giving his life to Christ.
To become a Christian means to become a friend of Jesus. It means becoming a son of God. There is no greater privilege that any human being can have. The Almighty God who created the great universe is willing to become our best Friend; to take your life in charge and to make sure that everything that you do from now on, is good and perfect. He will take you and make you into a new person, one who is upright, honest, clean, dependable, and full of the joy of life.
How can you become a Christian? It may be that your life is full of evil. It may be that you are a thief, a drunkard, a fornicator, a deep and desperate sinner – perhaps even a murderer! Or perhaps you are not what people would consider to be a great sinner. Perhaps all you do is tell a little lie sometimes, or talk a little foolishness, or perhaps get angry and lose your temper sometimes. But the truth still remains that you are separated from God. You are still the tool of Satan. If you do not allow God to control your life, then your master is Satan, and you are a slave. You need to be set free from the bondage of sin. Only Jesus can do that. You have only one hope, and that is to give your life completely to God. That is, to become a Christian.
THE FIRST STEP
The first thing which you need to do is to recognize your true condition. You must learn that you are a SINNER! That your life, as it is now is displeasing to God. Even if you live a life which seems to be good in the sight of people, yet the truth is that you are only deceiving yourself, and others. Deep in your heart, the well of pollution remains and it will keep on springing up, because there is no real good in any person, apart from God. You must realize that you are in danger of the judgment. The Almighty God, who is your Friend and who is pleading with you today to come to Him that you might have life, must be your judge one day soon. You, and every other human being must stand before the great white throne to hear His awful judgment on sin and sinners. What are the words which He will speak to you? Will it be, ‘‘Come ye blessed….inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the earth.’’? Or will you hear the words, ‘‘DEPART FROM ME YE CURSED INTO EVERLASTING FIRE PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS’’? Which will YOU hear? The question is, are you a friend of God? Deep down inside you know the answer. You also know that you need Him badly. Without Him, not only is your life a miserable failure today, but the day is fast-approaching when you must stand face to face with God and hear your condemnation, unless you give Him your life.
THE SECOND STEP
The next thing you must do is REPENT. To repent means to be genuinely sorry for your sins and to turn away from them. Now, you might ask, ‘‘How can I feel sorry for my sins? Can I make myself feel sorry?’’ Well, you must find somewhere where you can think, and talk to God. Somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed. Perhaps you may find some quiet spot in the bushes, or perhaps you might have to lock yourself in the bathroom. But it is important that you make the time to think and to pray. Do not run away from it. Face it. Think over your life and look at the things which you have done and are doing; all the sins which you have committed. Ask yourself the question honestly, ‘‘Is my life pleasing to God? Do I know Him as my best Friend?’’ Be honest with yourself. Do not try to hide from your true situation. The word of the Almighty God says that all who are not followers of Christ are lost sinners, with a spring of evil bubbling up inside, and fit only for destruction.
Think of how your sins have grieved God. Think how you have been ungrateful to the One who loves you best; who gave His life, and suffered more than you can ever imagine, so that you might have everlasting life. As Jesus hung on the cross dying, He was tempted to save His own life. He was tempted to put an end to His suffering; to leave the whole ungrateful race of men to be controlled and destroyed by Satan. But He did not. Do you know why? It was because He loved you. He thought of you. He knew that you would be born one day. He knew that you would have no hope. Nothing but a miserable life, no better than that of a dog, or a donkey or a cow, or any of these dumb animals. He knew, and His love for you was, and is stronger than death, and so, He bore the pain of Calvary. He allowed dirty, evil men to spit in His face and to mock Him, and to nail Him, stark naked upon a piece of wood and to hang Him up between heaven and earth. HE DID IT FOR YOU! Yes, it was for you. And yet, you have wounded Him by your ungratefulness. All your life you have served Satan. Are you not sorry for this? Will you not allow Him to make something worthwhile of your life? REPENT! Turn away from your evil deeds and serve the living God! Ask God, now, to help you to put away your sins forever. All of them, once and for all. Choose NOW to turn away from them. By God’s grace, make up your mind. He will give you the strength which you need.
THE THIRD STEP
The third thing you must do is CONSECRATE yourself to God. Get down on your knees. Humble yourself before God, the One who created you, the One who keeps your heart beating day by day. Get down on your knees and ask Him to forgive your sins and to take FULL and COMPLETE control of your life. Ask Him to take over your heart, soul, mind and body, and make up your mind that from now on and forever, the only purpose which you will have in this world, is to serve the living God. CHOOSE! CHOOSE THIS DAY, AND CHOOSE FOREVER! For, my dear friend, why do you want to die? Why should you live in sin and separation from God anymore? If you will pray with a true and sincere heart, then you can be sure that God will never disappoint you. All your life He has been waiting for this moment, drawing you to Himself and pleading with you. You will find that He will fill your life with peace and power. You will find the strength to do all the things which you could not do before. You will find the power to give up all your bad habits, because He who created you in the beginning will recreate you, a new creature. You will find that you have the power to resist your old friends when they invite you to join them in the old wrong deeds. POWER will be in your life. Yes! The power of the Almighty God. You do not need to worry about turning back to the old ways, for the One who calls you is able to save you to the uttermost. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will finish the work in you and make you into a new person. Pure, loving, upright and true. A true son of the Ruler of the Universe.
DECIDE NOW
My dear friend, choose now. At this moment while the conviction is strong upon you, make up your mind. The devil is present to snatch the conviction away from you as soon as he is able. Make up your mind now! Do not allow these feelings to pass away from you as you go back to the old dirty ways of sin. Act now! NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION! See, the arms of the Father are open wide to receive you. Oh poor foolish sinner, will you reject Him again? Will you turn your back one more time upon the invitation to receive eternal life? Do not think of what your friends will say. Do not think of the things which you are leaving behind forever. Put your hand to the plow, and for God’s sake, never look back. Fools will laugh. They will mock and tease you, but they will sing a different song on the judgment day. Even now, they will never understand the peace and the happiness which you have. That is why they mock and laugh. Let them mock. You press on and never ever look back.
