Many people question whether the Bible is true. They’ve been led into confusion by many different opinions and false information and they aren’t sure what to believe. Is Jesus the only way to heaven? How can you know for sure? I had all those same questions, too, at one time. I had not been raised with any religious background, and we didn’t attend church, but I had definitely done my share of searching for answers and picked up a lot of misinformation along the way. For a long time, I was not interested in changing anything about my life or my lifestyle as I was still enjoying a life of sin and rebellion. But that left me with a sense of emptiness and loneliness that could never be filled.
I grew up with a mentally ill father, a mother who had to support the family, and alcoholic grandparents as caretakers. My childhood was full of neglect and feelings of instability. I felt unimportant, unwanted, and invisible, and I was terribly lonely. I had no sense of identity or self-worth, so I turned to all the wrong things to try to find acceptance with my peers. It didn’t work. I still felt like an outsider. I tried to find love in all the wrong places, but that didn’t work either. I felt so broken inside, so empty. I thought getting married at a young age would fix it. It didn’t. I married an abusive person. Even though the marriage didn’t last, the cycles of drinking to numb my pain and the abuse continued for many years. My life was marked by:
Addictions and overdosing
Suicidal tendencies
Repeated loss of employment
Rape and abuse
I was full of insecurity, rejection, shame, and other toxic emotions. I could not stand the person I had become. I was full of guilt, shame and self-hatred, so I would cut myself, drink and do drugs to try to escape my pain. I overdosed on a regular basis. I could not see a reason for my existence, or a way out of my misery. Everyone in my life told me how worthless I was, what a bad mother I was, and they said I would die alone. I had no self-esteem. It was a life of hopelessness, bitterness & misery. A life without purpose or meaning.
Then I heard the good news. Jesus Christ could set me free.
Eventually, I attended a Christian recovery meeting and I heard someone say that I didn’t have to feel that way anymore. I asked how that could be because it sounded too good to be true. They told me Jesus died for me on the cross so that my sins were forgiven. I didn’t have to live with that shame anymore. I could hardly believe it.
I went home and said, “God, if you are real, I need You. Please show me you are real. Because if you don’t, I know I am going to die.” And He did. He opened my eyes to see the hope that is in Jesus Christ. I prayed for my sins to be forgiven and asked Jesus to be My Savior. Speak this over yourself right now: Lord Jesus, open my eyes! Give me faith to believe!
My life took a drastic turn in a new direction. When I was dying in my addiction, when I had lost all hope, I had no idea God had a beautiful life planned for me. The enemy wants to rob us of our future destiny. But Jesus restored my life in every way. He saved me from overdosing and death many times so that I could fulfill His purposes. He healed me and set me free from bitterness, depression, and mental torment. I could not deliver myself from the demonic spirits that tormented me, nor could I stop drinking for any length of time because I was chained to the demons driving that behavior. Jesus Christ broke the chains of addiction. Only one who is stronger and more powerful can set someone else free! God has given my life purpose. Today, I teach people how to know Jesus and break curses off their lives. I am happily married. God healed me from infertility and gave me two miracle children. He healed my heart from a birth defect. We’ve had financial miracles. Nothing is impossible with God!
One of my favorite Bible verses is Lamentations 3:21-23.
“Yet I call this to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”
Having a relationship with the Lord is so different than simply identifying with a religion. Religion can be many things to many people, but most are based on trying to earn one’s own righteousness or approval through good works. Many religions have a deity as a focal point to meditate upon, in hopes of achieving spiritual enlightenment or a peaceful state of mind. False religions also promote the erroneous idea that man can become so enlightened they become a god of themselves. This, by the way, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Satan has always tempted man to want to be ‘like God.’ It’s the same temptation the serpent whispered to Eve back in the garden. Isaiah 14:12-15 says, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Do you see how Satan claimed to be seated high on a throne like God, when in reality he was cast out of heaven? The adversary is jealous and wants to be worshiped like God, but he has been stripped of his power and his end is certain, to be cast into the lake of fire as his eternal judgment. All who follow him will endure the same fate.
Some people, often those who find it difficult to believe in the truths of the Bible, claim they do not find supporting evidence that the Bible mentions the necessity of having a personal relationship with God. It is true that phrase is not mentioned in the Bible, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Now, anyone can choose NOT to believe the Bible is true if their heart is set on denial and unbelief. But, let me explain why Christianity is based on the premise that one of the core beliefs is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of documented conversations between God and his people. This affirms the concept of a personal relationship with God is relevant and true, supported through the entirety of scripture. Millions, if not billions of other believers have recorded testimonies of dreams, dialogues and meaningful encounters between themselves, others, and the Lord, where communication is the byproduct of a personal relationship. This is also valid supporting evidence that is considered relevant admissible evidence in a court of law.
In John 15:15 Jesus said, I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Friendship testifies to an existing relationship, not just between individuals, but we are a part of a Christian community of other believers who also have relationship with a living God. One cannot have a relationship with an idol made out of wood or stone, or a religious figure that perhaps once lived but is now deceased. A relationship can only exist between people that are alive. The fact that Jesus is alive is based on the ongoing testimonies of people in many different continents, different locations, among people of different languages who have not known one another or in any way been able to communicate with each other. Yet, these believers have testimonies that they have enjoyed personal relationship and communication with their Creator. This is made possible because Jesus is alive. It is written in 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” In Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus said, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Jesus prophesied his resurrection (Matthew 20:19; Mark 9:9; 14:28; Luke 18:33; John 2:19-22). He also fulfilled it. (Romans 8:34)
So, you see, man’s attempt to make Christianity like any other religion fails in every way. It’s not the same, not by a longshot.
Religion has nothing to do with love or being loved. Relationships exemplify love between individuals.
Your parents loved you before you knew how to love them back, right? It’s like that with our heavenly father, too. In 1 John 4:19 it says we love the Lord because He loved us first.
But, our sins separate us from the knowledge of God’s love. If we insist on an unbelieving mindset, of course we will not receive the truth. It takes faith to please God, and it takes faith to believe in what we cannot see. Salvation is not an experience we gain through intellect. It is something we can only attain by faith.
In John chapter 3, Jesus said You must be born again. Being born again is the entrance into heaven. The reason this is so important is that we must all stand before God on judgment day. Now, none of us know the day we shall die, so it’s important to make sure our sins are forgiven, and not to put off this very important decision.
God gave us the 10 commandments as a moral law. Have you broken any of His commandments?
Have you made other things a higher priority than your relationship with the Lord? That’s idolatry, breaking the first two commandments..
Have you ever lied?
Stolen?
Have you ever spoken against someone else out of anger? Slandered their reputation? Jesus said murder begins in the heart and comes out of one’s mouth. Have you had an abortion, counseled someone to have one, or been involved in taking a life? That is also conspiracy to commit murder and breaking the 6th commandment.
Have you looked on anyone with lust or had sex outside of marriage? That’s adultery, the 7th commandment..
Have you ever treated your parents with disrespect or dishonor? That’s the 5th commandment.
Have you ever had envy or coveted something that belonged to someone else? That’s breaking the 10th commandment.
None of us can keep all the commandments perfectly. We are all guilty before God and our sins bear witness against us. And when God judges you based on whether you’ve kept His commandments, if you’re not born again and do not have your sins forgiven, then you will end up in hell. God has great compassion on us and does not want this for us. Hell was created for the punishment of demons and all those that reject God’s free offer of salvation, because they refuse to accept His grace to have their sins forgiven.
The Bible says we all fall short of the glory of God. We have all sinned. Our sin makes us unclean. See, even if we try to console ourselves by saying, “Well, I’m not a bad person,” it does not make a difference. God does not judge us based on our opinion of ourselves. He judges us based on what He has written in His word, because His WORD is His LAW.
The Bible tells us that nothing unclean will ever enter heaven. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life have their sins forgiven.
We, as sinners, cannot take away our own sin no matter how much we try to make up for it with good works. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No idol, no prophet, no other god of our making has died for your sin except Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ proved his love and his worthiness to be called our God by sacrificing himself for us. That is the greatest act of love anyone can do for someone else. He did it out of love for mankind, because He knew that only the blood of a holy, innocent God can redeem us from the penalty that our sins deserve. God didn’t want the world to be filled with sin. So, our heavenly Father sent Jesus, who is God’s Son, to live in our world as a person like us, (yet fully Divine). We needed a role model we could see and understand, so Jesus showed us how to love God and love each other. He did many miracles to demonstrate that He was who He said he was, and his kingdom was more than just words. It is a kingdom of power. Jesus lived a sinless life, but people misunderstood Him, falsely accused him, and sentenced him to death by dying on a cross. Jesus paid the ultimate price with his life to redeem all mankind from our sin. Jesus satisfied the debt we couldn’t pay.
Exodus 20:3 says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” Jesus Christ is not a god among other gods. He is the One and ONLY true God. He proved it by resurrecting himself from death. Multitudes witnessed him die, and then they witnessed him when he came back to life. When Jesus rose from the dead, many hundreds of people saw him alive again. It’s documented.
We have good reasons to trust in Jesus Christ. First, he did no wrong to others and lived a morally extraordinary life. He practiced the humility, honesty and integrity that he taught others to live by when He taught the Sermon on the Mount. Not only did Jesus teach people the importance of showing mercy, compassion, and forgiveness, He lived by those moral principles. So, He proved he had good character. Second, Jesus healed the sick, delivered those tormented by demonic spirits, and demonstrated the power of God’s kingdom. Third, he gave his very life in exchange for the sin of all mankind, so that others could experience the love of God and have their sins forgiven. The result is that we can experience the blessing of eternal life as a child of God, and one day be welcomed into heaven. There is no greater act of love and sacrifice he could have done. Fourth, Jesus defeated all the power of Satan’s kingdom through his death and resurrection, giving all those that acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior the same power to walk in wholeness, healing and victory. Fifth, the word of God is proven to be trustworthy. His promises are proven to be true for those that place their trust in Him. (Ref. Psalm 18:30) All scripture is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who cannot lie, and is useful for our teaching. (Ref. Heb. 6:18 and 2 Tim. 3:16). Finally, God gives everyone the opportunity to be saved, but we must choose Christ. It doesn’t happen automatically. God gave all who believe in his Son the right to become children of God, (Ref. John 1:12).
Jesus Christ has earned my trust by proving his value system, his integrity, honesty, purity of heart and high moral character. Any attempt to evaluate other so called ‘gods’ by the same standards proves they fall terribly short of proving they are worthy of trust. You don’t have to take my word for it. Read the Bible for yourself and verify the truth for yourself. He made a believer out of me and He can do it for you.
What makes Jesus Christ very different than any other religious figure is the fact that Jesus takes a person with a dead spirit and makes them alive in Him. I know this is true because He did it for me. He took a person that was dead on the inside and gave me new life when His Spirit came inside of me. New birth comes from placing our trust in Jesus Christ to be our Savior and trusting Him to take away our sin. It comes by believing in the work of the cross, and by faith. That’s what it means to be born again. When a person invites Jesus into their heart as their Savior, something supernatural happens. They are translated from death to life, because the Spirit of the living God comes to live inside of them. The law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death. We do not look to man for the forgiveness of sins, worship idols, or pray to saints because Jesus is the only intercessor between God and man. No one else has the power to forgive sins. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” Jesus Christ is the source of life. No other religious figure can do this! Jesus is unique because He is ALIVE. He is not like false gods of wood, or stone. He is not some made up story or philosophy concocted in the mind of someone else. Only God can give us a new heart. He begins to change us from the inside out. He makes our heart His home. Our Father cares for us and hides us inside of Himself. No other religious figure can make these claims. That is why Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. There is only one way to heaven and one way to salvation.
In Romans 5:8, the Bible says, “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God refers to himself as Father. He longs for us to become a part of His family!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 When we confess our sins, our conscience is cleansed of guilt, condemnation, and shame.
God loves us because when he sees us, He sees the spirit of His Son living in us. He doesn’t see all the wrong things we have done. Jesus is the bridge between us and our heavenly father, so that we can have fellowship with God. Our Father loves us the same as He loves His son. That is why He will never reject us. We are adopted into God’s family as his sons and daughters, and we become heirs of every promise found in His word. Romans 8:15 says, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10, if we confess our belief in the Lord Jesus and speak it out of our mouths that we shall be saved. Scripture also tells us that we should be baptized as a public declaration of our faith.
The other thing that is vital to the growth of any Christian is inviting the Holy Spirit to come empower you to live for Christ, and to bless you with your very own spiritual prayer language. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift God can give you, because it’s His Spirit coming to live inside of you. It also gives you your personal prayer language that the enemy cannot understand what you’re saying. That means when you pray in your new language, the Holy Spirit in you prays directly to the Father. When you pray in the spirit, it will always be the perfect will of God. He communicates back to your spirit to give you the thoughts of God. This releases power into your prayer life.
I would like to offer you the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, but I want you to understand something else that is very important. Because Jesus died to extend forgiveness for us, He expects all of us to extend forgiveness to those that have sinned against us. He said in Matthew 6:15, “If you do not forgive others for the things they have done to offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins.” Holding back mercy, compassion and forgiveness towards others is a big deal for the Lord, and it will keep your prayers from being answered. Unforgiveness will keep you out of heaven. God will give you the grace to do it, because he empowers us to live like Christ.
Pray this with me.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I believe Jesus Christ died in my place to take away my sin, that the Holy Spirit raised him from the dead, and Jesus is the one true God. Please forgive me for selfishness, rebellion and idolatry. I renounce all idol worship, false religious practices and false gods that have been a part of my life. Satan, you are NOT my god and you are NOT my father! I divorce you! I renounce and repent for any ungodly agreements made by myself or my ancestors with spirits of darkness. Let the blood of Jesus break all ungodly covenants and wash me clean. Thank you for adopting me as your child.
Lord Jesus, please redeem my life. Be my Lord and Savior and come live in my heart. Thank you for paying the price for me. Thank you for forgiveness. Now, please enable me to forgive others just as graciously as you have forgiven me. By faith, I release all those that have hurt, offended or disappointed me. I forgive them from my heart and ask that you reveal Jesus Christ to them, too. In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command all evil spirits to leave me now. Let every chain of the enemy break off now.
Holy Spirit, I invite you to come live the life of Christ in me. Lead me in the truth. Please baptize me with the fullness of Your Spirit and empower me to live for Christ. In Jesus name, amen.