.My Testimony.

My Testimony
I am so blessed to have a short and sweet testimony. God surely saved me from much.

When I was 5 years old, I heard a lesson in Sunday School that triggered my mind to start thinking about eternity. I knew about Heaven. I knew about Hell. I knew where I wanted to end up. So, I'm told, I got saved on night.

However, I didn't remember it. So of course I doubted my Salvation. When I was 8, almost 9, I went forward to be baptized. It was about two weeks before the baptism service that I realized I'm not actually saved. I don't have a testimony to tell. If I died right now, I would go to Hell.

So that night, when I had just barely turned 9, I gave my life to Jesus. For good. I prayed with my mom and asked Jesus to be my Savior, which of course he graciously did. I can't tell you how thankful I am for my Salvation.

Of course I've had struggles, and I've disappointed him time and time again... But he is such a merciful God, and is always forgiving.

It's easy, really. You can be saved, too. Do you know for sure if you were to die right now, where you would spend eternity?

Where would you go if you died today?
Most people believe they would go to Heaven. But how can you be sure? Many people think they will go to Heaven because of their religion, heritage, upbringing, social status, or simply because they are a better than average person. However, the Bible is very clear on this subject. If you're not absolutely sure you are headed to Heaven, please take a serious look at the following and you will see for yourself, that you really can be sure you're headed to Heaven.

Does God want you in Heaven?
Absolutely. If he didn't, would he have sent his only son (Jesus Christ) to be persecuted and to die on the cross for you?
John 3: 16- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."


The first thing you must do is to realize you are a sinner. For some of us this is very easy. For others, we struggle with this fact as we don't see ourselves as a "bad person". But the fact of the matter is we are all sinners, whether we consider ourselves a good person or a bad person.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
 
 
Now we know we are all sinners, now what? Well, it's important to know that its because of sin that we all die. It is a fact that the death rate is 100% and we will all die, but what happens when we die? Simply put, we either go to Heaven or Hell. The beauty of it all is that God has provided us a free gift. But just like any any other gift, you must accept it to enjoy the benefits of it.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We have established the fact that we are all sinners, we all die, and that God has provided us with the free gift of eternal life - so now what? Well, we must accept the gift by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. As you read this bible verse, please note there is no mention of any type of religious ceremony, Church member-ship, or anything else -- all that's necessary is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Admittedly, simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ sounds too good to be true. But the Bible is very clear that by grace we are saved through faith. In other words, you can not earn your way into Heaven. No amount of good deeds, good works, religion, or simply being better than the average person is going to get you saved (into Heaven). You must accept Gods free gift.
Ephesians 2:8-9 " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."



So how do you accept God's free gift? Read Romans chapter 10, verse 9. It just can't be made any more plain than this.  Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Many people believe that they are a sinner, they are going to die, and that God has provided an opportunity to get people to Heaven. But many people also believe they have sinned too much or there is no room in Heaven for them. Romans chapter 10, verse 13 dispels this by spelling out each of our names as "whosoever". There are no strings attached, minimum qualifications, or other such nonsense. We can all be a "whosoever". Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Once you have called upon the name of the Lord to be saved, you are guaranteed eternal life with Him.
John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and the follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand

Many people realize they are sinners, they are going to die, that God sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and that they must accept God's free gift of eternal security and salvation. However, they wait to accept the free gift. Why? If you're not saved, or if you're not 100% sure you will be going to Heaven when you die, what are you waiting for? You never know what's going to happen to you in this uncertain world.
2 Corinthians 6:2 "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation I have succoured thee: behold now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of Salvation.)"

 If you're not saved, or if you're not 100% sure you're headed to Heaven when you die, wont you please listen to your heart? I believe there is a reason you've been reading this. God is standing at the door of your heart and asking you to open the door and let him in.
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."


Are you ready to accept God's free gift now?
If so, simply go to him in prayer and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart. Admit you are a sinner and acknowledge that you know Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Acknowledge you know there is no other way to get to Heaven than to accept God's free gift and you totally trust in the finished work of his son, Jesus Christ. Once you have done this, you will be saved.


So now what?
God has many Blessings in store for you. Once you have accepted God's free gift, you can be assured you will spend eternity in Heaven. This is the greatest Blessing you will ever receive. However, to better understand all of God's Blessings, you should read His Words daily in the Bible (1611 King James Authorized Version), join a good Bible Believing Church where you can learn and grow in the Christian Faith, surround yourself with other believers, and be sure to share your new found knowledge with others.