In your opinion, what does God require for a person to go to heaven?
Many people respond with good answers like:
Be honest
Be a good person
Read the Bible
Go to church
Obey the 10 commandments
In fact, these are great answers.
They are exactly what a Christian should do . . .
BUT . . . this list is not what God requires to go to heaven.
The letters in the word PRAY can help you know what God requires.
The P stands for a Promise:
God loves you.
No matter who or what you are . . .
In spite of what you’ve done . . .
God loves you.
The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
The R stands for a Reality:
We all struggle with sin.
Have you ever met someone who was perfect and didn’t struggle with doing the right thing?
Neither have I. Everyone struggles with sin, no matter who they are.
The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
That includes you and me.
But there’s hope for people like us...
The A stands for the Answer:
The answer for our struggle with sin is Jesus.
Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the Good News.” Mark 1:15
Repent means to change the direction of your life, not just saying you’re sorry to God for your sin. It means to ask forgiveness and start living the way God wants you to live.
The word “surrender” sums up the meaning. You surrender your life to live for Jesus.
The Good News is the true Easter story. Jesus died, was buried and three days later was resurrected from the dead.
Jesus is alive. He has the power over death and the grave.
Why did Jesus die?
Because God is just, Jesus was willing to die as your substitute. You and I deserve to die and to be separated from God forever because of our sin. However, Jesus died in your place to pay your penalty for sin.
The Bible says, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18
Jesus loved you so much He was willing to die for you, even though He didn’t deserve to die. Jesus died so He could bring you to God. Jesus died to remove your sins and He rose again, so He might give you eternal life.
The Y in PRAY stands for You:
It’s not enough to know God loves you. It’s not enough to admit you’re a sinner. It’s not even enough to know that Jesus is the answer for your struggle with sin.
Look at how many times "you" is stated or implied in this verse:
“If YOU confess with YOUR mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and (YOU) believe in YOUR heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of relationship with Jesus?
You can if YOU will surrender your life to Him.
To find the value only Jesus can give to you, pray a prayer like this:
Dear Jesus: Thank you for loving me and for dying for me. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I am willing to turn my life over to you. I’m willing to live for you. I receive you as my Savior and Lord. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, would you CONTACT US and let us know so that we can minister to you personally?