How can you get a New
Beginning?
These Are the Facts
God
Loves You
He
made you. He knows how you feel. He understands all your problems. He knows your
background. He knows your name. And God loves you and wants you to have the best
for your life.
Everything God does, He does out of love. His love is not just a good feeling
about His Universe, but an unselfish CHOICE to will our highest good.
"Herein is love; not the we loved God, but that He loves US and sent His
Son to be the way through which we could be forgiven and come back to Him."
Sin
Has Come Between You and God
Sin is
really selfishness; a "me first" attitude of heart and life. It is
denying God's right to be God in your life; it is breaking His laws, and
scorning His guidelines for happiness.
It is putting ourselves first above everyone else; living first of all to serve
and please ME instead of God, and refusing to treat all others according to
their rightful place and value in the Universe.
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world; and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil..."
"ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
God
Hates Sin Because It Costs So Much
Sin is
the cause of all the heartache in our world. God didn't plan sin. He never plans
unhappiness. He wants man to be happy and free. Sin is the reason why there is
pain, misery and death in our land. Sin enslaves us to our feelings instead of
our doing what is right and reasonable. Sin makes us feel guilty and afraid and
alone. Sin is the most expensive thing in the Universe. It cost God His only
Son. It cost Jesus Christ His life. God, Who must be just, never can allow sin
to go unpunished, or the Universe would begin to collapse in evil. When God's
infinitely important law of love for happiness is broken, the law-breaker must
pay the penalty. A law without a penalty is only advice. The penalty must be as
important as the law it is designed to protect. For such a terribly important
law as God's law, that was made to direct and protect His intelligent, moral
creatures, God set a penalty as high as possible - endless death, or separation
forever from His Universe and all the rights and privileges of living and
growing in it through eternity. "The soul that sins shall die...The wages
of sin is death."
You,
As A Sinner, Deserve To Be Punished
You
know that deep inside. By rights, you should pay the penalty of your sin. You
knew what was right, but did not do it. You have made a mess of your life. If
you are really honest, you know you have no excuses to make. Nothing you could
say to God could possibly justify the choices you have made to please yourself.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of law...for by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified...If we say we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar and His Word is not in us."
But
- In His great love and wisdom, God found a way to forgive you, and still be
just... If ...you are willing to meet his conditions.
The
Lord Jesus humbled Himself and became man. He lived a perfect life and never
broke His Father's law of love. He offered His own perfect life as a sacrifice
to provide a substitute for the penalty of your sin. His death on the cross
shows at once how much God loves you and how much He hates your sin. You can
choose one of two things: pay the penalty for your sin OR resolve to turn your
back on the past and give your life to God, letting the Lord Jesus be your
substitute. God CANNOT forgive you unless you are willing to stop fighting Him
and make Him your Boss. His Holy Spirit makes you willing to change, and He
draws you now by His love. He wants to help you make a life-changing decision
NOW. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the
Father but by Me." "He that trusts his life wholly to the Son is
experiencing eternal life; he that does not believe on the Son of God shall not
see life; but the anger of God abides on him."
SALVATION
is God's plan to restore man to a holy, happy
relationship with Him. All problems of sin, doubt, failure and lack of victory
or God's power can be conquered by the following steps:
Rethink...
Stop running away from the Voice of God
and look at your life. We do not naturally want to obey God; only if we let the
Holy Spirit show us our sin as GOD sees it will we realize just how bad we have
been. To do this, you MUST be TOTALLY HONEST! Don't pretend. Don't "play
down" your sin. Stop making excuses! Admit it from your heart! "God, I
am all wrong!"
If necessary, get paper and pencil and WRITE DOWN the things that have come
between you and God, and stopped you from serving Him as you ought.
Repent...
Turn your back on your old way of life. Be
WILLING to lose any habit, any plan, any friend that you have been living your
life for instead of God. This is not easy, but Jesus said if we wanted to follow
Him, we must first count the cost. (Luke 14:25-33) Salvation is like a real
marriage. Two people promise themselves to each other, pledge their love to each
other before a watching world, and give up all their old dates. This is what God
wants you to do to know His love.
Renounce...
Give up all RIGHTS to your own life. If
you are going to be a part of God's world-changing family, you cannot be your
own boss any longer. You must DIE to your own plans, dreams and ambitions, and
be willing to do whatever God wants you to do. He knows EXACTLY what will make
you most happy. It may hurt to surrender everything at first, but God knows
best, and will never ask you to do anything that you will regret in the end. A
true Christian has nothing of his own; time, talents, money, possessions,
friends, career, and future - all must be surrendered for his King's service.
Replan...
Be prepared to make many changes in your
life! The very moment you make this heart-choice for God, the old
"you" will die, and a new person inside you will begin to live. If the
Holy Spirit is speaking to you about getting something right with someone, you
must be willing to do it for God to help you. Wherever you need to confess
wrong, or restore or repay something to someone, the Lord Jesus will give you
the courage and the words to say. Becoming a Christian implies the WILLINGNESS,
as far as is humanly possible, to right all known wrong. (Prov. 28:13) If you
have written out a list of things that have come between you and God, ask NOW
His forgiveness for those against Him; plan to make right all others with people
you know you have wronged, and feel guilty about. The circle of confession must
fit the circle of committal of sin. Those against God, confess only to Him;
those against one person, to that person alone; those against a group, to the
group.
Receive...
The Lord Jesus Christ by FAITH (a loyalty
of love to the Word of God) to rule in your heart as King. He must be your
absolute "Boss" from now on! This act of faith is neither an
"idea" or a mere "feeling" but an ACT, a CHOICE of your
WILL, made intelligently and carefully. Give Him your doubts, your weakness and
your loneliness. Your heart will never have peace, your doubts will never clear
up, you will never die to the world until you trust, surrender, BELIEVE from
your heart! Be totally honest with Him. Receive Christ into your life as your
Lord and Master to live for Him from this moment on, forever. (Rom.10:9-10)
Ready?
THERE
IS NO TIME LIKE NOW...
·
GOD HAS DONE EVERYTHING HE CAN FOR
YOU...
·
THE NEXT MOVE MUST BE YOURS!!!
Are
you willing to trust His love? Will you choose His life, or turn your back on
His love and choose a future without Christ, without hope and without an end?
Will you be very honest with Him right now? Talk to God before the touch of His
Holy Spirit lifts off your life. Tell Him in your own words something like
this:
·
"God, I'm sorry I've been
selfish and rebellious so long. I'm sick of my old life and I want to change.
Please forgive my sin, and give me the power to live my life from this moment on
for You. I give you my heart; take over everything I have and am, and be my Lord
and King. Amen."
Welcome
To the Family!
If you
have surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you have entered an
exciting new world. Things should be different, life will be fresh and new. If
God has really taken the throne of your heart, the following things will grow in
your life:
Desire
For Scripture
"Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." A true Christian wants
to find out what God asks him to do in His Word. The Bible is spiritual food, a
weapon to defeat the devil, and a manual for daily living. (Job 23:12;
Jer.15:16; Deut. 6:5-7; Rom.10:17; 1Pet.2:2) Make a solemn vow to God that you
will spend a certain time or read a certain number of chapters in His Word. Read
Eccles.5:46; God will take you at your word with any promise you make to Him.
Then decide sensibly how much time you can afford to give your King time to
train you every day. If you read 10
chapters a day, you can finish the Bible right through once every 18 weeks. Read
5 chapters of Psalms, one chapter of Proverbs each day and you will finish both
books once a month. Five minutes a day of reading will take you through the
Bible in less than a year. Decide on a time or a number of chapters; make your
vow and STICK TO IT!
Difference
Of Standards
"If any man be in Christ, he is a NEW
CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new."
A real Christian is different in habits, actions and purpose. in word, thought
and standards. No person is a real Christian who is not trying to live like his
Lord!
Becoming a Christian is like learning to drive on the other side of the road.
You must be careful for a while until you learn to think and act BY HABIT in
this new way. It will take time and discipline to develop the right habit
patterns. BEWARE of the crisis! In times of stress and sudden temptation, you
may be tempted to return to the old way of life, especially if habits from the
past have been deeply rooted in your mind. But "There is no temptation
taken you but such as is COMMON to man; but GOD IS FAITHFUL Who will not allow
you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will WITH THE TEMPTATION
also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1Cor.10:13;
Gal.6:15-16; Eph.4:20-24;Phil.3:7;1Pet.1:13-16; 1Jn.3:1-3)
Discipline
Of Self
"But
the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Gentleness, Long-suffering,
Goodness, Meekness, Faith, SELF-CONTROL..." A child of God begins to
discipline old areas of self-indulgence. Food, drink, in both quantity and
quality, harmful stimulants, showy dressing and living, late nights and
mornings, all come under the searchlight of the Holy Spirit for control and
discipline. Your life will show constant changes for the better every day, as
God shows you things needing revision. He is easy to please, but hard to
satisfy! He wants your life as clean and efficient as the Lord Jesus Himself.
"Every man that has this hope in him, purifies himself even as HE is
pure." (I John 3:3; Matt. 16:24; Luke 3:11; I Cor.9:25-27; John 15;2;
Gal.5:22-23; I Cor.10:13; I John 4;17)
Despised
By Society
Jesus
said: "Because you are not of this world, the world will hate you...if they
have persecuted Me, they shall persecute you." A real Christian will have
trouble from those who pretend not to understand his new life, or from lukewarm
church members who are backslidden in heart and whose half-hearted lives are
exposed by his radiant witness. A
true Christian is a sane person in a madly selfish, morally insane world. The
Christian is the only person who truly lives an intelligent, balanced life; his
light shows up others' moral darkness, exposing their sin. Under the constant
rebuke of such light, selfish men can only react in one of three ways; run from
it; try to destroy it, or surrender to it and give their lives to God. Make no
mistake; if you will live for God, you can expect trouble from the world around
you. "All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution...Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake; rejoice, and be
exceeding glad; for great is your reward in Heaven." (Matt.5:10-12;
2Tim.2;12; Jn.15:18-21; Rom.8:18;12:20-21; I Pet.2;20-21)
Seeks
Other Christians
By THIS shall all men know that you are My
disciples; if you have LOVE one toward another." God's love is to
unselfishly choose the HIGHEST GOOD; of Him, as King first, then of all His
creatures and His creation, according to their relative scale of values in the
Universe. True love is not just a feeling, but a CHOICE; sometimes it will be
hard, but it will always by right and always be the best thing to do. Love is an
ACTION; love without action is no love at all.
Find a true church, with true faith. That and only that which saves FROM
(not IN!) sin and exalts (loves, talks about a lot) the Savior, the Lord Jesus,
is true faith; ALL ELSE is false religion, and will slowly destroy your
new-found joy and love in Christ Jesus. Just as live coals stay aflame in the
fire, so spending time with others on fire for God will help keep you aflame for
Christ. Go where you feel at home, where people love you, and work with them for
the Lord Jesus. Be willing to break off with any friends who try to drag you
back to the world. Your aim is to be like Jesus. The world is filled with
phonies. Keep your eyes on Jesus as your Example. Never lower your standards to
try to "fit in" with others, whether they claim to be Christians or
not. You cannot please Christ and the world too. (Rom.15:5-6; Acts 2:42;
Eph.3:17-19;Heb.10:25; I Pet.1:22; IJohn1:2,7;3:14;7:7-13)
Serves
the Lord
"For
me to live is CHRIST, and to die is gain!" said the Apostle Paul, a mighty
love-slave of Jesus Christ the Lord. A true Christian IS a witness. Everything
he does counts for God - or against Him! The task of world evangelism is not
just for the minister or preacher; the Lord Jesus gives it to EACH of His
disciples as his or her LIFE-WORK. We are responsible for the souls of men and
women, boys and girls, who pass into eternity around us every day. Whatever our
job or living is, whether we preach, pray, write, design, build, trade or
travel, labor with our hands, keep house or state - EVERY THING WE DO must tell
OF and For the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom. You must consecrate all you have and
are to this task, and ask God for His promised power to carry out the work.
Jesus said - "You shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you; and you shall BE WITNESSES unto Me, both in Jerusalem and all Judea
and in Samaria." At home, in the immediate neighborhood and among the
outcasts of society and "unto the UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH." (To
every nation and tongue that God opens the door for you to reach) EVERY
Christian is a missionary; EVERY unsaved person is a mission-FIELD. Your friend
may cross the world; you may cross the street; but all of us have a call to be
missionaries for the Lord Jesus to help Him reach the world. (I
John.3:17;IPet2:2;I Jn.3:16-24;2Cor.9:6-7;Acts 1:8;Phil.1:21;
Matt.10:32;25:29;Jn.14:12)
Sticks
To the Task
God hasn't planned cycles of constant sin
and repentance for ANY of His disciples. You are not infallible, but neither are
you EXPECTED to go back into sin. God has promised to keep you safe and
protected from all outer dangers; the world, the flesh and the Devil have no
power over you as long as you stay close to the Lord Jesus; but KEEP GOING ON
WITH HIM! (Luke 9:62) A true Christian is determined to stay true to God. The
express teaching of the Bible is to live a life of HABITUAL victory over sin out
of love to God. (Matt.5:13-18; 7:12-27; Mk.12:28-34; Jn15:8-14; Rom.13:9-11;
IJn3:3-11) No other life is truly
Christian. all of us will be faced with temptation, weakness and possible
failure. But by God's grace we can habitually overcome. Nowhere in the Bible is
forgiveness automatic as long as sin is persisted in. A lot of lukewarm,
half-hearted church members are going to get shocks on the Day of Judgment!
STICK TO IT - God will help you! "This ONE THING I do - forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forwards for the things yet to come, I
press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus." (Phil.3:13-14; IJohn1-4;Ps 37:23-24; Rom. 6:1-14; 2 Pet 1:1-10;John
5:37,39)
Revision
1.2
©1997
Winkie Pratney.
