Here are four principles to assist you in discovering how you can begin a personal relationship with God and to experience Him on a daily basis:

1.       Principle One: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God created you. And, He loves you so much that he desires that you spend eternity with Him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Jesus came to Earth so that each of us could come to know and understand God in a very personal way. Jesus alone is the only one who can bring meaning, fulfillment,  and purpose to life.

What prevents us from knowing God personally?

2.       Principle Two: We are all  sinful and separated from God. Therefore, we are unable to know and experience God's love and purpose for our life.

The fact is, we need Jesus. The Bible states, "...all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23b). Though God intended for us to have a relationship with Him, we naturally want to do things our own way. We often become stubborn, selfish, and many times cannot follow through on our promises.

Deep within, our attitude may often be one of active rebellion or passive indifference. However, this reflects what the Bible refers to as sin – it is an old archery term that literally means "missing the mark."

According to the Bible, the result of sin in our lives is death—we are spiritual separated from God (Romans 6:23). Although we may attempt to reach God through our own effort, we ultimately fail. We are never able to be good enough.  There is a wide gap that exists between us and God.

            The Third principle explains the only way to bridge that gap.

3.       God provided Jesus Christ as the only way to bridge the gap for our sin.  Through Him alone, we can know God personally and experience God’s love, purpose, and plan for our life.

Jesus Christ is God's answer to the problem of human imperfection and evil. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we don't have to be separated from God any longer. Jesus paid the price for our sin and in so doing, bridged the gap between us and God.

Instead of trying harder by doing things to reach God, we basically need to accept Jesus and his sacrifice as the one way to God. "I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus said. "No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He also stated, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish" (John 11:25-26).

And, not only did Jesus die for our sin, He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). When he did that, he demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life--that he is the son of God and the only way that we can know God.

Yet it is not just enough to have knowledge about God's plans and purposes. We need to consciously accept Jesus Christ as the payment for our sin and welcome Him into our life.

4.       Each person must accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then each person can know and experience God's love and plan for their life on a daily basis.

The Bible states, "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

Each person accepts Jesus by faith. The Bible states, "God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Accepting Jesus means first believing that He is who he claimed to be, then inviting him to take control of our lives and to transform us into new people (John 3:1-8).

Jesus says, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20).

How will you respond to God's invitation? What will you do with the claims of Jesus Christ?

Choosing to submit your life to God is the most supreme decision you can ever make. This choice involves more than simple intellectual agreement -  that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Becoming a Christian also requires that you commit the rest of your life to God, that is to do what He ask of you and to live in agreement with His principles. This life changing decision is not something to be taken lightly. It requires sacrifice and a total reorientation of your life around God rather than yourself. As Jesus stated, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

If you believe you are ready to take this step of commitment, you can do so right now.  Just tell God that you are sorry for your past mistakes, that you are putting your trust in Him and asking Him to make you into the person He created you to be. This step involves faith. Although you may probably still have a number of unanswered questions; you must be willing to make the decision based on what you know right now and trust God to fill in the details later.

The precise words you use to commit your life to God are not important.  Your prayer can be as simple as "Help!" or it can focus on an issue that is specific to your situation. If you are unsure of what to say, use the following sample prayer to get started:

"Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. I'm sorry for the things I've done that have broken my relationship with God. Thank you for dying on the cross so that this relationship could be made right. I believe You are the only One who can do this. Only You can give me the power to change and become the person You created me to be. Thank you for forgiving my past mistakes and for giving me eternal life with God. I give my life to You.  Amen."

By praying the above prayer-or another one similar to it-you have just taken a huge step toward making God the center of your life. But these are just the words. Now, what follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through Bible reading, prayer and interaction with other Christians.

If you prayed the prayer above and invited Jesus into your life, you've become a Christian--which means simply, "A follower of Christ."  Please let us know of your decision:

1.       Next: I Just Asked Jesus Into My Life.
Or: I Just Re-dedicated My Life To Christ.