As I grew up I had a limited view of God. I had heard that there was a heaven and a hell and that God judges everyone according to their deeds. I did my share of wrongs, which made me fear hell. God was out there somewhere and I had some questions for him like, "Who are you God? Why am I here? What do you want from me? What must I do to avoid hell? Can I know for sure that I'm going to heaven?" I had to know the answers to these questions so I began to seek after God. I was 19 when I met someone who told me that the answers to my questions were in the Bible and gave me a New Testament to read. I hated reading but my desire to know some answers pushed me to keep reading through the four Gospels. This story is about how God spoke to my heart during the two months that I read those four Gospels at my own pace without any pressure resulting in an amazing life changing experience I had with God.
In the Gospels, I read that God was miraculously born into humanity 2000 years ago as Jesus of Nazareth. He came and lived among humanity to share God’s love and message of forgiveness and eternal life. This seemed to me like an amazing way for God to directly deliver his message and interact with humanity that he created.
I read that what God really wanted from people was their devotion and loyalty, to him first, then to one another. He expressed it in his commandments to "Love God with all your heart, soul and strength" and "Love others as you do yourself".
I read that Jesus cared for people, healed people, set people free from demons and did miracles to demonstrate God’s love and prove that he was who he claimed to be - God as a human. Jesus was asking me if I would believe in what he did and who he claimed to be.
I read the stories that Jesus shared about God’s kingdom and heaven and what it was like to be a part of it. Jesus said that people must become humble and receive God’s kingdom like a small child.
I read about Jesus offer of forgiveness, acceptance and eternal life for people who repent of their sins. To repent means to be sorry for sin, admit those sins to God, desire not to sin anymore and avoid future sin. The sins to repent from are listed in the New Testament: sexual immorality (sex outside of a marriage commitment, same sex partners, and sex with animals), adultery, prostitution, homosexual acts (unnatural sex, sodomy), impurity (lust and pornography), obscenity, promiscuity, coarse joking, witchcraft and occult practices (consulting mediums or fortune tellers, obtaining knowledge or use of supernatural powers from sources other than God as written in the Bible), idolatry (praying to or trusting in other gods or objects for good fortune), dishonesty, lying, stealing, pride (exalting self), selfishness, greediness, drunkenness (any drug use causing irresponsible behavior), jealousy, envy, condemning others, not forgiving others, hatred, fits of rage, and murder. People who continue to practice these sins cannot inherit or enter God’s kingdom but will instead end up in a tormenting lake of fire as punishment for their sins. Jesus was asking me if I would repent of all sin and desire to live a holy life for God instead.
I read about Jesus sinless life and how he gave his innocent blood to God as a perfect sacrifice for everyone’s sin by being whipped then nailed on a cross to die. This demonstrated God’s love, mercy and kindness towards everyone by taking upon himself, the punishment for everyone’s sin. On the third day after he died Jesus rose from his grave conquering death. Jesus was asking me if I would believe that he was raised back to life after suffering and dying to pay for my sins so that forgiveness and eternal life could be offered to me when I repent of sin.
I read that Jesus gave God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to be a helper, guide, teacher and friend to people who wholeheartedly lived for him. Jesus also asked people to be baptized in water as a declaration of their commitment to him as their Lord and King.
By the time I’d finished reading the four Gospels, I was convinced that Jesus could be trusted and his offer was worth pursuing so I made a commitment to repent of all sin, believe in, trust in and wholeheartedly live my life for Jesus as my Lord and King. Soon afterward, I noticed that I was changing on the inside. I felt an overwhelming love, joy and peace flooding into my soul from God, which lasted for several months. I could not help but thank God for his incredible love and love him in return. I desired to be baptized in water, so I was. I realized I was reborn in my spirit and that I had received the Holy Spirit from God as my helper, guide, teacher and friend - just as Jesus promised. God was now living within me through the Holy Spirit, and I knew in my heart that God had forgiven me, accepted me, and that I was his child - heaven bound. The Holy Spirit continued to teach me about Jesus and my Heavenly Father as I continued to read the Bible and meditate on God. This began my relationship with God, which has continued for more than 25 years now. I still sense his love for me and love him in return. God has continually helped me and brought healing and freedom into my life as well as others that I’ve prayed for. Millions of other people around the world have also experienced God after receiving the Holy Spirit when they made a commitment to repent of all sin, believe in, trust in and wholeheartedly live their lives for Jesus as their Lord and King.
I encourage you to read all four Gospels in a Bible for yourself and allow God himself to speak to your heart. You can buy an NIV, TNIV or NAS Bible at any bookstore for around $10.00. As you seek God with an open heart, you will find him in Jesus and you will experience God yourself as you believe in, trust in, and follow what Jesus says.