What it Means to Commit your Life to Jesus Christ

. . . Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . as for me . . . [I] will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15).

And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him. Yet he is not far from each one of us. (Acts. 17:26-27 RSV)

Acknowledge that you are a sinner and repent of your sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out . . . (Acts 3:19)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Believe Christ died and rose again to save you from your sin and to give you eternal life.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18 NIV)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Receive Christ by faith and accept the gift God has provided in His Son.

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me. (John 14:6)

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NIV)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in . . . (Revelation 3:20)

. . . God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

Commit your whole life to the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him and serve Him without reserve.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (John 3:36 NIV)

. . . If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:37-38 NIV)

So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30)

Be prepared to confess Christ and to tell others that you belong to Him.

. . . If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. (Romans 10:9-10 RSV)

Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)

Acknowledge that the Lord Jesus not only died upon the Cross to give you eternal life, but that He rose again from the dead to live His life in you and through you.

. . . Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

Your prayer of commitment of your life to the Lord Jesus Christ:
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I turn away from my sin, in repentance, and ask You to forgive me. I believe You died on the cross for my sin and I thank You with all my heart. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. By faith, I receive You as my Savior, and make You my Lord and Master. I place my whole life in Your hands without reserve. Thank You that You not only died to give me the gift of eternal life, but that You rose again to live Your life in me and through me. I am prepared to acknowledge You as my Lord before others, and in constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit live for You, in obedience to Your promptings. Thank You that according to Your word You have come in and made me Your child. Thank You that You have cleansed and forgiven me for my sin, and have given me eternal life.

Essentials for Progress as a Christian

Daily prayer and reading of God's Word are absolutely essential for you to grow strong spiritually.
You could start by reading the Gospel of John and the Psalms. Ask God the Holy Spirit to give you understanding and then thank Him that He will.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Underline a verse when God speaks to you from it. The Bible is your guide and map.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Do not confine prayers to asking, but include thanksgiving and praise.

. . . With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Praise Him for His acts of power; Praise Him for His surpassing greatness! (Psalm 150:2 NIV)

Seek God's guidance in all things and expect Him to give it.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8 NIV)

He has promised to speak to us.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27 RSV)

Meet regularly with other keen Christians in the church fellowship to which God leads you.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of break and to prayer. (Acts 2:42 NIV)

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another&#151and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 NIV)

An important method of public witness is to experience believer's baptism.

And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" (Acts 8:36 RSV)

By baptism we make an open confession of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in the way in which He commanded us.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Seek opportunities to lead others to Christ.

. . . He who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30 NIV)

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19 NIV)

Remember that your enemy, the devil, and his demons will attack you in many ways, trying to make you sin.
James 4:7 says:

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Say, It is written: Greater is he[the Lord Jesus Christ] that is in [me], than he [the devil] that is in the world.? (1 John 4:4 KJV)

Should you fall into sin, do not be discouraged, but in repentance confess all to the Lord.

. . . Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19)

. . . be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
God the Holy Spirit is a Person who wants to completely control your life, so that the Lord Jesus Christ may be made real to you, and then through you to others.
Without His control you will be a powerless, ineffective Christian.

Surrender your will totally to God.

. . . the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32)

Be thorough in confession and repentance of all known sin.

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

Ask God to fill you with His Spirit.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13)

Believe that He will, and thank Him for doing so.

. . . for whatever is not from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23)

Allow the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in whatever way He chooses, by being obedient to His promptings.
These conditions need to be fulfilled constantly in order to maintain the Spirit-filled life.

Reprinted by permission of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN., from the book entitled Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventure of Hearing and Obeying God's Voice © 2001 by Joy Dawson. All rights reserved.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 (2^nd edition, 1971) by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Copies of these articles by Joy Dawson are available in pamphlet form under the title What A Committal of Life to the Lord Jesus Christ Means through Youth With A Mission. Call 818.896.2755, fax 818.897.6738, email info@ywamla.org, or write to Youth With A Mission/11141 Osborne St./ Lakeview Terrace, California 91342 .

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