Receiving Resurrection Faith

Faith for your loved ones resurrection to heaven begins with believing in the resurrection of Jesus. That's the only way any of us will get there through what Jesus did for us in dying for our sins, by what the Father did for us in raising Jesus from the dead, and by what the Holy Spirit does for us in helping us to receive the new life. So, let's begin with receiving resurrection faith for getting yourself to heaven. That's our entry point for having a Biblical faith in God.

In the following articles, we'll go on from there to believing for the resurrection of your loved one to heaven and your own to a wholly restored life in this life. This section is taken from the sixth chapter of Salvation Basics: How to Get Saved and Stay Saved. If you have major objections or questions about Gods salvation and your need for it, you may want to explore the chapters that led up to this one. (You can view these Salvation Questions for free at our website for learning how to get saved, stay saved and live saved from here to heaven: salvationanswers.org)

How Can I Get Saved?

God has not made this hard for us! The only difficult part is coming to the realization that we need God to save us. That usually means getting ourselves into terrible trouble or discovering what an undeniable moral failure we actually are. We may prolong the agony of self-discovery by thinking that we can fix our troubles (but we can't fix them all) and that we can fix our moral failures (but how can Self fix self?).

We may hold out to our very last spiritual breath thinking "all is lost," or "I just can't give in," but if we are ready to reach out to God, the rest is easy. Jesus did the hard part on the cross when He took the punishment our sins deserved. His "work" of dying for our sins is what gets us saved.  God wants this more than you do! So, put your doubts and fears aside as well as you can, and let's go forward. The Lord knows how to meet you along the way. Just allow yourself to follow these simple steps, study the scriptures, and say the following prayers.

Steps to Salvation

Step 1. Admit You Need God.

Have you realized that your life is not working out that it is going in the wrong direction? Have you realized that you cannot fix you and that no one else and nothing else can either? Good! Then what you have been going through has been teaching you a life-saving lesson! Now, you are ready to begin your true life.

Step 2. Turn to God.

This means turning all the way around: Away from your wrong ways and towards God and His ways. You have been showing Him your back; it's time to show Him your face and to start seeking to look in His Face.

Step 3. Confess to God.

This is telling the truth to God, hiding nothing. The problem isn't other people, or the world God made, or God and His ways. It's you and your ways! Let Him know how you have lived for yourself and not for Him. Be honest with Him about how that has hurt others and yourself. Then confess your need for His mercy and help.

Step 4. Believe in God.

By an act of your will choose to believe that God really does love you, forgives you, and wants to save you through what Jesus has done for you at the cross. Now ask Jesus to come into your heart, into your life, and to live His life in you. He is certain to do it! Be sure to say the prayers at the end of this chapter.

There Is So Much More

Now that you have prayed to be saved, you are! You may be feeling Christ's peace, fresh confidence, or a sense of hope restored. You may have received a vision, felt His love, or were touched by His presence. Or He may be asking you to simply take it on faith and just rest in that. The experience is different for everyone. The common element that dawns inside all of us is a faith-knowing, summed up in the phrase, "I know that I know that Jesus is alive!" and the willingness to declare that He is Lord.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 ESV

Prayer to Receive Salvation

It's perfectly fine to pray for salvation in your own words (as perhaps you did above). In fact, it's highly desirable to develop your own uniquely personal way of talking with the Lord. He is your Best Friend, so, there's no need to stand on ceremony. However, if you're just starting out, you may not have a ready confidence in your choice of words or even in His ability to interpret them. Let the following prayer build your confidence that you are covering all the bases.

Father, please forgive me for all the ways in which I have lived for myself, hurt others, and turned my back on You. I confess and repent of all these sins. Thank You for loving me and making a way for my sins to be forgiven through Jesus.

Jesus, please come into my heart, into my life, and live Your life in me. I surrender myself to You, body, soul, and spirit. Grant me an assurance of my eventual entry into heaven won for me by Your death and resurrection. Help me by Your Word and Holy Spirit to trust and follow You step by step into the new life here on earth that You have also promised can be mine.

Holy Spirit, please come and heal my broken heart of all the hurt that my own sins and those of others have caused.