“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” —Psalms 84:11-12

Dear Friend,

I sincerely hope that you will e-mail me to let me know that you've been saved so that I can rejoice with you.   I also would like to pray to the Lord for you. 

God loves you!  God loves people!  Jesus  knows everything about you (even the number of hairs upon your head the Bible says).  The Bible says that there is joy in heaven in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth.  This means that other believers who have already gone on to heaven to be with the Lord rejoice when a sinner repents and comes to Christ for salvation.  Through His Son, the Heavenly Father has made you His adopted child and joint-heir of Christ's riches.  And like a good father, He takes great care of His children; The Holy Spirit of God: protects, comforts, provides, teaches, nurtures, guides, loves, and desires your good.  God is your Father!

Because Jesus has paid the debt for your sin, you are now free to worship God and to fellowship with Him.  If you want God to, He will do the impossible in your life.  The Christian life is not complicated, it is like shoveling sand--It's not complicated, it's just hard work.  Don't be mistaken friend, this is not the easy life--but it is one filled with joy and peace that comes from Almighty God Himself.  If living for the Lord may be a yoke of wood, but living for the devil is a yoke of iron.  Either way, there are no short-cuts in life.  

Remember that you walk simultaneously in the realm of the spiritual and the temporal.  You are in the presence and care of God whether you are cooking dinner, sitting in a church pew, praying or washing your car.  Being a Christian is a lifestyle that affects every area of your life.  If you walk with God (obeying His Word), you will be blessed.  Jesus said, "Whosoever loveth me keepeth my commandments."  IF you are a serious disciple of Jesus Christ, you will do His will.  Here are some things that you must do to live victoriously in Jesus.

Read the Bible everyday.

The Bible is God's word.  This is how He talks to us.  Jesus is the Living Word, the Bible is the written Word.  When we learn the Bible, we are learning Jesus.  It is like no other book in the entire world--it enlightens the soul with the light of Christ.  Pray before you pick it up, ask God's Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.  Some of you may not know how to pray.  It is simply talking to God.  Prayer is also "asking."   Prayer is when we ask God for something; supplication is when we "petition" Him, we keep asking.  This pleases God for it is faith.  

You may not understand everything that you read the first time.  As mentioned, the Holy Spirit will help you to understand what you need to know.  You can also talk with the man of God, your pastor.

Start with the book of John which is the fourth book of the New Testament.  

If you get board when you begin to read the Bible, continue anyway!  The devils that had control over you before you trusted Jesus don't want you to read the Bible--it is dangerous to them.  Reading the Bible will change your life--it certainly changed mine.  The Holy Spirit will teach you how to overcome temptation, gain wisdom, trust God, know His will, have peace regardless of your circumstances, and so much more.  If you are to grow in the Lord, you need the milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2).  

Go to a Bible-believing church where the Bible is taught as the final authority.

This excludes Catholic, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, and a number of other organizations that add other doctrines to the Bible. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Cults that claim to be Christian, but that teach a different gospel from that which is found in the Bible. This is another important reason for you to read the Bible. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free--nobody can fool you with false doctrine. You need to get yourself into a Bible-believing church--one that uses the King James Bible of 1611    Give Me the Old Book!

Find an Independent Baptist Church Near You

 

Get baptized.

When you get baptized you are:

1. Identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ

2. Making a public profession of your belief in Jesus 

3. Showing the washing away of sins

Water baptism does not save you, it is only an ordinance (that is-something that the Lord asked us to do, just as the Lord's supper).  Baptism is one of the first steps of obedience in the life of a believer.  But remember, the thief on the cross was never baptized.  I often tell people that baptism does one thing to a person, it gets them wet!  Yes, you should get baptized when possible; however, many places in this world do not have good old-fashioned Baptist churches or preachers to provide people with such a convenience.  If you cannot get baptized, it will not affect your salvation one single bit.  Hey, no one in the Old Testament ever got baptized, not one!  Salvation is of the heart.  If you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Saviour, you're all set for heaven.  It is the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away, nothing else!  Anyone who tells you that baptism is necessary for salvation is a two-faced heretic liar and a half.   Paul did not concern himself with baptism (1st Corinthians 1:17).  Jesus never baptized anyone (John 4:2).  

Talk to God throughout the day in prayer.

Prayer is simply talking to God about whatever is on your heart.  When you pray: praise God's Holy Name for His goodness, thank Him for your daily provision, tell Him your concerns and problems, pray for others (your enemies, friends, associates and relatives), pray for yourself, pray for the government.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  As you learn the Bible, you will discover that your prayers will mature because you'll know the will of the Lord and His ways.  God commands us to pray in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."  This speaks of a life of prayer, not just a prayer life.  In other words, prayer should be a part of who we are, not just a ritual we perform every day.
 

Tell other people about Jesus.

This is sometimes hard the first few times, but it gets easier each and every time you share your faith in the Lord with another person.  Even matured Saints sometimes feel awkward telling others about the Lord; however, once you come to the place in your life where Jesus is all that matters in this world anymore--It's at that point where you really don't care what people have to say about your faith in Christ--you become bolder because of your love for Jesus.  Boldness comes as a result of loving Christ more and more.
 

Forgive your enemies and anyone that you are embittered against.

Bitterness in your heart can hinder your walk with Jesus.  We are to love everyone, even our enemies (Matt 5:44).  We don't have to associate with them, but we are not to hate them either--we are to pray for them.  Don't forget, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."  It is not our responsibility to take revenge on anybody.  God judges rightly and He will handle any wrongs perpetrated against us, we're His children.   By the way, this includes wrongs from other believers as well.
 

Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

NOTE: ALL soul-winning Christians experience spiritual attacks. You may experience more temptations and problems than usual, but do not be discouraged and do not let these things take your eyes off of the Lord.  Do not be surprised if your boss harasses you or someone gets mad at you for no apparent reason.  Pray, read the Bible, trust in God and become a soul-winner.   Watch God work in your life.  Learn to place things in the Lord's hands.

We are here to support you however we can. If you let us know your needs we'll pray for you and offer you advice directly from the Bible.

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Warning About A Counterfeit Gospel!

Once you get saved, you'll likely meet some well-meaning people who will load you up with a bunch of false doctrine. Your faith is tender and you will be prone to believe anything people tell you about the Bible (that's why you need to read if for yourself everyday).  Please heed these warnings:

1. Don't let anybody tell you that you have to speak in tongues to show that you are saved and have received the Holy Ghost.  That is a lie. 

• You receive the Holy Ghost at salvation (Rom 8:9). 

• Speaking in tongues is a spiritual GIFT, not an evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.  Not everyone has every gift.  This is clear from the scriptures.  "Tongues" as a gift simply refers to the ability to speak in different KNOWN languages, not some confusing jibber-jabber.

2. Don't let anyone tell you that water baptism saves you.  That is a lie too.  The gospel and baptism are separate (I Corinthians 1:17).  You are baptized in order to outwardly identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to symbolically show the washing away of sins.

• 1 Peter 3:21--The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

3. Don't let anybody tell you that you're going to Hell if you don't go to church on Saturday. 

• Colossians 2:16—"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days."

4. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to tithe or donate money to be saved.  Romans 5:15 proclaims that salvation if the FREE GIFT of God, paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 

Here are a few online books to guide you along, BUT—NOTHING should replace your King James Bible!!!  Verify everything you read with your Bible!

• Meet The Holy Spirit

• The Church

5. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to turn away from your sins to get to Heaven. They are lying to you. Jesus came into the world to die for your sins and mine. Why would God demand that we forsake our sinful behavior to qualify to receive His free gift of eternal life? That would be a trade or an exchange, not a gift! For a gift to truly be a gift, there can be no obligations of stipulations.

Dear reader, the Devil is a dirty liar. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again. All across the world religious people are going through the motions of playing church, but they have never been born again.