What does it mean to know Jesus?
Romans 3:23 says it this way: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Knowing Jesus is simply acknowledging your need for Him, believing what He did for you and accepting His amazing gift. It recognizes that you can’t live this life on your own, that you’ve sinned and are in need of a Savior.
And the good news about knowing Jesus, about being saved, is the beautiful exchange that happens in that moment. You give Him all the bad and sinful things you’ve done, and in return, God gives you everything He has for you. Whether you know it or not yet, His plan for your life is amazing, and this is the first step on that journey.
Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers and New York Times best-selling author, shares encouragement and advice to help us enjoy our daily lives.
With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way.
you know a couple of days ago I was
praying and just thinking about all the
people that are so lost in the world
today and need answers for their life
they’re frustrated stressed out worried
concerned afraid about what’s going to
happen in the world and in society and I
want you to know that if you happen to
be one of those people that there are
answers and Jesus actually is that
answer
you know we regularly talk about
salvation on our program and about being
born again but I really just wanted to
sit today and just share my heart with
you about the beauty of what God offers
us in Jesus Christ
you know John chapter 3 verse 3 jesus
said verily verily I say unto you except
a man be born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God well what does it mean to
be born again
it means that you’re made alive on the
inside God’s Word teaches us that when
we’re born again we receive a new nature
God’s nature and we receive a new heart
which is God’s heart and I can tell you
that no matter what is going on around
you if things are good in you then you
can deal with the stuff that’s going on
around you
John 3:16 says for God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son
that whoever believes in Him might not
perish but have everlasting life
God loves you and I don’t know what
you’re going through right now or what
has happened to you in the past or who
has rejected you or abandoned you but I
just feel like that there’s people
watching today and you need to hear God
loves you and he loves you
unconditionally and he has a wonderful
amazing plan for your life you know the
good thing is is no matter how much
you’ve done wrong you don’t have to pay
for it Jesus paid for it and what what
he wants us to do is believe we can
never make up for our sin we can never
do enough right good works to make up
for our sin but there’s a great message
in Ephesians 2:8 and 9 it says for it is
by free grace God’s unmerited favor that
you’re saved delivered from judgment and
made a partaker of Christ
salvation and it comes to you through
your faith and this salvation is not of
yourselves it’s not of your own doing it
came not through your own striving but
it is the gift of God now listen
not because of works not the fulfillment
of the laws demands lest any man should
boast it is not the result of what
anyone can possibly do so no one can
take the glory unto himself God has done
everything that needs to be done in and
through Christ and what he asks of us is
to simply believe the Word of God you
know to be honest the message of
salvation is so simple that people often
miss it and it’s such good news that
sometimes people just can’t believe it
how could I live a life of sin and just
in a moment of time be forgiven for all
my sins we actually deserve punishment
but Jesus took our punishment the
Justice of God was satisfied when Jesus
died on the cross for us he was beaten
for us He shed his blood for us he took
all of everybody’s sin upon him and the
good news is is that even though he died
paying for our sin he rose from the dead
and he is alive today Ephesians 2:5 is
such good news and I read this often
even when we were dead slain by our own
shortcomings and trespasses he made us
alive together in fellowship and in
union with Christ even when we didn’t
care anything about him didn’t know God
didn’t want to know God we were dead in
our sin and probably enjoying it in the
midst of that he died for our sins so
obviously if he did that then we don’t
have to work for salvation it’s just
something that he wants us to believe he
gave us the very life of Christ the same
new life with which he quickened him for
it’s by grace his favor and mercy that
we did not deserve that we are saved
delivered from judgment and made a
partaker of Christ salvation God is
reaching out to you today with a hand of
grace and mercy and saying come to me
you know the Bible says in Romans 3 that
all have sinned and are falling short of
the glory of God I like that I like the
way the amplified bible says that it’s
not all have sinned and fell short of
the glory of God we are falling short of
the glory of God on a daily basis but
God continually that stream of
forgiveness keeps flowing to us perhaps
you’ve received Christ at some time and
you’ve gotten back into sin you’ve
backslidden as we call it and so you’re
convinced now that God won’t have
anything to do with you that it’s too
late for you that you’ve messed up too
many times but you know what we’re all
constantly falling short of the glory of
God but we all have been justified and
made upright and put in right standing
with God
freely by His grace which is his
unmerited favor and mercy if you’ve
sinned ask God to forgive you Father
forgive me I come to you in Jesus name
and I ask you to forgive me for my sins
I need you you know how can it be this
easy choice well Romans 10:8 says that
the word God’s message in Christ is near
you on your lips and in your heart that
is the word the message the basis and
the object of the Faith which we preach
and what we need to do is believe in our
heart and confess with our mouth and you
shall be saved
now isn’t that wonderful believe in your
heart confess with your mouth at the end
of what I want to share here today I’m
going to offer to pray with you and if
you will believe
even your heart that Jesus died for you
that he paid for your sins he took the
punishment that you deserve and that he
wants to give you a brand new life if
you will believe that and honestly I
don’t know any reason not to believe
that why would you not want to believe
that that’s the best news in the whole
world and I believe that even right now
that God is giving you faith in your
heart there’s a seed of faith that’s in
your heart that says boy I want to
believe that maybe right now you can
feel the presence of God right where
you’re at
that’s God reaching out to you saying
come to me I want to do a work in your
life and then when I pray with you the
words of your mouth are going to confirm
your salvation as you pray that prayer
out loud second Corinthians 5:17 says if
anybody is in Christ so when you receive
Christ you become a new creation a new
creature all together now you’re not
going to look different when you look in
the mirror and to be honest you may not
totally act different all at once but
the good news is is you become new
spiritual clay you get a new heart and a
new attitude of wanting to serve God it
says that that old condition has passed
away behold the fresh and the new has
come I always like to say that in Christ
there’s always new beginnings it’s never
too late to begin again and if you’re in
a place in your life where you need a
new beginning you can have that today
God loves you so much he sent His only
Son to die for you who would do that
God sent His only Son to die for you and
you’re special you’re the apple of his
eye he loves you he wants to do good
things in your life he wants to come and
make you right with him give you peace
and give you joy and I’m not going to
tell you that if you pray this prayer
with me at the end that everything in
your life is going to magically change
overnight but I will tell you this your
heart will change something wonderful
will have
on the inside of you and then as you
study God’s Word and you get with right
people that are going to help encourage
you in your walk of faith you begin to
go to a good local church somewhere
where you can be in a church family then
you’ll begin to grow you don’t have to
do any of those things to receive Christ
but if you want to really change and let
the good work that he does in you be
worked out through you then you need to
be in fellowship with other people watch
my program or others like this on a
regular basis get involved in a in a
good church study your Bible and a lot
of people think they can’t understand
the Bible but there’s so many updated
translations of the Word of God that
make it simple to understand now that
doesn’t mean you’re never going to make
any mistakes you probably will make some
mistakes I make mistakes every day but
you can always just say God I’m sorry
for my mistakes
forgive me and then go right on go right
on there’s no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus now just listen to
me one more second no matter what you’ve
done God loves you and he wants to have
a relationship with you yes I said no
matter what you’ve done God will forgive
you and he wants to have a close
intimate relationship with you you know
when I talk to you about becoming a
Christian becoming a Christian is not
just joining a church and just going to
church every week we encourage you to go
to church but being a Christian is about
having personal relationship with God
through Jesus Christ God wants to walk
with you
he wants to talk with you he wants to
lead you he wants to guide you he wants
to be involved in literally everything
that you do now listen God cares about
everything that concerns you and you are
not alone God is with you but maybe you
have been totally unaware of his
presence I can tell you that I have had
a relationship with God for many many
many years I’ve been teaching God’s Word
for 40 years and I actually
receive Christ when I was a child and I
was badly abused with my dad sexually
mentally emotionally in every other way
that you could be for most of the years
that I was living at home growing up and
I had lots of problems in my life and I
can tell you that God has helped me in
every area where I had a need and for a
lot of years all I did was go to church
I didn’t understand the relationship
part but I can tell you that he wants to
have a relationship with you you don’t
have to be miserable you don’t have to
be full of stress you don’t have to live
in fear you don’t have to be fearful
about what’s going to happen in the
world in the future the thing is is
God’s got his eye on you and He will
take care of you if you trust him to do
that
so I just want to simply ask do you need
your sins forgiven would you love to
have a relationship with the best friend
that you could ever possibly have do you
want to know that you’re going to live
forever you don’t have to be afraid of
death you know when you leave this earth
you’re going to go somewhere it’s not
just over because we die and it’s
important that you know where you’re
going to spend eternity because eternity
is a long long long time it’s time
without end and God wants you to spend
it with him in heaven that’s one of the
benefits of knowing Christ as your
Savior but there’s also the benefit of
enjoying your life while you’re on your
way to heaven I often tell people to say
I’m on my way to heaven and I’m going to
enjoy the journey if you need to receive
Christ today would you pray with me
right now if you’re in a place where you
can’t I’d like to encourage you to pray
out loud I’m going to pray a little bit
and give you time to pray it after me
I’m going to lead you in a couple of
confessions and then I have a book that
I’d like to send to you as a gift it’s
called a new way of living
that will repeat some of the things that
I’ve said about salvation but then it
will tell you some of the ways to get
started in your new life with Christ but
also we’re happy to answer any questions
you have you can call my office someone
will pray with you and talk to you let
me tell you something
we care about you and we want you to
have the life that Jesus died for you to
have perhaps you’ve had a great loss in
your life and you’re hurting so bad you
feel like that you just don’t know what
you’re going to do well you know what
God is the God of all comfort and he
will comfort you and help you and
strengthen you and enable you to go on
now let’s pray together father god I
love you Jesus I believe that you are
God the very son of God I am a sinner
I’m sorry for my sins I believe that
Jesus died for me and I believe he rose
from the dead that he is alive now
seated at the right hand of God Jesus I
receive you now by faith I believe and I
pray that you would come and dwell in me
thank you for forgiving me thank you for
loving me now I believe that I’ve been
saved and I am on my way to heaven and I
am going to enjoy the journey in Jesus
name Amen