I DIDN'T KNOW JESUS...
One of my earliest childhood memories is of a gas station, where my mother would drop my sister and I off with my dad to spend the weekend. I was around 4 or 5 years old. I cried because I couldn't understand why I had to have one parent, but not the other. My parents were divorced from a very early age in my life.
That was how life started.. Brokenness and dysfunction.
As time progressed, I found myself becoming acclimated to brokenness. It was the norm to suppress feelings and ignore them rather than to open up and share them.
In my teen years I spent a lot of time striving to be seen by anyone who cared to look or notice. I started using drugs, alcohol, sex, and other things to find a release and run from the pain that I felt. I didn't have the words to describe it then, but I know now that inside, I was damaged, lonely, anxious, insecure, and fearful. I desperately needed help.
I joined the military at age 17, and by age 21 I was dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and actions, and deep feelings of worthlessness. I was a fornicator, an alcohol abuser, drug user, liar, thief, rebellious, selfish. I had grown up beieveing that if I died, that I would go to heaven because I believed that I was a christian. In in reality I was very very far from God and did not know God at all.
But one day.. my grandfather called me.
And he shared with me a bible verse that changed my life forever.
Matthew 7:13
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
For the first time in my life, I wondered if I was going to heaven. If there was a broad way that led to destruction, was I walking on it? Contrarily, if there was a narrow way that led to life, HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM ON IT?
This caused me to go down a rabbit hole, seeking an answer to my question. Is heaven real, and if it is how do I get in. Is HELL real, and if it is how do I make sure that I DO NOT GO THERE.
I was terrified, because I knew that I was not living right, no sugar coating about it I was a sinful man.
I was headed for destruction....
But something happened when I was searching for answers. God showed me what JESUS dying on the cross really meant for MY SINS.
Jesus died FOR our sins, Jesus died BECAUSE of our sins, Jesus died to CLEAN us from sin, and Jesus died to FORGIVE our sins.
So what does that mean for us? It means that our WRONGDOINGS, every word spoken, every secret, every hidden sin, can now be forgiven and FORGOTTEN BY GOD because Jesus shed HIS BLOOD as an atonement and offering FOR US.
EVERYBODY HAS UTTERLY DONE EVIL
EVERYBODY DESERVES DESTRUCTION
GOD IS ANGRY BUT HE SHOWED US GRACE
JESUS GAVE UP HIS LIFE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN
NOW WE CAN BE FORGIVEN THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS
THIS IS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE [ THE GOOD NEWS ]
John 3:16
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.
God created us. He gave us free will. We used our free will to do evil. God hates evil. But He loves us. Because He made us. SO... instead of destroying us, He showed mercy to humanity. Jesus died on the cross paying the debt we owed for our sins. So that through Jesus, we can have a new life on earth, and eternal life in heaven with Him!
The gospel message is true. Jesus is the only way that we can have eternal life.
If you want to accept Jesus christ as your Lord and savior. Romans 10:9 says
"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
JESUS DID WHAT IT TOOK FOR US TO BE IN HEAVEN WITH HIM!
