I live in the state of Missouri in the United States of America. I live in what is known as the “Bible Belt.” This is a section of the United States where we are known as people who believe in God and the majority of the population goes to church. A lot of us consider ourselves to be a Bible Belt believer. It actually sounds pretty good.
The downside to the Bible Belt is that a lot of people grew up going to church. A lot of those same people don’t attend church anymore. Others think that because their parents were Christians and they attended church when they were younger that somehow that makes them a Christian too.
Still others profess that they were saved at 5, 9, 12, 15 and 19. I think the real problem is that a lot of people in the Bible Belt were just like me, they were persuaded by the preacher (the music, a feeling, whatever it was) to walk down the isle and say the sinners’ prayer. The reason I say problem is that the sinner’s prayer doesn’t save you. (I can’t find one verse in the Bible that backs up the sinner’s prayer, can you?)
The problem is that you can ask God to forgive you of your sins, but unless you repent by turning away from them, then you really haven’t surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. Unless you surrender your life, you are not truly born again – you are not a new creature, you are still the same. John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot be see the kingdom of God.” The apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
I thank God that he woke me up from my spiritual sleep about four years ago. God revealed to me through reading the Bible that I had asked Jesus to be my Savior when I was 11 years old, but I had not asked Jesus to be my Lord – to lead my life. I had never fully surrendered to Him. Once God showed me the error of my ways, then I was truly saved.
God offers you the same salvation too. Whether you are a Bible Belt backslider (or false convert like I was) or someone who has never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so today. Admit that you have sinned against God by lying, stealing, lusting, coveting or using God’s name in vain.
Then turn away from your sins and turn toward God by trusting in Jesus to save you and lead you. Paul says in Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Put your trust in Jesus just like you would put your trust in a parachute – by actually putting it on and jumping out of a plane. Trust in Jesus fully and completely – surrender your will to Him today and be a true believer.