Saved??
Psalm 32
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For night and day your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" - and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.
You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD'S unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts him.
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Step 1:
Romans 3:23...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...(New International Version Bible).
**sinned - miss the mark, to err, to sin, transgress
1 John 1:8...Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness...(English Standard Version).
Romans 6:23...For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord...(Amplified Version).
Step 2:
Acts 3:19...So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord...(Amplified Version).
**repent - to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.
To feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.
John 1:9...If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought and action]...(Amplified Version).
John 3:16...For God so loved and clearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life...(Amplified Version).
2 Peter 3:9...The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance...(Amplified Version).
Romans 10:9-10...Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in and rely on the Truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth, he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation...(Amplified Version).
Step 3:
Mark 4:3-9, 14-20...Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced; some thirty fold, some sixty and some a hundred.
The sower sows the Word.
And these are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. When they hear, satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.
These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word's sake, immediately they stumble.
Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the Word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the Word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirty fold, some sixty and some a hundred...(New King James Version).
In this hour, there are many false conversions. People glibly call themselves Christians; they call their conversions a decision, and their sins, mistakes. God's Word is changed and watered down to support and vindicate continued lifestyles and habits. There is much 'god talk', Christian verbiage and doctrine in this hour, yet multitudes are unchanged in their inner man, by the washing of the Word. In times of distress and catastrophes, people gather together having moments of prayers and songs, only to lapse back into self-centered lives.
2 Timothy 4:3-4...For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold.
And will turn aside from hearing the Truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions...(Amplified Version).
Never has there been a time more urgent, when people need the reality of the Truth of God realized in their lives...
Matthew 3:8...Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]...(Amplified Version).
God, I know that I am a sinner.
I freely confess my sin before you and ask you to forgive and cleanse me.
I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I believe that through His sacrifice, I am forgiven.
I lay my life down; I submit to your plan for me and I choose to live for You...
Amen.
Romans 12:2...Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]...(Amplified Version).
Selah...pause, and think of that!
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