Voice In The Cool  

CONGRATULATIONS.....

You have made the most important and dynamic decision of your life. There is nothing more wonderful than establishing a personal relationship with God. Perhaps you have never prayed the prayer of salvation before, or maybe you did long ago, but lost your way. Either way, we are here today to help you find your way home to the God who created you and loves you dearly!  

Each section will explain to you in further detail about the decision that you are making today.  I encourage you to read through them completely after you have prayed with me.

When you say the prayers, be sure to say them out loud, so you can hear the sound of your own voice.  It will help you to remember the day that you opened your heart to God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Just remember that you are not alone!  The Lord Jesus is right there with you! You have nothing to fear! His heart is huge and He will be welcoming you with open arms!   When you have completed the prayer, just begin thanking Him, for your spirit has been made alive to God and your new life has begun. 

Finally, contact us at saved@voiceinthecool.org that you have made this decision. We have some materials we would like to send. 

SALVATION PRAYER

"Lord Jesus, I need you. I acknowledge that I can not save myself.  I receive your gift of salvation from spiritual death and accept your gift of eternal life.  I ask you to forgive me for all my mistakes and errors and for doing life "my way" instead of following You. I surrender my heart, my mind, my emotions and my will.  I accept Your Love, Your wisdom, Your Peace and Your Authority of leadership. With the words of my mouth today, I forgive those who have hurt me in my lifetime; and, I receive Your forgiveness for me and the things I have done.  tI know that you died for me. You died so I could live. You provided tmy salvation through the cross and resurrection.  I give my heart for You to heal and restore the pain of loss and sorrow caused by myself and others. I do not say these words lightly, but surrender my life to You.... to know You, love You and trust Your Word. Thank you Lord Jesus! Thank you Lord! In Jesus Name Amen"

 

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT SALVATION?

I'm going to help you with the beginning principles of salvation, because I want you to understand what the Bible says about the decision you have just made.

1. "That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. You must be Born Again"  -John 3:6,7

When a child is born, they see and hear without understanding.  In other words, they have ears to hear and they have eyes to see, but they have to learn to hear and see.  The world looks like shadows and light without clear definition.  Noises are grouped together without identification or recognition.  Then the child begins to distinguish the sound of their parent's voice above all others.  Pretty soon he or she begins to visually recognize the shape of the parent's face and features. Your beginnings with God will be very similar.

The Bible calls this experience of salvation, the "new birth" or being "born again", because you were born physically upon this earth, but today.. you will be born spiritually.  God is going to open your spiritual ears and provide you with new spiritual eyes to hear and see the things of Him.  It will be very much like your first birth in this respect.  Spiritual words, phrases, principles, and lifestyles may seem a little overwhelming at first, but soon you will begin to distinguish "the sound of His voice" in your heart.  Soon, the shape and character of God's person will become increasingly clearer. 

 

2.  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  -Romans 3:23

What is sin? Many of you have heard the word "sin" and I want to help you to understand what that means. It means doing things your own way, apart from God.   We are created to be in relationship with Him. He is the source of all life and to live independently from relationship with Him brings death.

 

3.  "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."  -Romans 6:23

We paid a heavy price!   The sin/independence of mankind brought spiritual death and separated us from the love of God and life in Him.  Fear came in to the heart of mankind and with it death. However, YOU HAVE A CHOICE... which was the choice you made today.  You accepted that Jesus paid the price for you!  You accepted that Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin and death for you on the cross.  He stood in your place and by receiving His gift of salvation, you are saved and restored to your intended position as a child of God.

 

4.  "I have come that you might have life... and life abundantly!" -John 10:10

You are beginning a journey of abundant life.  A victorious life.  A life where you will get to know God.  He is the kindest person you will ever know.  This is a life of faith. We are always choosing daily to believe Him and believe that His promises are true, obtainable and lasting.  He will tell you the truth of your life and in doing so you will be challenged more than you can imagine.  But your trust in Him will be worth it! He will reward you when you seek Him by bringing you into His kingdom of provision, safety, love and joy. He will lead you into the fullness of His love and His destiny for you.  The destiny that was yours at the time of creation, now restored.

 

WHAT TO DO NEXT

1.  GET A BIBLE! But make sure that it is a translation that is modern.  I love the New King James Version! However, there are many great versions of scripture out there, look through the samples and find the one that you like.

 

2.  READ THE BOOK OF JOHN! You have to get to know Him! So, start with the book of John, but remember everything you read about Him there, He is still doing today! Some Christians will tell you that the miracles have passed away, but they haven't.  I've seen Him heal the blind and raise the dead.  His Word is true. 

 

3.  GET A DAILY DEVOTIONAL BOOK! Your Bible book store will have many devotional books for men, women, teens and children.  These books take the Bible and apply it to daily life with small readings of scripture and stories for each day.  It will help to make the Bible easier for you to understand and apply to your walk with God. 

 

4.  FIND FELLOWSHIP!  Find a church that will help you to grow in your faith.  This is a Holy Spirit filled ministry, so I am going to encourage you to seek out non-denominational spirit filled churches. However, ask the Lord to lead you.  If you don't feel comfortable somewhere, just keep trying. He has a place for you to grow.

 

5.  FAMILIES AREN'T PERFECT!  Churches are made of lots of different kinds of people, and just like your own family, you are closer to some members than others.  The important thing is that you find friends and other believers that will truly be loving and supportive of you.  If you don't click with someone, or some pastor... that's ok!... It's a BIG WORLD... and a BIG CHURCH!... just keep going until you find a place that feels like home!

We will be praying for you! Welcome to the family!

Pastor Rusti and the VITC Team... YAY!!!!!