Want Peace…

There was a time in my life when I was pretty tore up inside.  Well, maybe tore up doesn’t say it all—I felt like I had a permanent hole in my gut.  I still laughed, had a good time, drank hard and thought I pretty well enjoyed my life—but when I was alone, when it was quiet, there that hole was.  Nothing could make it go away.  One day I sat in the back of a church and I heard a preacher talk about what it meant to accept Jesus as Savior.  I had heard that before—well the words anyway—but this time I really seem to understand and I wanted it.  I was ready for that hole to go away, that emptiness to be gone.  Right there where I sat I started talking to God.  I was honest and told Him I was tired of trying to do it all by myself.  I told Him about the stuff in my past that made me feel guilty and bad about myself.  I asked Him to forgive me; I told Him that I believed in His Son, Jesus, and that I wanted to accept Him as my Savior.  See I realized that just because I was a “good person” I didn’t steal or tell a bunch of lies and I had never killed anyone and I even helped folks out, that was not enough—being a good person was not going to give me a ticket into heaven.  Nothing I did, good or bad, was going to get me to heaven, or keep me out, it’s about Jesus and that’s it.  Just Jesus Christ.  He is the ONLY way, he is the only LIVING God—Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, and all the others, all of em’ dead and gone—it’s just Jesus who came up out of that cold grave and it’s just Jesus who did it all for you, and for me.  He knew you and He knew all about your past when He allowed Himself to be nailed to that cross and He loves you right now, right where you’re at.  All you have to do is get real with Him, be honest He knows what your really thinking anyway.  Then confess Him, ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior and that’s it.  Once you’ve done that—and meant it—you are FOREVER His—nothing can rip you away from Him.  Tell another Christian about your decision—follow Him in baptism—and hold on cause’ it’s gonna be the greatest and the wildest ride of your life—I never would have believed that God would want to pick up a plain ole ranch kid from New Mexico with dirty boots and dirty hands and put him in front of a congregation as a preacher, but here I am.  If your near Big Bend Cowboy Church come be part of our family and if not near us check out the churches in your area and if I can do anything for you and you’re not near us e-mail me and I’ll help you every way I can.  If you’re not exactly sure what to say to God maybe this example will help:

God, here I am, broken with my head bowed before you.  God I now realize that I can’t do this on my own and I don’t want to.  I have sinned God, and I’m sorry, and I know that the only way I’m going to be different, the only way I will be allowed into Your kingdom is if I accept your Son Jesus as my Savior.  I believe that He is Your Son that He is the only way to heaven and that He did die on that cross and rose again.  He died in my place, for my sins, and I humbly accept that awesome gift and turn my life over to you now.  Save me God, wash me with the blood of Your Son forever and put me on the path You want me to go.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

That’s it—if you’ve prayed that prayer let me know—or if not me any Christian that you trust—and by the way, welcome to the family, I’ve been praying for you.  

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.