Next Steps with Jesus
“Jesus, You died upon a cross
And rose again to save the lost
Forgive me now of all my sin
Come be my Savior, Lord and Friend
Change my life and make it new
And help me Lord, to live for You.”
Moments ago, as you clicked “Next Steps,” you took the first step toward the God who loves you with unfailing love. You are the one Jesus is looking for!
Walking with Jesus is the greatest joy you will ever experience, and it begins with six steps that we find in The Salvation Poem.
STEP 1
Jesus, You died upon a cross
Almost everyone around us believes that Jesus died on the cross.
After all, his death is a matter of historical record. But do you know why Jesus gave his life for you?
The Bible declares in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” In other words, we have sinned in our thoughts, words, or actions at some point. Because God is holy, our sin separates us from him. As Jesus goes to the cross, he is the sinless son of God, who is “pierced for our rebellion, and crushed for our sins.” Isaiah 53:5 In essence, Jesus died to bring us to God. Brennan McPherson writes, “He tasted death for us so that we could taste life.” (The Simple Gospel.)
Your first step toward God is understanding why Jesus gave his life for you!
STEP 2
…and rose again to save the lost.
The death of Jesus was historical, but so was his resurrection.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared before countless eyewitnesses who testified, “He is risen!” The same disciples who watched him suffer and die were so convinced of his resurrection that they were willing to suffer and die for him. Nancy Leigh Demoss explains what his resurrection means to you. “The resurrection means that God has accepted and approves of Christ’s work on the cross. Therefore He accepts and approves of us!”
Jesus declares in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”
Your second step is believing that Jesus is risen from the dead.
STEP 3
Forgive me now of all my sin.
Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have the offer of forgiveness for our sins.
Jesus can forgive your sin because he paid the price for our sins. According to the Bible, we need to confess our sins to be forgiven. “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9 The moment you say, “Forgive me now of all my sin,” you are forgiven and cleansed.
Your third step is to confess your sins to the one who gave his life to forgive you.
STEP 4
Come be my Savior, Lord and Friend.
If you confess your sins to Jesus and invite him into your life, he offers to be your Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Savior means a brand-new start as you are forgiven and adopted by Jesus.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” – Ephesians 1:5
Lord means you are no longer in charge of your life and surrender to Jesus.
Friend means you have a friend who will never leave or forsake you.
Your fourth step is to trust Jesus as your Savior, Lord and Friend!
STEP 5
Change my life and make it new.
Following Jesus is not a decision to live perfectly.
We all stumble and fall. Because of this, the gospel is not a decision to try harder. It is a decision to trust the cross of Christ. It is not our efforts but his sacrifice that makes us more like Jesus.
“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” - 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
Your fifth step is to invite Jesus to change you into his glorious image.
STEP 6
And help me, Lord, to live for You.
As you receive the grace of God for salvation, you are also invited to receive his grace daily.
The power of sin is broken, and now Christ lives in you. He helps us to live for Him.
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20
Your sixth step is the joy of Jesus living through you.
Welcome to new life in Christ!
Congratulations!
As you have dared to believe in Jesus and surrendered your life to Him, this is the beginning of your best life. You were created to walk with Jesus!
As you begin each day, I invite you to give the first part of your day to Jesus. As you pray and read the Bible, you encounter His presence and word for each day. God’s Word is alive!
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” - Hebrews 4:12
A great digital resource for God’s Word and devotional content is YouVersion.
Welcome to community!
As followers of Jesus, we are better together!
Prayerfully look for a Church that shares the good news of Jesus and understands the importance of small groups. As you begin to walk in community, look for places where you can serve your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Connect
If I can pray for you, please email me at: david@praiselive.org
I can’t wait to hear your story!