Jesus, I confess that you are not only the
most important person in history, but you are the Creator and
Savior of the world. Lord Jesus, I need you. I
have done wrong. Please forgive me of my sins and come
into my life. I ask you not just to be part of my life,
but to guide me to live according to the words I read in the
Bible. Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness. I
am now committed to be your follower. Amen.
God's Love
"God so loved the world that He
gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have eternal life." 1
God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that
they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it
might be full and meaningful].
We Are Sinful
"All have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We were created to have fellowship with God;
but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own
independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This
self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or
passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls
sin.
We Are Separated
"The
wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God].
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and
people are sinful. A great gulf separates us. The arrows
illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and the
abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life,
philosophy, or religion -- but we inevitably fail.
He Died in Our Place
"God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us."
He Rose From the
Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was
buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the
Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After
that He appeared to more than five hundred..."
He Is the Only Way to
God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through
Me.'"
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged
the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus
Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty
for our sins.
We Must Receive Christ
"As
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name."
We Receive Christ Through
Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast."
When We Receive Christ, We Experience
a New Birth
We Receive Christ by Personal
Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at
the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him."
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from
self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives
to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be.
Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough.
Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive
Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
--------------------------
A Prayer for Blessed Peace
In my hidden heart, I know this
feeling.
Deep inside, the river flows
with the peace of
the world.
This world, this place of love unbridled,
is
where you and I meet.
Alone, but together,
silent, but
joyful,
we share this deep peace as one.
Peace dwells
within me.
Always waiting patiently,
knowing that I
will return to its embrace.
I let go, I let go, I am peace.
I say yes,
I say yes, I am peace.
I choose love, I choose love, I am
peace.
In my heart, I know this place.
In my heart, I am
peace.
---------------------------------
A Prayer
for Blessed Service
Dear God, let your will for me be known.
Use me, oh God, as your creation.
When a kind word
needs to be spoken, use my voice.
When a load needs to be
lifted, use my back.
When a hug needs to be given, use my
arms.
When a journey needs to be taken, use my feet.
When a message needs to be delivered, use my mind.
When a friend needs to be loved, use my heart.
In all
things, in all ways,
use me God,
as your instrument of
love, faith, peace and tranquility.
------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Grace
Dear God, I hold your grace within me.
I
call upon grace to mend hearts I have hurt,
to light my
way in the darkness,
to let go of my sorrows and regrets,
and to bless those who I have known and will meet upon my
journey.
Grace flows freely and fully through me by the
power and grace of God.
God, I accept your loving gift of
grace,
your peace of heaven on earth for me.
------------------------
A Prayer for Blessed Healing
Dear God, your loving arms hold me now,
filling me with the grace of Spirit.
Wash away my pain,
take away my fear,
let my past be complete in this
moment.
Through your grace, I step forward in the
present,
not letting past pain guide my actions and
choices.
I choose grace, full and abundant, to guide my
life.
I accept your love, healing and renewing, to change
my heart.
I accept light, wisdom in its entirety, to bless
my existence.
I am whole in your eyes.
I accept your
vision as my own.
----------------------------
A
Prayer for Social Justice
Dear God, you hold all people in your
compassionate heart.
You see all people through the eyes of
love,
knowing that we all have the same gifts of Spirit
waiting to be revealed.
Let your wisdom be my own when I
feel afraid of others who seem
different from me.
Open
my heart with compassion,
filling me with understanding and
acceptance of others and myself.
I accept your strength to
champion equality for all people,
letting your love give me
courage to see God dwelling within all people.
----------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Power
Dear God, your power is my own.
Your wisdom
is my own.
Your faith is my own.
Your strength is my
own.
I am a blessed child of God, full of your infinite
love and peace.
I accept your blessings,
your gift of
life to become the light of God dwelling in human form.
I
accept your power to live in harmony
by letting my inner
heart guide my outer actions.
Upon the will and light of
Spirit, and so it is.
---------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Wholeness
Dear God, you have blessed me with an amazing
body through which I can experience life.
I accept that my
body is changing everyday,
adapting to new circumstances so
that I can live
in a state of health and wholeness.
I
release my preconceived notions about what a normal body
should look like.
I accept that normal encompasses all body
realities.
I accept the power of my body to heal.
I love
my body, just as God loves me completely.
And so it is.
---------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Abundance
Lord, I remember my flowing heart of peace.
Through the power you gave to me in the breath of life,
I accept your abundance freely.
I accept my free will
to choose a life of peace.
I accept your love to create
experiences where I can explore my inner self through this
outer world you made for me.
I accept it all, knowing that
love is the source of all the wonders of this world.
I
honor you, and my brothers and sisters in this abundant world
of love.
Listen closely, discerning the truth
for yourself.
-------------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Faith
Dear God, your heart of faith
beats
strongly within me.
When I look up, I see
reminders of you everywhere.
I see the sun, nourishing all
life on Earth.
I see gentle rain, washing away my pain and
fear.
I see your creations, filled with the joy and wonder
of your love.
Faith, ever near, becomes me.
--------------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Relationship
Dear God, I hold your power of creation
within.
As you love me unconditionally, I may love
another.
As you allow me free will, I choose to create a
spiritual union with another.
I am whole and equal in my
spiritual union.
I seek divine wisdom to guide my choices
and actions,
always searching for the higher truth to
elevate my relationship.
And so it is.
-----------------------------------
A Prayer for Blessed Road
Dear God, as I walk the path you laid out for
me, I hurt and have been hurt by others.
Forgive me, God,
giving me the power to forgive others.
Let your power
enlighten me, clarifying the situation.
Bless my road of
life with compassion and wisdom,
helping me to walk in
harmony with others.
And so it is.
-------------------------------------
A Prayer for Blessed Forgiveness
Dear God, my heart is heavy with past
burdens.
I look to your light to guide me to peace in my
heart.
In this place of harmony, I remember my love for
others.
In love, I know that the peace of God exists in all
people.
I see your love and light in myself and in those
who have hurt me.
I let God's healing love wash this pain
from my heart.
I forgive myself and others, knowing that
God holds forgiveness for all beings.
Thank you, God, for
blessing me with your grace.
-------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Compassion
Dear God, I hold your power and strength in
this moment to love all who have hurt me.
Right now, I
choose to let love flow from my heart
and wash away my pain
and fears.
God, you love me no matter what I do.
I
extend that love to those who have hurt me.
I choose to
recognize the wholeness dwelling within these friends.
In
compassion and love,
I hold high their potential when my
friends
may not see their own greatness dwelling within.
I recognize that with your love,
they are capable of
more than they are demonstrating in this moment.
As your
creation God,
I too have hurt others and not shown my true
greatness in all situations.
Through your love for me God,
I extend this love to my friends.
---------------------------------
A Prayer
for Blessed Acceptance
Dear God, in this moment I hold your
acceptance.
You love me completely, just as I am.
You
see my great potential within,
and you nurture my tender
heart of compassion.
In this moment, I let your acceptance
be my own.
I accept others as the children of God.
I
hold high their inner greatness,
always seeking to serve
the highest and best within all people.
And so it is.
------------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Instrument
Dear God, guide my hands to do your
work.
Angels, your messengers of light,
surround me and
enfold me in the presence of God.
Let this wisdom be my
own,
let this power give me strength to surrender to the
divine presence within.
I say yes to living a Spirit-driven
life.
And so it is.
-----------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Reunion
Dear God, I hear your gentle
whispers,
reminding me of my heavenly home of light.
My
journey upon Earth is brief,
but rich in all that I learn
from your creations of love.
Help me to remember my inner
heart of peace,
letting it shine while I walk upon the
Earth.
Be my eyes, my ears, my hands,
my heart of love
so that I may bring the joys of heaven to others upon Earth.
And so it is.
------------------------------------
A
Prayer for Blessed Hope
Dear God, you are my shepherd of peace.
I
am your servant of love.
This love, this eternal hope,
flows within me,
enriching my life and the lives of
others.
I acknowledge my blindness when I walk without
God’s grace.
But today, in abundant love for your
way
of letting yourself be known in my life,
I walk
beside you.
I am your servant of peace.
When I see
those who have hurt me,
I give them my peace.
I see
the peace of you,
dwelling deeply within them,
for we
all are your creations of love.
I raise my hands not to
strike,
but to embrace the commonality of love between us.
My hands are your instruments of peace.
I am your love
God,
and I flow freely where you need me to
be.
-----------------------------------