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1. Realize that you were created to be in relationship with God.

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God created you to fulfill an important role in this world and it starts by having a relationship with Him. (Genesis 2; Ephesians 2:10; John 8:12)

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2. Realize that you are less than perfect and need forgiveness.

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You may be living a relatively good life, but none of us are perfect. Like the rest of us, you have made poor chooses. The Bible says that we have all sinned and have come up short on perfection (Romans 3:23.) This being the case, we are all in need of forgiveness.

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3. Recognize that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you may receive forgiveness.

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God is merciful yet just. Because of these two attributes, He could not simply let sin go unpunished. He chose to show us His love by sending Christ to pay the penalty for our sin so that we could be forgiven (John 3:16-17).

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4. Turn toward God and away from your sin.

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Prior to being in relationship with God, we live for ourselves. This is usually the cause of our poor choices. The Bible says that we are to repent and believe in Jesus as our Savior, so that our sins will be wiped away (Acts 3:19). When we do this, God accepts us into a new relationship with Him.

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5. Follow Jesus by getting to know Him and His way of life.

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Our relationship with God is lived out by following Jesus. This is done by learning Jesus’ way of life in the context of our daily life (John 12:26).

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If you would like to have a relationship with God by following Jesus, simply pray this prayer and mean it in your heart:

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God, I know that I have made many wrong choices, and I ask for your forgiveness. I now choose to turn toward You and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

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If you prayed this prayer, tell Pastor Paul by emailing him at pastorpaul.retreatchurch@gmail.com and he will get you started with your relationship with Jesus.