The Prayer...

OK, I would normally save a post like this for a day other than Friday, but I just can't seem to stop thinking about it!

Wednesday, while at our church's Summer Concert Series, I was standing and talking with a good friend of mine.  The subject of The Sinner's Prayer came up, and it got me thinking...

If you are part of the American Christian Community, you have likely heard it!  It goes something like this:

"Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.

I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ."

Amen.

Many of you have probably said this very prayer, or one like it, at the time of your conversion...and it pretty much sums up Christian Salvation.  But, is it necessary? Does saying this prayer guarantee your entrance into Heaven? What if you didn't say this prayer...are you living a false Christian life?

I think for most people, the answer is obvious.  There is no rote prayer that needs to be said in order to turn your life over to Christ and begin following His Word, teaching and plan for your life. While my friend and I both agree that this prayer is a good tool, but not necessary for salvation, it occurred to me that there are probably people out there that believe it is a requirement.  And, unfortunately, there are some who believe, "Well, I (or my child, loved one, etc.) said 'The Prayer', so I'm (they're) saved" and they go on living for themselves.

The Christian walk is not about saying a specific prayer, ritualistic observances, or a list of rules.  It's not about having it all together, scripture memorization, or any other outward appearance!

It is about our hearts! 

It is about recognizing that indeed we are sinners...even if we are "good" people in this world...all of us fall short of the Glory of God. {Romans 3:23}

It is about recognizing that we NEED a savior and that savior is Jesus Christ! {Ephesians 2: 1-3} 

It is about turning our lives from our sin and walking daily with Him...therefore bearing fruit as we grow in our knowledge of who He is! {Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and many more supporting verses!}

Oh...and like I've blogged before...once you do all of these things, life doesn't suddenly get better!  Don't be fooled!  Christ Himself said that we would be persecuted because of Him. But, I've already ranted about that...you can read about it here!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!