I was raised in a Christian home. My parents were heavily involved in ministry, teaching at church and in Bible clubs around Kansas City . I had always heard the Gospel. My father was preaching to me and reading the Bible to me while I was still in the womb. When I was three and a half years old, I was convicted of my sin. I had lied and disobeyed my parents, and I came to realize that this was wrong and that the punishment for sin was Hell.
One night, I dreamed that I actually went to Hell. The darkness, burning, weeping and gnashing of teeth was all about me. I was quite relieved to wake up and find that it was only a dream. In my little child mind I knew that #1—I deserved to go there and #2—I didn’t want to go.
I went to my father and told him I was a sinner (He wasn’t at all surprised to hear this). He told me that God had made a way for me to be saved from going to Hell. Opening his Bible to John 3:16, Dad showed how God demonstrated His love to me by giving God the Son, Jesus Christ to take my place. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and came alive again, so that if I turned to Him and believed on Him to save me from Hell He would give me everlasting life.
I bowed my head and simply confessed my guilt and told God what I believed Jesus had done for me. I asked Him to save me. And He did. Since then, I haven’t always been faithful to my Lord, but He has been faithful to me—directing, providing, protecting and correcting. I know that I am saved, not because of how I feel, but because of what He has promised. A person is not saved by good works, but by the precious blood payment of Jesus Christ. There are many passages that proclaim the truth of salvation, but one of my favorites is the following:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47).
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
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