Salvation: The Long and the Short of It

By Ellen Prohaska
Guest Writer

CBN.com – What kind of a title is that? Well a long time ago God created everything. Stuff like the earth, and sky, and sea, and then everything that lives in or on them. That, of course, includes you and me (or at least our ancestors). Then God rested. God was happy. He had a plan. But first Satan, and then man, opted to try and do it a better way.

Then, not so long ago, Jesus came to this earth. He was sent by God our Father to try and get us back to following God's plan. He fed people, preached, healed their bodies, and set them free. He did all this in only three years, but it changed the world forever. Once again Satan and man thought there was a better plan. So they killed Him in order to try and keep things the way they had been.

But the short of this is that part of God's plan included Jesus' death on the cross to reconcile us back to Him. Separation from God entered our world through Adam's disobedience and self will. Reconciliation entered our world through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection. But the real long and short of it is that salvation will only enter your personal life when you acknowledge what Jesus did to pay your debt for sin and rebellion and accepting His sacrifice for you. I can't do it for you. Your parents couldn't do it for you. Your church can't do it for you. It all comes down to you. You make the decision. God gave each of us a free will and only we can chose for ourselves if we will walk in His plan or our own.

Read these Scriptures that give you some biblical perspective on my simplified version:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23

If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, Old things have passed away, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

Harden not your heart. Psalm 95:8

God has been calling out to you. Take the time now to align yourself with His plan for your life. Take a moment and pray this prayer:

Father, I admit that I have sinned and fallen away from you and your plan for my life. I acknowledge that Jesus is your Son and that He came to this earth to try and win me back to you. I know His death paid my debt for sin and I now realize no one but me can set the record straight with you. So today, right now, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I accept what Jesus did in my behalf and I want to walk in your plan for my life. Thank you Jesus. I accept you as my Savior and Lord. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, send an e-mail to one of our prayer counselors to let us know. We will respond with some encouraging resources to help you in your walk with the Lord.

And you can call our CBN Prayer Counseling Center 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year at 1-800-759-0700. A caring friend is waiting to talk to you.