Jesus Has Saved Me Look to Jesus: Lesson 1

"Somebody save me!" Have you ever yelled that out before? We all need saving sometime. Maybe you got lost in a deserted area and needed rescue. Salvation is exactly thatrescue from your sins. You see, your sins (all the things you did wrong) had a huge hold on you, like a death grip. Can you imagine a huge giant squeezing someone by the neck? Thats what sin was doing to you. But when you called out, "Jesus, save me!", Jesus came and broke sins grip off you. The Bible says, "If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). You were saved from sin and death when you asked Jesus to be your Savior.

Saved Forever
When Jesus saved you, it wasnt just for a day or from one particular sin. It was forever. Imagine a child who was sold into slavery, and one day a rich man comes and pays a million dollars for that one kid. Now, if that man paid so much to save that poor child, why would he ever give him up? Its even more so with God who paid with His own Son! The Bible says, For 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 (John 3:16). When you asked Jesus to save you, He saved you forever and you can trust Him.

"The Day Jesus Saved Me"

"My life has changed in big places and small. I think my DNA has probably changed as well! From every part of my being, I felt alive, I felt different - I could tell something had happened. And my life continues to be transformed - my mind is less of a battlefield, I live in more peace and joy though the world seeks to take that from me. I know my real home is waiting for me and that gives me great strength, peace and comfort" Rory

For Today
Thank Jesus for saving you forever. Memorize Romans 10:9 and bring it to mind whenever you start to doubt that Jesus has truly saved you.

New Life from the Holy Spirit Look to Jesus: Lesson 2

Have you ever watched a new life being born? There is nothing like watching a baby being born, a new human life entering the world with so much possibility. Thats what it is like when you became a Christian. The Bible calls it being born again. 1 Peter 1:23 says, For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. You were given this new life through the Holy Spirit. Imagine an empty balloon. On its own, it just lies flat and lifeless. But if you blow air into it, it fills up and can fly. That is what God did for you when you were born againHe filled you up with His own Spirit and gave you new life so that you can soar.

Being Filled Up Everyday

The Holy Spirit gives you new life everyday. Life can be hard, cant it? Sometimes people and problems take the air out of us. The wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit is that He gives new life everyday. Think of it like driving a car. You fill up the car with gas, but soon enough, it runs out and you have to fill it up again. The Bible says, Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When it says, Be filled with the Spirit, it means be filled again and again and again. How can you be filled with new life from the Holy Spirit everyday? All you have to do is ask. Jesus said, If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13). Take a moment right now and ask God to give you new life by filling you with His Spirit.

How the Holy Spirit Gave Me New Life

"Before I became a Christian, my life was full of selfishness, bitterness, anger, and insecurity. I wanted so badly for others to love me that I would do anything to get their approval. When I finally gave my life to God, I experienced the security of being unconditionally loved for the first time. The Holy Spirit came in my heart and became my friend, leader, and the one who always understood me. If I am afraid, I pray and the Holy Spirit gives me peace. If I sin, He loving tells me that I am wrong and leads me to change. Shortly after becoming a Christian, the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my selfishness in my home. I would leave dirty dishes in the sink and rarely help my mom. When the Holy Spirit spoke to me about this, I prayed for forgiveness and began to help

out without being asked. The Holy Spirit was changing my desires and making me more like Jesus. The Bible says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit and the blessings that He brings into my life" -Deanna

For Today
Thank the Holy Spirit for living inside of you and giving you new life. Ask God to give you more of His Holy Spirit to fill you.

Get Direction from the Bible Look to Jesus: Lesson 3

"Help! Can I get directions from you?" Have you ever been lost? Life can seem like a maze sometimes, and it is easy to get lost. The Bible is like a direction key, showing you how to get through the maze and reach the goal. Psalm 119:105 says, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Imagine the difference between stumbling through a dark maze and going through it with lighted path. Thats the difference between a Christian who reads the Bible and one who doesnt. God knows that life can be tricky, so He gave us directions for life in the Bible to help us live successfully. More than direction, its your daily meal. You know the feeling of waking up in the morning starving? Your body needs its fuel for the day. Jesus said, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). He was saying that in the same way your body needs food everyday, your spirit needs food toospiritual food. So how do you get spiritual food? By reading the Bible. You probably wont understand everything in the beginning; thats normal, just like its normal for a baby to only be able to eat baby food. But the more you read the Bible, the more you will understand, and the more your spirit will be fed. A great place to start is in the book of John. Its a book about Jesus, written by one of His close friends. Youll love it. Begin the habit today of daily reading the Bible to get direction from God and feed your spirit.

How I Get Direction from the Bible

"When I read the Bible, I view it as if God is telling me a story. He is talking to me about what He desires for me, sharing His heart with me and telling me about following Him. It gives me a point of conversation so that I can talk with God. For example, if I read Jesus saying "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me," I know that He is telling me personally that I can hear His voice, that He knows me and that I can follow Him no matter what may be going on around me. I allow the Bible to become very personal and applicable. Talk to God as you read and ask for Him to help you understand what is being said. He will speak to you and give you direction and help for everything in your life. The more you read, the more you talk to Him, the more things will begin to make sense" Aaron

For Today
Plan a time each day to read the Bible. If you schedule it, it will be easier to do it. Ask God to give you direction from the Bible for a specific issue you are facing.

The Church is Your Family Look to Jesus: Lesson 4

Think back on a fun family experience. Maybe it was a really great holiday together, or maybe it was a special day at the park. The wonderful thing about family is that you are committed to each other, to love each other no matter what. Thats how it is with the Church. The Church is Gods family, and now it is yours too. When you gave your life to Jesus, God adopted you as one of His own children, making all other Christians your brothers and sisters! Matthew 12:49-50 says, Pointing to his disciples, [Jesus] said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. Isnt it amazing that Jesus would include us in His own family!

The Church: One Big Family Made of Many Small Families

Have you ever had a big family reunion? Your individual family joins with other families who are related to you, making one big family. Thats how the Church is. There is the Universal Church, which is every person who follows Jesus, and then there are local churches, where groups of Christians meet together locally to encourage and help one another. Hebrews 10:25 tells us to, not

giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. God is teaching us that we need each other, just like a family. Do you know a group of Christians in your area that you can become family with? There might be a lot of local churches around you, or there may be very few. Ask God to lead you to other Christians. We also have a Church Finder to locate a church in your area.

How the Church Became My Family

"Getting connected to my local church has really helped me in my Christian faith. A few years ago I moved to a new city, really far away from all of my family and friends. I didnt know anybody, but as I started to go to church regularly I met people who became my good friends. I attended a Bible study with people from church and they helped me grow in my faith and supported me by personally praying for me each week. The people I met at church were very friendly and caring. They would invite me over to their house for dinner or just to hang out with them and their family. I began to build deep friendships with these brothers and sisters in Christ and I found a home away from home through the church. I am so grateful and thankful that I have met people in the church who truly love me and accept me like God does" -Dena

For Today
Thank God for giving you a new, spiritual family. If you do not have a church family, ask God to lead you to one and use our Church Finder if you need help.

God Hears Your Prayers Look to Jesus: Lesson 5

Every culture has a concept of prayerof calling out to God for help. But not every culture believes that God will hear your prayers. Some think that you have to be a very good person to be heard by God. Others think that you have to say certain prayers with certain words for God to hear. So what is the truth? The Bible says you are a child of God by your faith in Jesus, and God hears your prayers. Isaiah 30:19 says, How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you. Have you ever seen a mother rushing to her crying baby? Even though the baby cant

express himself clearly, his mother cares so much to help because of her great love. Thats a picture of Gods concern for you, His child, when you pray to Him.

The God of the Whole Universe Hears Your Prayers

But you have to realize how important it is that the God of the whole universe hears your prayers. This isnt like talking about your problems to your best friend who cant do anything to help. Imagine you worked for a huge company. Whenever most people had a problem, they had to go through the line of authority and figure it out themselves. But you are the child of the president of the company, so you can go straight to your dad, the person in charge, who loves you and wants to help you. Thats a small picture of your special relationship with God, the boss of the whole universe and your heavenly Father. Jesus said, In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (John 16:23). So do not hesitate to come to God with your problems and concerns. He loves you more than you understand and wants you to ask Him for help. Take a moment right now to talk with Him and thank Him for hearing you.

God Heard My Prayer

"Growing up, I never felt like I had anybody who would fight for me. When I started to get to know God, it was really hard for me to understand that He sincerely wanted to help me out. I remember one time, there was something I had been trying to solve for months. Finally one day, when I was spending time with God, He said to me, "Why don't you just ask ME for a solution?" I'd never thought of actually relying on God; I didn't think He really cared that much. So I cried a little and asked Him to help me. The craziest thing happened! The very thing I had been trying to do for months was quickly solved and God made it clear that He heard me and that He even loved me! From that day, I realized that God is truly a "very present help" in time of need, like it says in Psalm 46. He is so close, and is hoping each one of us will talk to him, to tell Him what we need, like we would to a trusted friend" -Emilie

For Today
Thank God for hearing and caring about your every prayer. Talk to Him about something that is bothering you and ask Him to help you.

Help Someone Find God Look to Jesus: Lesson 6

Has someone ever helped you with something really important? Maybe it was a big school assignment or learning how to ride a bike. Helping people is one of the greatest things you can do in life, and the greatest way you can help someone is to help them find God. It is through trusting in Jesus that someone can have a relationship with God, and that is the greatest need we all haveto know our Creator. In fact, the whole reason Jesus came to earth was to help lost people find God. He said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). Do you know someone who is spiritually sick? The only one who can heal someone is Jesus, and you can introduce them!

Have You Two Met?

Imagine that you knew the person who invented the cure for cancer. Not only did you know him, but he was your brother. Think how excited you would be every time you met someone with cancer! Youd probably be more excited to meet cancer victims than healthy people. Thats why Jesus said that He came for the sick. He is the only cure for sin and separation from God. Do you know how to introduce someone to Jesus? Its easy. You just tell them that they can be forgiven of their sins and have a relationship with God by trusting Jesus as their Savior. You can give them this promise from the Bible: If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Or you can point them to www.jesus2020.com. Think of someone you can help to find God and ask Jesus to guide you.

How I Helped Someone Find God

"Sharing the Gospel can be a very difficult thing to do. But Ive realized it's not my job to be the next Billy Graham, it's my job to be myself. I was at the beach at night praying and a group of high school students jumped out of a limo. They had just finished Prom. One of the guys approached me, wondering why I was alone at the beach. I told him what I was doing and how God had helped me in my life. The whole group surrounded us as I started to tell everyone about Jesus and His love, and the guy gave his life to Jesus in front of all of his friends. Your testimony of what Jesus has done for you is incredibly powerful. The more that you step out and tell about what God did for you, the more the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those you speak to. It doesn't have to be a sermon, it just needs to be YOU!" -A, Berry

For Today
Thank Jesus for saving you and wanting to save everyone else. Think of one person who is going through a hard time and needs to hear about Jesus. Ask God to help you talk to them. The New Believer's Guide