Imagine this:

A Holy, Pure, True, Honest All loving, All Powerful, All Knowing, All Perfect God who is seated in His Holy Place.  Everything is bright and clean and perfect around Him in His Throne Room.

Now, at His door there is a very very long corridor, or hallway leading to the outside, and far away to another room.  In that room are mounds and mounds and piles of garbage.  Yes!  Dirty, smelly, stinky garbage.  Dirty rags, rotten food, dead animals, moldy vegetables - and in that room you and I sit.  - Ugh, the smell is awful and the sight is ugly.  The sounds around us are painful to our hearts, and if we move we touch things that would make us sick.

            Well, that is kind of what my life -  and maybe yours - was like before I knew Jesus.  My life's works surround me - my unhealthy habits, thoughts, meanness, lies and ......Oh, and this room is very dark.  There is not much light, for I want my sins hidden.  I am ashamed of what I have done. 

Suddenly in the darkness I see out the doorway a light.  I do not understand it.  How did it get there?  -  It makes me feel very uncomfortable.  My eyes begin to hurt in the light and now I see all that stuff around me and it bothers me even more!  I want to run and hide - or even bury myself under my sin.  But I know how horrible my sin is and I do not want to get myself more sick.  

Then suddenly I hear a knock at the door.  I don't want to stand up and walk through all my garbage to get to the door, because that means I'll have to deal with some of it.  I'll have to look at the time when I ___.  Ugh!  I'll have to touch that awful ___!  I'll have to move the air and it will smell even worse!  And those memories of when ____!  Oh, No!!

Then I hear a voice outside my door.  It sounds kind and caring.  Oh! - What will I have to do for that person?  What will they require me to do for them?  Why do I have to bother!?

I hear it again. - But it is different than anything I have ever heard.  He says, "I love you just the way you are.   I have come to pick you up and give you what you need.  I am here waiting to love you.  Do you want me to come inside?"

            Oh!  How can I let any one enter this place??  My soul, with its fears and horrors!  How can I let anyone see me this way, the way that I am?  -  "Wait, I'll be there in a little while!  I'll clean up first."  I tell the kind stranger.  He waits outside the door.

            I grope through the darkness trying to put my things away, trying to throw some things out, trying to make sense and order out of all this garbage.  But I get more and more frustrated, sad, angry and depressed.  How can I ever get this room clean!!???  Every time I move anything, two more other things appear beneath the rubble.  When I go to tuck something away on a shelf, I find more of my mess: thoughts and memories, actions of mine that I have to deal with.  It is Awful!  It is too hard!  I can't do it!!

            I sit down in sorrow and weakness.  I begin crying.  It is too much for me.  I am overwhelmed by my own sinfulness.  I hear a knock again and the gentle voice asking me -  "May I come In?"   "No!" I shout. - Never I think.  I am too foul for visitors.  But a pain sticks in my heart like I have never felt before.  A pain like a loss of hope...."Yes."  I whimper.  I  want help.  I hear - "I know you and I love you just where you are.  I love you just the way you are.  Please open the door of your heart and let me in."

I am undecided.  So I ask the caring person, "What do you want from me?"  He tells me,  "I want to give you living water, to help you grow and not thirst, I want to yoke with you to guide you through your life, I want to be your good shepherd who'll keep you safe and lead you to good places.  I want to be your bread of life - Yes, I want to be your everything.  I want to be your Source of Life.  I want to be your God.

" Wow.  How can you do that with me the way I am?" I ask.   "I am God and I know everything.  I feel your pain, too!  And since I am God, I am capable of solving all of our problems.  -  but yes, I do require only one thing."  

I knew it!  It was too good to be true!  He wants something that I won't be able to give.  Should I even ask Him?  Why not.  "What is it?" - I asked weakly and with some fear.  "I want you to trust me, rely on me, adhere to me and listen to me."      "Whoa, you want me to trust you to take care of me?  You want me to depend on you for what I need?  You want me to lean on you and grow with you?  You want me to do what you tell me to do?  How can I ever do that since I have never been able to be faithful like that before?"

"I will do it for you.  All you have to do is give me your heart and trust me.  Remember, I am God."  came the words from the very loving voice.  

"But how can I know you?  How can I listen to you?" I wondered.  "I am so glad you asked!  You must let me enter into your private room,  just as it is, and let me help you clean it up.  Also, I have written you a book.  It is called the Bible.  Reading the Bible and having Me with you, I can supply all of your needs according to My glorious riches.  However, you can expect changes.  I will show you love and joy that you have never known, as well as pain that goes along with saying goodbye to the garbage.  

            After thinking about it for a bit, and remembering how lonely I have been and for so long, I didn't want to say goodbye to this Person.  I didn't want to stay in my room alone in the darkness.  I liked his company....  I got up and opened the door to Him.  There I saw Jesus!  He was so sincere and true.  Kind and loving and patient with me.  He was all I ever wanted and more!  I never knew such happiness, either!!  Such freedom!!  Such unconditional love!  I did not know such a thing existed!  

            Yes, He kept growing me and changing me, and giving me more hope and joy.  And there was loss and pain from the stuff that had hurt me in the past.  But somehow His Love got me through it to a greater life than I had ever thought  imaginable.  

            Oh, you know that throne room at the end of the corridor?  I got to go there often!  In fact, that very day!  Jesus took me.  He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  Right before we went, Jesus took one look in my room, and I felt very sorry for what He saw.  I told him, "I am very sorry for...."   He said, " I forgive you.  And I have forgotten them."  Jesus was true to His word.  He never held them against me again.

            Also, you know how messy my room was?  Well, the more that we went to the throne room, and the more that I read His Word, the Bible, the cleaner my room became!  It is amazing!   And My Joy is So Full!!

            Would you like to receive Jesus into your heart now?  He wants to enter in Just where you are!  Don't wait, because maybe you might not get another chance.  And that joy can begin right now!  

 Suggested Prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I know that you love me. I know that I have done wrong.  I am a sinner. I believe that You died for my sins to make a way for me to go to heaven. Please forgive me of my sins. I am sorry for what I have done.  Lord Jesus, come into my life and take control of my life.  I trust You, Jesus.  Thank you for loving me and thank you for forgiving me!! Please give me Your Holy Spirit to live in me and teach me. Please open my mind and heart to Your Words in your Bible.  I love you.  Amen."

Jesus promises those of us who have committed our life to Him:

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in in me.  John 15:3,4 

I have called you friends.  John 15:15 

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth....But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.   John 14:16-18  

Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.  Hebrews 13:5

And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  John 14:13 

being confident of this, that he who began a  good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.   John 14:27 

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in  Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31,32,38,39 

For I know the plans I have for you,  declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 

I would like to read God's Bible words about Salvation or The Holy Spirit in the Believer or Heaven or Thought Questions or Reasons not to Believe

To return to the Prayer.

Bring me to:  Fear of the Lord   or  Faith .

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"Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." "Todo aquel que invoque el nombre del Señor sera salvo." - Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13, Romanos 10:13

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