Praying to become a Follower of Christ
Jesus told His disciples to believe and abide in Him so that they can ask God, the Father for anything in His Name. He is the mediator between God and us. So, when we pray to the Father in Jesus’ Name, we imply that we believe in Christ as the Savior of the world and the one who can intercede for us to God. We also imply that we are His followers.
In other words, you must have faith that Christ can help you, in order to pray in His Name.
Food for thought, if you don’t believe that Jesus has the power to save, how will you believe that He will intercede for you to God?
If you are not yet a follower of Christ, you should make a decision to come into a relationship with Him and have access to the full benefit of the power of His Name.
The message of the Gospel is simply this: Christ came to the world, lived, died and rose from the dead for all people, so that anyone who wishes may live forever with Him and not experience the second death, which will also last forever. The Bible teaches that the choices we make here on earth, will determine where we will end after the final judgment. No one will be allowed to switch places.
As Jesus told Nicodemus in John Chapter 3, to become His follower, and see the Kingdom of God, you must be born again. The first time you were born, your mother did all the hard work. For the second birth, Jesus did all the hard work to make it possible for anyone who believes in Him to become born again. This is a spiritual birth, not a physical birth, as when your mother bore you. Rebirth requires faith in God to change us through the saving power of His Son, Jesus Christ, when we give Him permission to do so.
Jesus explained it this way to Nicodemus, “Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from, or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”(John 3: 8). But you can tell the difference, when someone’s life has been changed as a result of becoming reborn.
Salvation is a free gift. You can’t earn it (Ephesians 2: 8 -9); but you can show remorse for our sin that made it necessary for Christ to die on the cross for us (Romans 3: 22 – 25).
If you are ready to commit your life to God through Christ, you can pray the prayer below, or something similar to it.
Example of a prayer that an adult can pray:
“Father, I thank you for the gift of eternal life. Thank you that in dying on the cross, and rising from the dead, Jesus Christ accomplished everything, so that I don’t have to depend on my own strength to be reconciled to you. I know that I am a sinner. I’m sorry, please forgive me. I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord and that He died on the cross and rose from the dead to set me free from my sin. Lord God, of my own free will, I choose to invite Jesus to come into my life and live in my heart as my Savior and Lord, my ultimate Boss forever. Thank you for wiping away my past sins. I don’t have to carry the burden anymore. Jesus has set me free. Father, keep me from evil, and teach me to walk in your way so that my life will glorify you. Thank you for giving me a new life through Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Example of a prayer that a younger person can pray:
“God thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to save anyone who wants to follow Him. I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus died and rose up to save me, so I will live with you and Him forever. I want to follow Him. Protect me always so that I will continue to walk with you. Thank you God, for saving me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Welcome into God’s kingdom. You have gone through a spiritual rebirth and become born again. If you are serious about this step that you have taken, you don’t need to repeat this prayer in the future. Your next step is to learn how to grow and mature as a follower of Christ, by honoring God, by studying His Word and praying regularly, by participating in corporate worship with other believers, and by serving Him.
Scripture References
Acts 2: 37 – 42 (full context, Acts 2: 1ff)
John 3: 1 – 21
John 14: 6ff; 15:5
Romans 1: 16 – 17; 10: 5 – 13