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Know Jesus

No pressure. No performance. Just the good news about Jesus in plain words, with the Bible open so you can check it yourself.

Not sure God is real? Start with your questions.

1. God made you to know him.

God isn't distant, and he isn't bored with you. He made you, he knows you, and he made you for a real relationship with him. That's why nothing else ever quite fills the gap.

2. Something is broken.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Romans 3:23 NIV

Sin isn't only the bad things we do. It's living like God isn't King. It separates us from him, and it costs more than any of us can pay.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NIV

3. God moved first.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 NIV

Jesus is God the Son. He lived the life we couldn't live, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead in a real body on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He didn't wait for us to clean up first.

“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 NIV

4. How to respond.

“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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Romans 10:9-10 NIV

You can't earn this. It's a gift you receive by trusting Jesus, not your own goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9). Trusting him means turning from your sin and following him as Lord.

5. A prayer you can pray.

There are no magic words. Prayer is talking to God. If this is what you mean, tell him in your own words, or pray this:

Jesus, I know I've sinned, and I can't fix it on my own. I believe you died for me and rose again. I turn from my sin and trust you as my Lord. Forgive me, make me new, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Teach me to follow you. Amen.

Words don't save you. Jesus does. If you meant it, you didn't just say a prayer. You started following him.

Did you pray this today?

Tell us. A real person reads every message.

If you're in danger or thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 right now (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.).

Your next steps

Read about Jesus. Start with the Gospel of Luke. Our free 7 Days with Jesus guide walks you through it.
Find a church. You weren't meant to follow Jesus alone. Here's how to find one.
Tell someone. Tell one person you trust what you decided. Saying it out loud matters.