The truth is that addictions, habits, and pains are a result of people trying to fill God-given needs with worldly solutions. God created you to be in a relationship with Him. Only God’s eternal love can provide the satisfaction your soul needs. So, how do you begin the relationship with God that you were created to experience?

First, you must understand God’s nature. God is perfectly good (holy); therefore, He must absolutely judge and punish every sin (our wrongs) perfectly. There is no amount of good works that will cancel, balance-out or remove our sin because every sin is judged by a perfect standard. And, we have all sinned—no one is perfect. Just as our sin harms human relationships, sin separates us from a holy God. If we die separated from God because of sin, we will be separated from Him and His goodness forever. (Isaiah 6:3, Romans 3:23, Hebrews 9:27, Romans 6:23)

Thankfully, God loves you. He does not want anyone to die separated from Him. To bridge the separation caused by sin, God did something great—He pursued you. The Father sent His only Son to become a man in order to remove the debt of your sin. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified for the sins of the world and then rose from the dead. Christ became human to die for you, in your place!! (2 Peter 3:9, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 2:2)

Jesus offers His perfect payment for sins to you as a gift. You can receive this gift by trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, confessing Him as Lord and believing in your heart that He rose from the dead. When you trust in Jesus, you will be saved from the penalty of your sins and begin the relationship with God that He intends. (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12-13, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 8:1-4)

Here is how…when you trust in Christ, God gives you a new Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to live in you and transform you from the inside out. The Spirit changes your desires to align with God’s desires. He gives strength to resist temptation and peace through hardship. He gives joy. He begins healing you from bitterness and pain. The Spirit is the new life in you who leads you in God’s ways so that you can experience freedom. (John 14:16-17, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, John 16:7, Galatians 5:22, Galatians 5:16)

This new life in a relationship with God is available to you today. If you believe the good news of Jesus Christ above, you can pray this prayer and receive Christ now:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I am a sinner in need of a savior. I believe that you died for MY sins and that you rose from the dead. Save me from my sins and make me new—to live for you. I receive your forgiveness and give you my life. Please be my Savior and Lord. Thank you for cleansing me from sin and adopting me as your child with the Holy Spirit. I am yours. Lead me today and forever.”

If you prayed this prayer and gave your life to Jesus, you are now a Christian. You have crossed over from death to eternal life. Now, respond to Christ's gift of salvation by taking steps to grow in your relationship with God.