Congratulations on your decision to accept God's gift of eternal life. Here is what The Bible says that you should now do:
1. Repent
"Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out... " (Acts 3:19)
To "repent" is to have a change of mind. When The Bible says that we must "repent and turn again," it is simply saying that we are to have a change of heart and make a quality decision to turn from our sin, stop running away from God, and turn back toward Him.
2. Confess Jesus as Lord
" ... if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
To "confess" means to "say the same thing as." When you "confess" Jesus as Lord, you are saying the same thing about Jesus that God says; you are saying that He died for your sins, was raised by God on the third day, and "... that God has made this Jesus ... both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36). You are acknowledging that you have decided to leave the kingdom of this world, and become a subject of God's Kingdom, with Jesus as your Lord.
The exact words you use to confess Jesus as Lord are not important, what is important is that you cry out to God from your heart, and acknowledge Him as your Lord. You may wish to pray something like this:
"Dear God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of your salvation. I choose to turn from my sin. Jesus, I believe that you died for my sins, and that you rose again from the dead to bring me new life. I accept you as my Lord. I trust that your death paid the penalty for my sin, and that your resurrection assures me of new life."
Now that you have made this decision before God, it is important that you tell someone about your decision. Jesus said: "...whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8), so tell someone about your decision to accept Jesus as your Lord.
It is important for you to associate yourself with a local Church, and this would be a great first place to tell about your decision to make Jesus your Lord. If you live in the Gallup area, we would be thrilled to have you share your decision to follow Christ with us, but wherever you choose to share your decision, make it a point to do so as soon as you can.
3. Be Baptized
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ... " (Acts 2:38)
Once you have repented, and confessed Christ as your savior, The Bible commands you to be baptized. Again, if you live in the Gallup area, we would be honored to baptize you into Jesus, but whether or not you choose to fellowship with us, find a good, Bible believing, Church, and follow Jesus' command to be baptized.