Is it possible for me to know for sure that I am going to heaven?

God has not left us in the dark concerning the most important issue we will ever face and that is to know whether or not we are going to heaven when we die. The Bible (God's only complete revelation of His will) tells you and I in Ephesians 2:8 & 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." When we receive this gift of eternal life, we understand it is a gift. It was not something that we earned or paid for ourselves, even a little bit.

If a friend gave you a $25,000 car as a gift (what a friend!!) and you took the keys and gave him a dollar, it would no longer be a gift. It would be something you paid something for, no matter how small the amount might be.

Once a gift is received, the person who received it should not have to work in order to keep it. The gift of forgiveness cannot be received and then returned. When Christ's righteousness is put to our account, it is there to stay. Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:27-29 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." John also tells us in I John 5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life..".

The wonderful knowledge God has made available to you and I is that we can know and be sure that we have eternal life when we put our faith and trust in Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation.

I have drifted away from God and now my life is so messed up. What can I do?

It is important to realize that it is never too late to start doing what is right. The first step is to BE sure you have put your faith in Christ. In John 3:16 God tells us that "whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". This is a HEART belief, not just something you know in your head.

Once you know you have trusted Christ, the second step is to find time to read your Bible and pray daily. This will help you to know how God wants you to live. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16). Summed up, the Bible tells us: 

• What is right (doctrine)
• What is wrong (reproof)
• How to get right (correction)
• How to stay right (instruction in righteousness).

The third step is to get involved in a Bible believing church. (Be careful: there are some so called churches that do not believe that the Bible is God's Word). This is an important part of a maintaining a right relationship with God.

Stop and evaluate your priorities. Are you basing your habits and actions solely on the wealth it may produce, the pleasure you may get from it or even what others may think of you if you do it. The only things in life that are really going to matter when you stand before God are the things that were pleasing to Him. Make sure you have trusted Christ as your personal Saviour, start reading the Bible, find time to pray every day and for you and your family's sake, rearrange your priorities and be faithful to God's house of worship.

As a teenager, it seems like adults won't take me serious when I tell them that I've given my life to Jesus. How can I convince them?

It is always refreshing to hear young people declare publicly their faith in Jesus Christ. What you must remember at this point is that it may take time for those around you, and especially those closest to you, to really believe that something has happened in your life.

In Paul's letter to young Timothy he gives some instruction about how to deal with this issue. He says "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (I
Timothy 4:12).

You should not hang your head and say that you are too young to make a difference for the cause of Christ. The Old Testament prophet Daniel was just a young man who was taken far away from home when he

"purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.."

. You too can be an example of what a Christian should be in the words that you speak, your lifestyle, in the love you show toward others (even your little brother and sister), in your attitude, the way you demonstrate your trust in God and in your godly morals. Youth is not a time to "sow your wild oats", because whether you are a Christian or not, you will reap what you have sown such as the sickness that comes from the abuse of our bodies (lung cancer resulting from cigarette smoke, or cirrhosis caused by alcoholism, or mental illness brought about by narcotics usage). BE AN EXAMPLE NOW and realize that you can be a testimony for Christ regardless of your age.

I feel that I am a good person; won't God accept that?

Many people think that if they can live a good life, if the "good works outweigh the bad", then they think that they have somehow "earned" their way to heaven.

Picture yourself with the nicest car money can buy headed down the road toward the river during the spring rains. In order to cross that swollen river, you must use the bridge that has been provided. It is not a matter of how "good" your car is, it will not make it across if you do not use the bridge. Whether it is an "old junker" or "new off the showroom floor", both will be caught in the current of the river if you attempt to cross anywhere other than on "the bridge".

The Bible says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Ephesians 2:8&9) Good works have nothing to do with a person entering into a right relation with God, because you cannot earn it. In Titus 3:5 God's Word says "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us". Jesus is "the bridge" that we must rely on to get to heaven. It is so very important that you rely totally on what Jesus has done on the cross for you. In John 14:6 Jesus states "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." I hope you will put your trust in Him today.

It is eternally important that you rely on what Jesus has aready done on the cross for you.

I want to go to heaven but there are so many different religions, how can I know the truth about how to get to heaven?

Because there are many religions in the world today and it is understandable that folks can easily become confused. If we genuinely want to know the truth we must look to the Bible, God's Word in order to know how to get to heaven.

We read in Romans 10:8-13 " ... the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. "

You must personally believe that Christ shed his blood for your sins on the cross and that he rose again so that you can be "saved" (To be "saved" means that you no longer have to go to hell, you have been given eternal life and have been provided with the only way to go to heaven).

Remember that it is not through a church or by baptism or by good works (Ephesians 2:8 & 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."), but by faith in what Jesus Christ has already done.

The most wonderful knowledge in all this world is to know that you are going to heaven.