Liar, thief, murderer (by abortion), drug user, drug dealer, promiscuous, vain, glutton, atheist … those were all words you could have used to describe me at one point or another in my life . . .

I only lied once in a while.  I didn't use drugs anymore, or even really drink for that matter.  I usually could control my temper and was a good mom.  I worked at home so I could raise my children.  I had no respect for my husband, but I was still a good wife, doing all my daily chores and then his too.  I was now going to church and I was going to go to heaven, wasn't I?

I had been a believer in God for many years now, and thought I was "good enough" to get to heaven.  I thought I knew what I was doing.  Boy - was I in for the shock of a lifetime!
 
I read a book that challenged all that thinking.  The suicide bombers believe they're going straight to heaven with all the best; a harem of women for their pleasure.  We call that murder, but they call it martyr.  

So who is right?  Are they really getting to heaven?  Some cultures perform sacrifice to their god/s, but we call them devil cults. Who is right?  Us or them?  

Priests tell us to obey the 10 Commandments, but not one human being on earth has NEVER broken a commandment.  We have all lusted or coveted or stolen, etc.  Are none of us going to heaven then?  Is it okay if we just break the "small" commandments?  WHO determines what the small and what the big commandments are?  Only God can determine, and God said ALL of them are sins -- ALL of them.  So where does that leave me?

On Thursday, February 11, 2010, I was just finishing reading "How Good is Good Enough?" by Andy Stanley.  He describes that the only way to know for sure if you are going to heaven or not is to know Jesus Christ as your savior.  I was realizing that Jesus Christ was exactly who he said He was ... not just some "good man" who performed miracles through some special connection to his "source", nor an important “prophet”, as others refer to Him as.  He died for all those sins that I committed, so that if only I believed in Him, I could get a free ticket to heaven. THIS HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS!!

At the end of the book is basically (what I now know to be called) the Sinner's Prayer. At the time, I had NO IDEA what that prayer meant or that I was actually "believing with my heart and confessing with my mouth" as Romans 10:9-10 says to do to become saved from (forgiven for) our sins:

That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

I lit a candle right after saying the prayer to signify my new belief in Jesus.  That candle burned for four and a half days straight until it finally went out.
 
I don't remember feeling anything special at the time; just happy.  I do remember it being a revelation though, an "Ahh-haa!" moment, when I realized how and why Jesus had died for MY sins.

I don't really remember when I started having this burning desire for knowledge of God's word (the Bible), but I know it came with a vengeance. By the time March 7th came around, my church was having a baptism service.  I desperately wanted to be part of that, though I was really scared.  Anyway, I had a perfect excuse not to attend. My nephews' birthday parties were going to be held at my house the same night the baptism service was going on, so I couldn't participate in the baptism service to get water baptized anyway.

Around that same time, I remember telling my hairdresser about my new church and how much I liked it, though I knew I really wanted to tell her about the new love I was getting for Jesus. I also know during that time I picked up the Bible and started reading from the New Testament.

My husband attended Easter Sunday with me and that was on April 4th.  I still hadn't put my finger on what was happening to me -- I just knew I loved Jesus and the Bible and couldn't get enough.

I was also praying everyday.  By the end of April, I had started telling my kids and my family about my testimony. I had this deep desire for them to KNOW about Jesus!

It was around the beginning of May that I realized that I had been saved (from my sins).  It was Jesus' love that I was feeling and I knew He had forgiven me of my sins, a wretched sinner like me.

When you are spiritually born again, there is just a deep sense of knowing.  A knowing that Jesus is your Savior and that he died for YOU.  There is a deep joy and peace from being accepted into His family.  You literally start to use all the "religious words" like: Scripture, savior, truth, forgiven, sin, devil, deceived, deception, eternal.  All these words were never in my everyday vocabulary before; words that I know Jesus has put in my mouth Himself.

My words are new, my outlook is new, my zest for life is new, my spirit itself is NEW. Now, I don't WANT to sin anymore. I want to be more and more like Him every single day!

Knowing now that hell is real, I also gained a new respect for all of human kind (including my husband).  Though I still struggle with loving some of my neighbors (people in general) on a daily basis, I want NOT ONE soul on this earth to have to spend eternity in hell. This is huge for me.
 
I had no idea of this at the time, but that Sinner's Prayer saved my life.  He Himself heard me and knew that I was ready and that I truly believed. By my words and my belief, He was finally able to enter into my life and change it all to be directed for Him and Him alone.  I am so grateful for His mercy.  I have truly become “born again”, as Jesus speaks of in John Chapter 3 in the New Testament bible:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

My Email:  anna.junkel@hotmail.com

Staff Note:  In the statements Jesus made in John Chapter 3 in the New Testament about the necessity of becoming spiritually “born again”, otherwise “he cannot see the kingdom of God” – let’s provide some understanding to what the Holy Spirit wants us understanding about these two crucially important truths. 

Until a person truly BELIEVES that God the Father sent His ONLY begotten Son – Jesus Christ - to earth to pay full penalty for ALL theirs sins – that person will not fall in love with the King of Kings who also happens to be THE Lord of ALL Lords.  The HIGHEST King – the HIGHEST Lord. 

Jesus Christ being the HIGHEST King and HIGHEST Lord (because God the Father decreed that to BE before even ever creating angels and humans) – this Jesus literally IS the “kingdom” being spoken of.  In other words, when you “SEE” Jesus for all he IS, and all He has DONE for us, and all He REPRESENTS, you are literally “SEEING” the most important thing a human being could possibility “SEE”. 

God does not want us “seeing” the Kingdom of God has a “place”, (thought it also incorporates a place called heaven), but rather THE ONE who desires to be allowed to be KING and LORD inside us, around us, above us, everywhere.  God desires to set up residence inside each of us, but because He has given each of us free will … he will not possess us like demons possess people.  We must DESIRE Him to come live inside us in spirit form, of course, and that starts by ASKING Him to do so.  Hence, the “sinners prayer.”  The “sinners prayer” is a common means God honors and uses to take up initial residence inside a person, when they pray that prayer, (but they have to truly mean it, and time will tell if they DID truly mean it).

Thus without getting into a longer, more lengthily explanation here of what is actually going on from God’s perspective … until a person humbles themselves and ASKS Jesus Christ to be their personal Savior (as the One who “saves” us from the penalty of our sins – which ultimately means spending hell in eternity) and Lord (acknowledgement to ALL that there exists no HIGHER God a person can ask to take up residence inside them and guide them and help them not only in this life, but through eternity) … they neither will be able “SEE” Jesus Christ for who He truly IS – neither will they be qualified to spend eternity in heaven with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – God’s angels – Christians who had purposely decided to let Jesus be their Savior and Lord and King of all Kings, co-creator of all things (which He ALSO is). 

To encapsulize:  Jesus Christ either paid full penalty for your sins by dying on the cross or He didn’t.  On the Judgment Day, when we ALL have our appointment with the Judge … and DISCOVER that the Judge will be none other than Jesus Christ … this will not be an “Ahh-Haa!” moment for those who refused to believe WHAT He did for them by dying on the cross.

Rather … It will be an “Oh Caa-Caa!” moment, if you’ll excuse my graphic word usage that works very well.

- Norm Rasmussen, Director

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