YES!

         Congratulations!  We're thrilled for you!  Now that you have decided you want to accept Christ as your Savior, let me tell you exactly how.

         The beginning of the salvation page opened with John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  The word world here is not talking about the earth, but about every single person who has ever lived.  That includes you.  Anyone who will believe that Jesus died for his sin, who will accept that Jesus did die just for him, Jesus will save.  When he saves you, he take Jesus all the sins you have ever done, even things you have only thought of, and carries them on his own shoulders as if he did them instead of you.  You become totally innocent.  Not innocent as in unpunished, but innocent as if you had never done anything wrong, ever! 

         The second part is to seal what you have done upon your heart.  God knows whether you have truly trusted in Jesus.  When you trust Him, you are instantly sealed at that moment.  You are already saved.  What you need to do now is to pray, out loud (whether shouted or whispered), asking Jesus to save you and then thanking Him for doing so.  Romans 10:9-10 "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."  You must confess that you have sinned, that you do believe in Jesus to save you from your sins and the penalty of hell those sins deserve.  Then, when you find in your heart that Jesus has indeed lifted your sins and forgiven you, you thank Him.  (Thanking is the beginning of praising Him, by the way.)  You may find a simple one minute prayer sufficient, or you may find, to your amazement, that many minutes have passed.  The amount of time is not important.  What you believe is. 

          Below is a sample prayer you can say to help you, if you need it.  Saying these words will not save you.  Believing in your heart is what saves you.  You can say whatever words you choose, if you believe what you say.  If you say these words but do not believe, you will not be saved.

                                                 Dear God,
                                                 Thank you for sending Jesus.
                                                 Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to die in my place.
                                                 Jesus please forgive me of all my sins I have done.
                                                 Forgive me for _______________ (name as many sins as you can think of)
                                                 Come into my heart, save me, Lord Jesus.
                                                 Wash my sins away, make me as clean as when the world was new.
                                                 Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for saving me.
                                                 In Jesus' Holy name, thank you for sealing my salvation forever.
                                                 Amen.

          The next step is solely for your benefit. It has no bearing on whether you are saved, but greatly affects how well God is able help you and how well He is able to work through you.  You must find a group of believers to meet with on a regular basis to worship and learn about God.  Usually this is done in a church, especially in the United States.  But sometimes it is done through a youth fellowship in college, or a private home in secret in China, or in a prison in some part of the world.  The place is not nearly as important as whether this group believes that Jesus is the only savior sent by God, that the Bible is THE word of God (with no other later "additions"), and that the people are filled with a love for you and want to help you grow closer to God.  

          Finally, here are some verses to help you know that you are saved.  If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, be assured that He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He will be with you until the end of the world.  (Matthew 28:20)  Many times you will find yourself questioning whether you are truly saved.  This is normal, and actually healthy.  These questions should cause you to look back to the moment you accepted Christ as your Savior.  Did you truly mean it?  Did you believe with all the faith you had at that time that He would keep His word?  Do you believe now that what He has said He will do?  Finally, are you living as you know He wants you to live?  (Living according to the Bible does not save you, but part of evaluating your spiritual health is taking a hard look at yourself as you are living right now.  Sometimes these doubts come because God is gently telling you there is something He wants you to look at and fix.)

          One of the clearest passages in the Bible which tells us that we can rest in Jesus to save us forever is
John 6:35-40. 
     "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 
      But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
      All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 
      For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 
      And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 
      And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

            Ephesians 2:4-11 reminds us that it is not anything which we do, but Jesus Christ alone who saves us. 
     "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
     Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
     and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
     That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 
      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. 
      For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

            There are so many, many more promises God has made to those who believe in Him.  You can find all of them in your Bible.  The Gospel of John in the New Testament is the best place for a new believer to begin reading.

             Last of all, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, would you please e-mail Joan and tell her?  She would love to rejoice with you.