Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
In the Church and Christian culture, we often hear the term “Accept Jesus Christ” As someone who has grown up in the church I heard this often. Sunday school classrooms, camps, from my pastor, and my parents.
“Have you accepted Jesus Christ?” gets an “easy” answer, it’s either “yes” or “no”. However, it’s not just answering “yes” that is a true indication of truly accepting Jesus.
What are we “accepting” that Jesus is or has done? And how does that change our lives or who we are? These are the questions that reveal the true acceptance of Jesus Christ.
John begins his book by writing about who Jesus Christ is. He is fully God and fully man. He was sent by God to this world to give light and life. We later find out Jesus does this through His life, death, and resurrection. Many did not accept who Jesus was. John shares that some did accept Jesus as their savior and the results of it.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 ESV)
Believing in His name does not simply mean that you believe facts about Jesus but also understanding that Jesus being Lord affects your whole life. Believing means having personal trust in Jesus. His name does not simply mean you know that’s what people call Him but rather that you believe everything true about Him.
The second part of this verse gives us great hope of what accepting Christ secures for us. We are children of God not because of where we were born or what family we were born into. We are not children of God because of our efforts or by keeping the Law. We can be children of God by accepting Jesus!
By accepting Christ you also turn from all idols.
“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
If we truly accept Jesus we recognize that He is the only authority in our lives and we turn from all other idols. It’s allowing God to take over your life and trusting it to Him entirely.
For many of us, we might have felt like we accepted Jesus when we were younger or years ago. But you find yourself struggling, full of doubt and fear. Perhaps you accepted a few facts about who Jesus was but never fully trusted who Jesus was and personally trusted Him.
We hope that these prayers will guide you to accept Christ in the way intended and laid out in scripture. Our prayer is that you will accept Christ in the totality of who He is and that it will forever change your life and your eternity.
Please comment below if you need further prayer in this area or if there is someone you are praying will accept Jesus. We want to pray with you.
Short Prayer To Accept Jesus
Dear Heavenly Father, I need you. I accept that Jesus is Lord. I know the facts that you sent Him to this earth to repair a relationship with your people that was broken by sin. I recognize that the sin in my own life has kept me from being able to have this relationship with you.
Jesus, I thank you for coming to this Earth, for living a perfect life so that your death could atone for my sins. I praise you for not remaining in the tomb but you rose again, defeating death and giving me a future hope of one day rising with you.
Until that day I pray you continue to help me surrender to you in everything that I do. Keep me from temptations. I pray for continued confidence knowing that by accepting you as Lord and Savior that I am now considered a child of God.
I praise you that I am justified. Help me to find a church to get involved in so that I can live out all that you have commanded me and that I can grow with others. I pray this in your precious name, the only name that can save, Jesus, Amen.
Personal Prayer To Accept Jesus
Dear Heavenly Father, I need you. I accept that Jesus is Lord.
Because, 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 ESV)
I know the facts that you sent Him to this earth to repair a relationship with your people that was broken by sin. I recognize that the sin in my own life has kept me from being able to have this relationship with you.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 ESV)
Jesus, I thank you for coming to this Earth, for living a perfect life so that your death could atone for my sins. You redeemed me from what I deserved.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10 ESV)
I praise you for not remaining in the tomb but you rose again, defeating death and giving me a future hope of one day rising with you.
And was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, (Romans 1:4 ESV)
Until that day I pray you continue to help me surrender to you in everything that I do. I pray for continued confidence knowing that by accepting you as Lord and Savior that I am now considered a child of God.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 ESV)
I praise you that I am justified.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24 ESV)
Help me to find a church to get involved in so that I can live out all that you have commanded me and that I can grow with others.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17 ESV)
I pray this in your precious name, the only name that can save, Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For Loved One to Accept Jesus
God, you alone have the power to open your eyes to your truth. I pray you open the eyes of (name). You know they are living in darkness and need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Father, they are confused and lost and I pray that you give (name) clarity. Help them to see that in order to be truly saved they don’t just need to know facts about you but they need to allow you to be Lord of their lives.
We all want to be in control of our own lives. We like to make our own truths. But I pray you convict (name) of this and allow him/her to fully accept you, welcoming and submitting to a personal relationship with you. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Closing Thoughts
In some cultures accepting Jesus is presented as simply being a quick prayer that can be prayed to save you from Hell. In scripture, we see that this is never what is promised. It is not a mental acceptance but rather an acceptance by your whole body, mind, and soul that changes your life and secures your future.
These prayers are a great place to start, but reading them will not save you from the wrath of God we all deserve. The only thing that can save you is truly believing the truths found in these prayers that come from scripture.
Praying these prayers but not truly trusting God in every area of your life with not save you. To accept Jesus means you accept everything about Him.
How can we know everything about Him? He reveals Himself to us through scripture. I want to encourage you to read scripture. Not just a verse here and there but get in and read it, devour it, meditate over it, memorize it, and get to know the one who loves you.
Finally, if you prayed this prayer and have accepted Christ you are not meant to live this life alone. Get involved in a church. Tell your family and friends who have also accepted Christ. We would love to know about it too, and you can comment below. But you are going to need discipleship and accountability that only a church family can provide so pray for God to lead you to a church that preaches His word.
We are so excited for you! Welcome to the family!