There is a big difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone. You can know about someone from a book or a movie, but that does not mean that you really know that person. It’s the same way with God. Many people believe that God exists, but that is not the same thing as knowing God personally.
God wants us to know Him as a friend. He is asking us to go deeper in our friendship with Him. He wants to bless us and protect us from Satan who is our enemy. And He wants to change us into the person He created us to be.

How does this happen and when do we enter into a personal walk with God? We will learn about this more in this lesson.

Note: Back in the days of Jesus everyone knew what “the cross” meant. That is how many people were put to death. Jesus denied Himself and died on the cross for us. Denying yourself for God means you place your life and all your plans in God’s hands instead of your own. It means that you allow God to take full control over your life. By surrendering to Him, you trust Him with your whole life.

Note: God knows that we are born with a selfish desire to want to control our own lives and do things our way. Because of this, we need to give Him permission to take charge of our life each day.

Note: The Bible teaches that we are controlled either by God or Satan. Satan wants us to think that we, ourselves, are in control of our own lives, but unless we give our hearts to Jesus, we will always continue to do bad things. That’s why the world sometimes is so bad. Satan took control of the world from Adam and Eve when he tricked them in the Garden of Eden. But always remember that God is stronger than Satan.

Note: You are not strong enough to resist Satan in your own strength. It’s like getting into the boxing ring with the heavyweight champion of the world. You are no match for Satan. But by allowing God to take over your life, God now lives inside of you through the Holy Spirit. Let God fight Satan for you.

Note: Jesus is standing at the door of our heart and asking permission to come in. Jesus does not force Himself on people. Because He died for all of us, He could take control of us if He wanted to, but He loves us so much that He gives us a choice.

Conclusion: When we ask Jesus to come into our heart we are giving him permission to change our life. We begin to feel better about our self and others. Our attitudes and desires begin to change and we become a blessing to others around us.

Dear God,
I want to choose You. I do not want Satan to run my life. He doesn’t love me, but You do. Help me to choose You every day so that he will not tempt me to do bad things that will make me unhappy.