How to get all of your sins permanently washed off your record so you can become a child of God and go to Heaven. 

I believe in Bigfoot. There are too many stories, sightings and ancient cave drawings to deny that they exist. To just believe in the existence of God, like Bigfoot, is not what it means to believe in God. The Bible says that even the demons believe in God, and they tremble.

To BELIEVE in God is to trust Him 100%. To be convinced that whatever He says is true. To count on him as we count on a seat carved into a giant stone to hold us up. To put our faith in Him.

God came to Earth many times in the form of a man in the Old Testament. But this last time, He came in the form of a man named Jesus to die and pay for and wipe out our sins, because He wants us in Heaven with Him forever. Then they buried Him and on the third day, He rose again. I am counting on that as fact.

In fact, when I die and if I’m standing in front of God and if He were to ask me, “Hey Dave, why should I let you pass through these pearly gates into Heaven?”, I’d say, “Well God, You told me You paid for all of my sins when you died on the cross and if I believed in You then that was good enough. I trust that whatever You say is true. I put my faith in You. That’s the only reason. That’s all I got.” He’ll smile, give me a huge fist bump and wave me on through. What God wants is for us to believe in Him 100%. That makes me a believer and the Bible says that believers get all of their sins forgiven and go to Heaven.

Acts 16:30-34 The jailor was saved from having to pay the penalty that his sins required because he believed in Jesus (believed in God). And then his whole family heard the word about what Jesus did and believed too.

30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. 33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized. 34 Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.

John 3:16 God just wants us to believe in Him
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 1:12 We BECOME children of God when we believe in God
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 They believed (received) the good message (gospel) that Paul told them about what Jesus did, and they were saved.
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace and Faith are not from us. They are a gift from God. So don’t brag about how you became a believer or how you get yourself into Heaven, as if you did any actions or lived a good enough life to impress God. He just wants us to believe that what God says is true.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

If you believe this then tell God something like this. Talk with Him like you would talk with a friend. No fancy words:
“God, thank you for dying for all of the wrong I ever did. I believe in You. Please come into my life and take over and show me what you’re really like.”

If you’re still wondering if this is true but you want to know more, then ask God something like this.
“God, I want to know you better. Will you help for that to happen?”

Read the Bible - I like paper Bibles because we remember more of what we read on paper than on a screen. The Book of John is a good spot to start.

Find a Church - The Bible says that Satan’s servants “masquerade as servants of righteousness”. They’re in all of the good churches trying to keep people from staying there, so watch out. So look for a church that focuses on teaching the Bible and on you getting to know God better. I’ve had good luck with churches that say they are “Non-Denominational” churches or that have the word “Bible” or “Community” in their name. Those are usually pretty safe.

Flawed People - Know this: Churches are like hospitals. They’re filled with sick people who need help. So don’t expect perfect, sinless people. Expect a lot of self-centered, flawed people who have peace in storms and who will love you unconditionally. And not everyone who attends a church is a believer, just like everybody who is in a hospital is a doctor. There are a lot of fakes out there.

Pro Tip - The first three times we visited our current church, NOBODY even gave me the time of day. So, since they were so focused on their friends and not visitors, I started being a greeter and shaking hands and asking people questions. If you find a perfect church, don’t go to it because you’ll mess it up. Go and help it get better.