Section 23: Making A Decision
The Word Of God Vs. The Lady Of Fatima's Words

The entire world is being asked to accept the message of the Lady of Fatima, "for she alone can save it"(1). But John said, "We have seen for ourselves, and can testify, that the Father sent the Son as savior of the world" (1 John 4:14, NAB). And Paul wrote, "You can depend on this as worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15, NAB). Nevertheless, men are receiving the Lady, her message and her practices into the hearts of their churches, towns and countries. Some even receive her into their own hearts, such as Pope John Paul II. But God said we are to receive Christ alone. Jesus warned, "I have come in my Father's name, yet you do not accept me. But let someone come in his own name and him you will accept" (John 5:43, NAB).

Salvation is personal, and Jesus Christ must be accepted into the heart on an individual basis. God never said "you need Christ and works" or "Christ and devotion," or "Christ and Mary" to experience salvation. He said, "You need Christ." All that is required is knowing that:

  1. God is a person and relates to man in a personal way (1 John 1:1-4).

  2. You have sinned, deserve to be separated from God forever with hell as your habitation, and that you cannot save yourself (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

  3. God requires shed blood for the atonement of sin (Leviticus 17:11).

  4. Jesus is the blood sacrifice that saved you, and it is He who gives a new, personal relationship with God (1 Peter 2:24-25).

  5. You have only to receive Him, right where you are. You don't have to clean yourself up before He will come to you (Luke 15:2).

  6. You don't need an intermediary to receive Him (Revelation 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5).

To receive Christ, simply start speaking to Him in prayer, believing that He hears you and will come to you. The important thing is that you really believe He is risen from the dead, that He is Lord, and that you desire Him to come and live His life in you. Concern yourself with this rather than saying the "correct" words. Here's a simple prayer:

Dear Jesus, I realize I need you and you alone. I am a sinner, and believe that your blood has atoned for my sins. I ask you to come and live in me by the Father's promised Holy Spirit, so I may experience the joy of true salvation.

I renounce Satan and all his promises and gifts and works, and command him to depart from me, taking with him his influences on my life.

I trust you, Jesus, and I ask you now to work in my life and set me totally free from the world, the flesh and the devil.

You are now one with God, for "whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him" (1 Corinthians 6:17, NAB). Being now joined to Christ, no channel of any kind, human or otherwise, is needed to lead you to him or bring you into union with Him. Once united with Him in the spirit, He shares His life with you. To try to get to Jesus through someone else, or to attain union with Him, after God has already accomplished this for you is like trying to take the train to New York from Los Angeles when you're already in New York. That train is of no use to you. You're already where you want to be.

John wrote, "any who did accept him he empowered to become children of God" (John 1:12, NAB); this empowering is given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). And John the Baptist proclaimed that it was Jesus who would baptize in the Holy Spirit; it is this baptism that empowers the new child of God to live the life of Christ and be a witness to Him.

The Holy Spirit is the only Spirit Jesus gives, and the Holy Spirit will only point to Jesus and glorify Him in our lives. The Spirit will do that according to God's word, so be sure to read it daily to give you insight into God's plan and purposes.

Lastly, come into fellowship with other Christ-centered Christians. You have been called into Christ's body where all members work together to glorify Him. In this fellowship, each of us can grow to the maturity He desires for us. Pray together and pray for one another. Learn to share with each other God's word, God's work and God's love in Christ.

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Section 23 Footnotes

(1) De Marchi, p. 53.