Apprehending
Truth
HOW TO
FIND GOD
By
William Booth, Founder of Salvation Army
BEFORE YOU START
These
seven steps are for the use of those who have a SERIOUS DESIRE to receive the
mercy of God, which alone can deliver them from their bad habits, from the
powers of darkness, and from the wrath to come. To those who read this, I give
the following instructions: (1) Set apart a special time to read and consider
these things—going away, if possible, into some quiet place where you can be
alone with God. (2) Earnestly pray and ask God for the guidance and direction
of the Holy Spirit, Whom He has promised to all who seek Him. God will give you
the Holy Spirit if you ask. (3) With all your heart, on your knees before God,
take one step at a time. Be careful not to leave the first step for the second
until it is clearly understood, fully accepted as true, and solemnly decided
upon. Do the same with the second and third steps, until the last step is
reached. (4) After reading this carefully and thoughtfully from beginning to
end, go through it again following the same instructions. (5) If this course is
followed, I feel quite sure that no sincere person will fail to reach not only
the mercy-seat of God, but the loving arms of the Saviour and the knowledge of
the forgiveness of their sins.
FIRST STEP—DISCOVERY OF SIN
Sin
is anything I do that displeases God, and a sinner is anyone who practices
those things. Anytime I put myself, my ambitions, or my feelings before God, or
do something that I know is wrong, I am practicing sin. I know that I am a
sinner. I have sinned against my God, against my neighbor, and against my own
soul. I have sinned in my thoughts, in my feelings, in my conversation, and in
my actions. I have sinned in the world, in my business, in my pleasure. I have
done many things I should not have done, and have left undone many things that
I should have done. I freely admit it. I will not cover up or make excuses for
my sins. My sins are more than I can count, and they have caused pain to God
and man far beyond possible estimation. They have dishonored my Heavenly
Father, treated the sacrifice of Jesus my Saviour, as worthless, and have had a
bad influence not only upon the members of my own family, but upon my friends
and acquaintances as well. I now realize that I fully deserve the everlasting
displeasure of God, and I see that if I should die in my sins I would be
eternally separated from God, falling into the damnation of hell. O LORD, HAVE
MERCY UPON ME!
SECOND STEP—SORROW FOR SIN
Not
only do I see that I have sinned against God, causing Him great pain, but I am
truly sorry that I have done so. I hate my evil ways, and I hate myself for
having followed them. I am grieved on account of my sins, not only because they
have exposed me to punishment, but because they have been committed against my
Heavenly Father, Who has continually loved and cared for me. If I could undo
the past I would gladly do so, but I can’t. The sins I have committed are
written down against me in God’s book and He knows and remembers all of them.
No prayers that I can offer—no tears that I can shed—no expression of sorrow or
mourning that I can make—no good works that I can perform—will remove the
terrible record. My only hope is in the forgiving mercy of Jesus Christ, Who
has said, “Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out” (John
THIRD STEP—CONFESSION OF SIN
Not
only am I sorry for the wrong things that I have done, but I freely confess and
acknowledge my sins before God. I have no excuse to make for them. It may be
true that much of the evil I have been guilty of has been done in ignorance. I
did not know God or my duty to Him, or the greatness of the love of my Saviour
dying for me. I was ignorant of the evil influence that my conduct and example
were having on others. But this ignorance is no real excuse, because I might
have known better. I should have read my Bible and listened to those who would
have taught me. I should have thought about my soul, and cried to God for help.
But I didn’t, and now my mouth is closed before Him. And I do here and now
confess myself before God to be a guilty sinner, without excuse, deserving His
anger now and forever. Not only do I make this confession in private, but
seeing that I have erred in the presence of my family, and in the presence of
the people around me, I am perfectly willing to openly acknowledge my
sinfulness, and my sorrow on account of it. As far as I have the opportunity, I
will admit my guilt before Christians, before my own family, and before the
world. Not having been ashamed to sin in the presence of others, I am now
willing to acknowledge my sin in their presence also.
FOURTH STEP—PUTTING AWAY SIN
Not
only do I see myself to be a sinner, and hate my sins and confess them before
God and man, but I do now, by God’s help, renounce and give up EVERY ONE of
them. Whatever pleasure they may have brought in the past, or whatever earthly
gain they may promise me in the future, I do here and now, in the strength of
God, put them away, and promise that I will never take them back again.
FIFTH STEP—ASKING FORGIVENESS FOR SIN
Feeling
how shamefully I have turned away from my Heavenly Father by despising and
rejecting His love, breaking His Commandments, and influencing others to do the
same, I do here and now, on my knees, humbly submit myself to Him. O PRAY THAT
HE WILL HAVE MERCY ON ME—a miserable sinner; and I beg Him for Christ’s sake to
forgive all my sins, to receive me into His favor, and to make me, unworthy as
I am, a member of His family.
SIXTH STEP—CONSECRATION
I
promise God, here and now, in His strength, and with all my heart, that if He
will forgive me and receive me into His favor, I will from this day forward be
His faithful servant, promising to spend the rest of my days doing what I can
for His glory, for the advancement of His kingdom, and bring the love of Jesus
to those who do not know Him.
SEVENTH STEP—FAITH
I
believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, in His great mercy and love, died for me,
and in my place, bearing my sins in His own body on the cross. And believing
this, I do here and now welcome Him into my heart as my Saviour from sin, from
selfishness, from the power of the devil, and from hell itself. Jesus Christ
said in the Bible that if I will come to Him, He will not cast me out (John
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