"The Word is near, in your mouth, in your heart. The Word, the message, the basis of faith; for those with ears to hear and hearts to receive it is near. It is near because, if you will acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD, if you will recognize His power, His authority His majesty as God AND believe in your heart that God raised JESUS from the dead, God’ promise to all who will believe and receive is eternal life. With the heart each person must believe in Jesus as Christ and Saviour; a belief that frees from the guilt of sin and makes one acceptable to God and then speak aloud acknowledging, confessing faith in Jesus openly, confirming their salvation, their true change of heart, their salvation by faith alone in Christ alone His Word is Truth, that “Whoever calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved.” (paraphrase of Romans 10)

Charles Spurgeon wrote: The children of this world are wise in their generation. Their policy may be short-sighted and their stratagems crooked, nevertheless the world admires the wisdom of their counsel, and makes light of the craftiness of their projects. In their opposition to the Christian church, the men of the world might certainly have been as well able to outwit her by the variety of their maneuvers as to overwhelm her by the force of their numbers, were it not that there is an unseen One in her midst, who is more than a match for the guile of their hearts and the might of their hosts.

It breaks my heart when I realize that it is those called by His Name who are the greatest hindrance to the spreading of the gospel message. For every true Bible believing Blood bought believer, for every follower of Jesus Christ there are scores that are Christian in name only; but we are not without hope:

There are billions of ‘professing Christians’ in the world, but the true church is small compared to the number professing a biblical faith with little or no evidence to back up their claims. But the church does exist - Jesus promised... “I will build My church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” We must keep witnessing, sharing and standing on the promises of God.

Don’t hide your heart of hurt from Jesus. Don’t allow guilt from the past to rob you of a victorious future. Don’t allow the crafty deceit of the world to blind you to Truth. But you might say “you don’t know what I’ve done;” and you would be correct. I don't know, but God does and He made forgiveness available even before you sinned. He has done His part, the rest is up to you.