First of all, I am so thankful that you, as a young person, desire to have a closer relationship with the Lord and you want to be able to encourage others.  When you say that you want to ‘get back right’ with the Lord, I am assuming that you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ and you have drifted away from Him.  Still, let’s look at the Gospel for a moment.  In order to have a relationship with Lord, we first must know the Lord Jesus as our savior.  There are so many verses in the Bible that show us how we can be saved.  Let’s look at one passage.  Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  We are ALL sinners and we ALL deserve the eternal wrath of God to be upon us.  However, by God’s GRACE, we can be saved.  If we put our faith in God’s Son, and His work on the cross of Calvary, we are saved.  Salvation is a gift of God.  We cannot work for it.  We cannot earn it.  No matter how much we may try to please the Lord and earn a place in Heaven…it cannot be done.  It is the Lord’s gift to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

After we are saved and have realized the wonderful gift of eternal life the Lord has given us, it is possible to grow cold towards the Lord, and our relationship with Him is damaged.  This is usually a gradual process.  We don’t pray as much as we used to.  We don’t read our Bible like we should.  We forsake the opportunity to be with the Lord’s people and do not meet regularly with the Lord’s people at Sunday School.  We begin to grow cold towards the Lord, and His love and sacrifice become less important to us.  Before too long, we stop talking about the Lord, we stop living for the Lord, we may even stop thinking about the Lord.  May the Lord convict our hearts when we begin to wander away from Him!

The road back to the Lord begins with confession of our sins.  1 John 1:9 assures us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Consider the words of King David in his confession to the Lord in Psalm 51:2-3, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”  His sin of fornication remained on his mind.  He was convicted by his great sin, and he desired to walk with Lord again.  Confession was the first thing he did.  He says later in that chapter in verses 12-13, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”

He had not lost his salvation because of his sin, but he had lost the joy of his salvation.  He wanted that back.  He wanted his relationship with the Lord to be good again.  He asks the Lord to restore him and to strengthen him.  That seems very similar to what our writer wants…a renewed relationship with the Lord.  We need to realize our own weakness.  When we drift far from the Lord, we need to bow at His feet and ask Him to draw us back.  Even as the writer of this question desires to encourage others, David desires to minister to others and commits himself to the Lord to “teach transgressors thy ways.”

I encourage to read Psalm 51.  Look at David’s broken and contrite heart.  He was away from the Lord and began to miss the Lord’s practical presence in his life.  I encourage you to confess all your sins to the Lord.  He has promised to forgive and cleanse you.  Ask Him to restore the joy you once had when you were in fellowship with Him.  Begin a daily regimen of prayer and study.  This is how we remain close to the Lord.  When we pray, we talk to Him.  When we read His Word, He talks to us.  The Lord loves you.  Even if you have strayed from you, He still longs to restore you and have you near Him.  You are still young.  As the Lord leads, you may have many years ahead of you to be in His service.  What a privilege!  Do not delay.  Begin today!  (204.10)