THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL (41 page)

Everyone is a sinner:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23
NIV
)

God requires payment for sin:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23
NLT
)

Jesus paid the price:

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8
NLT
)

You need only believe and confess:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9
NLT
)

It’s a done deal:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1
NLT
)

The steps of salvation are:

1.
Confess
you are a sinner.

2.
Understand
that you deserve to pay the price for your sins.

3.
Believe
Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay that price for you.

4.
Repent
by turning from your sinful life to newness in Christ.

5.
Receive
the free gift of salvation.

Congratulations on taking this important first step on a journey with Christ!

Remember, salvation doesn’t mean you’re perfect, it only means you’re forgiven.

But through the power of God, if you allow Him, He’ll help you walk in righteousness as He points you in the right direction.

Youth-culture expert, Nicole O’Dell, resides in Paxton, Illinois, with her husband and six children—the youngest of which are toddler triplets. She’s the founder of Choose NOW Ministries, dedicated to battling peer pressure and guiding teens through tough issues while helping parents encourage good decisions, and host of Choose NOW Radio: Parent Talk and Teen Talk, where “It’s all about choices!” On air, O’Dell covers peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, and anything else that comes up along the way. Nicole writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents about how to prepare for life’s tough choices.

She’s an author of YA fiction, including the popular Scenarios for Girls interactive fiction, which offers readers alternate endings, allowing them to decide what the main character does, and the Diamond Estates series based on her experiences as a resident at Teen Challenge as a teenager. Her non-fiction for teens includes
Girl Talk (February 2012)
, which she wrote with her two daughters based on their popular advice column.

Nicole’s desire to bridge the gap between parents and teens is evident in her parenting non-fiction like the Hot Buttons series aimed at helping parents handle tough issues with their tweens and teens before they pop up in real life. Watch for Hot Buttons books on subjects like dating, Internet activity, sexuality, prejudice, friendship, politics, and more.

For more information on Nicole O’Dell or her books, or to schedule Nicole for a speaking event or interview, visit
http://www.nicoleodell.com
. Podcasts of Choose NOW Radio are available at
http://www.chooseNOWradio.com
.