We were in a Walmart Superstore by the dairy section.
My husband remarked, “This yogurt has 45 grams of sugar. That’s a lot of sugar!”

A heavy set man chimed in, “Hey, in three hundred years it won’t mean a hill of beans.”

I reflected on his answer and quietly prayed to the LORD.  What can I say to him?
I asked him his name and spiritual background.

“Peter.  I’m Catholic.”  He intellectually knew the facts about Yeshua–you know, “He died for our sins…”, but I did not sense there was a heart commitment.

How could I reach this man?

He had just dismissed the conversation with a quick and easy answer by reciting what he remembered from his childhood religious training. Then a thought came to my mind that I knew could help me demonstrate how urgent and relevant the Gospel was for him at that moment.

“Have you ever had a lawsuit, Peter?”

“Yes, I am actually having issues with my divorce and an old injury.”

I followed with the question, “Have you ever heard of pre-paid legal?  You know it’s a service where you pay about a hundred dollars a year and if you have some minor situation, or need a lawyer’s letter, they help you.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

Peter, which do you prefer–representing yourself or having an attorney represent you?”

Then I quoted what the Apostle John wrote about in his first letter (1 John).
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, the righteous.”  (1 John chapter 2, verse 1)

I told him that the word “advocate” actually meant “attorney”.

“You know Peter, some day you will have an appointment in God’s court.  You will be standing before a holy and just Judge.  That Judge will have reviewed your life and cited all you have done–good and bad.  He says that “the penalty of sin is death” (Romans 5:8), that is, separation from God forever.

What I’m telling you about is The Pre-Paid Eternal Legal Service.  You sign up to have the legal services of the Attorney who knows all about you and wants to represent you before the Judge.  He not only wants to represent you before the Judge, but He already paid what you owed when you sinned against the One who is Master of the Universe. And besides, he doesn’t even charge you a fee, since He already paid for it two thousand years ago when He gave His life a ransom for many. (Matthew chapter 20, verse 28)

Or, you can come to the Judge on your own merits.”

Peter “got” the analogy.

I asked, “Would you like to pray now, acknowledging that when you come before a Holy God, you want Yeshua the Messiah to be your attorney.  That he already paid your debt for sin in full, and will forever represent you?  That you can then know for certain that you have eternal life and forgiveness through the Messiah?”

“No!”, he replied.

“Would you mind if we prayed for you?”, I persisted, knowing that this man’s eternal destiny was at stake.

“No!”, he said calmly.

So my husband and I prayed for him…for his family and his physical ailments.  He thanked us and we went our separate ways.
We occasionally prayed for him after that.

Several months later I bumped into him in the same Walmart.

He said, “Hey, I went home and prayed to receive the LORD that same day!”

I sent him a Bible and “The LORD is Near to the Brokenhearted” Prophetic Print because he truly was a man with heartache.

Peter will never have this appointment in Court:  The Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 -15:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Are you scheduled for your day in Court…or has that appointment been erased by your having signed up for Messiah’s Pre-Paid Eternal Legal Service?

If you, like Peter, would like to know for certain that you are not scheduled for judgment, that the penalty for your sins is already “covered”, here’s what to do:

1. Speak to the Creator.  His name is Yahveh…the God of Israel…the God of the Bible.  The call is free!
2. Agree with Him that you deserve to be judged for actions, thoughts and/or words that you have done that have violated His law.
3. Tell him about those actions, thoughts and/or words.  This is what the word “confession” means:  “to agree with”; you agree with Him that these things violated His Holy standard and are worthy of judgment. Reviewing the 10 Commandments may help jog your memory. (See Exodus Chapter 20 verses 1-17)
4. Acknowledge your rebellion toward Him and that in many respects you did not realize that in HIM you live, and move, and have your being.
5. Believe that Yeshua the Messiah, loved you so much that He gave His sinless life for you.  Acknowledge that His work alone, not your good deeds, are sufficient to soothe a Holy God, who, though HE IS LOVE, must punish sin.
6. In prayer, receive Messiah Yeshua into your life and heart.  (Say audibly:  “Messiah Yeshua, I believe you died for my sins and I receive you now into my life and heart”)
7. Tell someone else what happened.  For it is written in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 – 13:  “that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says,  “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD (YAHVEH) WILL BE SAVED.”