What Does It Mean To Ask Jesus to Come Into Your Heart?

Over time, groups develop their own vocabulary. For instance, our niece speaks in alphabets, expecting us to know what her three-letter acronyms mean. Athletes speak their own code. Techies speak geek. Soldiers have their military-lingo. Christians and churches have their own insider language too, often without realizing it.

Common examples of Christianese include:

• “Washed in the blood”
• “Born again”
• “On fire for the Lord”
• “Do life together”
• “God laid it on my heart”
• “Hedge of protection”
• “Traveling mercies”

For believers, these phrases carry deep spiritual meaning. But to someone unfamiliar with Christian culture, these phrases can sound strange, even off-putting.

The trouble with Christianese is that some phrases become so familiar in Christian life that we stop thinking about what they truly mean.

Christianese is the special “church language” Christians sometimes use. They are words and phrases that make perfect sense inside the faith community but might sound confusing, clichéd, or even alienating to people outside it.

Christianese is a problem when it creates barriers instead of bridges.
Jesus’ life was marked by clarity, compassion, and connection.

I think that “Ask Jesus to come into your heart” is one type of those phrases. Many of us have likely heard it since our childhood, maybe in Sunday School lessons, at a church revival, or in the course of evangelism. But what are we really saying when we invite Jesus into our hearts?

Of course, at its core, this simple phrase is about surrender and relationship. It’s a way of saying, “Jesus, I want You to be at the center of who I am.” It’s not intended to be a formula or magical statement. It’s a spiritual opening describing a heart that chooses to trust Christ’s love more than its own understanding. Profound.

Scripture provides us the deeper truth behind the words. Paul writes, “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) and “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). When we come to faith, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. Through genuine trust and repentance we become a home for His presence.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” That image captures what happens when we ask Jesus to come into our heart perfectly. Christ doesn’t force His way in. He waits. He calls. He desires to dwell with us, to shape us, and to transform us from the inside out.

Asking Jesus into your heart, then, isn’t just a one-time event. It’s really a daily invitation. It’s a choice we make to create space for Him amid life’s noise, pain, and distraction. It’s waking up each morning and saying, “Lord, have Your way in me today.”

When we invite Jesus in, we find that He was never far away. The knocking we heard was His all along. Thankfully, the door He opens leads us deeper into peace, purpose, and the presence of God.

Colossians 4:6 NIV

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Moment of Reflection:

What parts of your heart might still be closed off? Where might Jesus be gently knocking today?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for patiently knocking at the door of my heart. I open myself to You again today. Come in, dwell in me, and shape me according to Your will. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Theology and truth remain timeless but our words must remain timely.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

You can now find my articles in The Christian Grandfather Magazine.

---

Please hit me up if you have questions or drop a comment below. And please subscribe to my blog!

---

#bgbg2#BibleGateway

The Stigma Stops Here.🛑

#mentalhealthmatters

© 2025 Rainer Bantau | The Devotional Guy™ | All Rights Reserved