Conviction of Sin by the Holy Spirit

It's not so much the prayer for salvation. It’s the condition of the heart. Plus, a lost sinner must see the need to repent of his/her sin. On June 16, 1968, I was led in a prayer to receive Christ. I had heard and believed the gospel and then prayed to the Lord for salvation. "Repentance" wasn't mentioned, but "sin" was. I knew I needed forgiveness and cleansing from my sin, and I desired it. I had been shown the passages in John 3:16; Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9 (called the Roman Road Approach). There are many other approaches, but the Holy Spirit ultimately knows which is best to bring a sinner to repentance and faith. Notice the various approaches in Acts. The death and resurrection were key truths to be believed (1 Cor. 15:1-4), although the situations in which they were presented varied. Once the Holy Spirit prompted a person's heart to believe, he or she would say, "Jesus is Lord" (1 Cor.  12:3b). See Acts 16:14 where the Holy Spirit (called "Lord") opened a woman's heart to the gospel told to her by Paul.

Observe the keywords in Ephesians 1:13, which are:

"heard"

"gospel"

"believed," and

"sealed"

Without the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry (John 16:7-11), and His orchestrating things so that a lost sinner can hear the gospel, repent, and believe, regardless of his/her status in life, salvation won't be a reality for that person.

Blessings!