Do you have Assurance?

In Romans 3:23, it says that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"; and look at what Ephesians 2:8-9 says about salvation: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.
Of all the important parts of the gospel I claim these two as essential:
1) God gives us the gift of faith, we can not muster it up on our own... and the faith he gives us in turn allows us to receive his message of grace and repentance.
2) We have to realize that we have sinned against God, and he is Holy and we deserve Hell as punishment, but by His own blood he paid our fine, and by His power he gives us a new heart: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 Christ's regenerating power ALONE can cause us to bear good fruit for Him.
It is not that works (good deeds) can save us, we know that is not the case by looking at the scripture in Ephesians I noted above, BUT we know that as a RESULT of salvation and because of our love for Him because of what He did and does for us, we will most certainly bear fruit: Look at what Jesus himself says in Matthew 7:15-20,"So, every tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
Here is the part that ought to make each of us fearful and wrestle with our faith to see if we are in the faith, the next thing Jesus says after the above passage in Matt 7 is verse 21: "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." and then in verse 23: And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
Why do you think practically 80% of our population in the US says they are Christian, more loosely that they "believe in God" but something less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church. And of those 20% can you name a precentege that actually bear fruit? I could almost easily say it's about half of that 20%. You can come to the conclusion of the Scripture I wrote out above and see that the Bible testifies to what you see in America and American churches presently.
It is not about judging others in condemnation or some how thinking you are better than them. It is about believing the truth of the Gospel that people will die and go to Hell if they are not a new creation in Christ. It's about loving someone enough to show them the Scriptures that are diametrically opposed to the life they live and the profession of belief they make.
Let me give you this scenerio: Imagine that I drive up to the White House and get to the security gate and say, Hi, I'm Mendi and I know President Bush and I would like to see him. They would look at me and laugh, and if I am lucky they'd call and ask around, and President Bush would say,"I don't know that person and I have never heard of them in my life." Now, think of that same scenerio and President Bush calls the security gate and says, "Hey,that is my best friend Mendi, Let her in and throw a party!"
See the difference? Millions of people claim to know Christ, but does He know them?
I will leave you with some other scriptures in Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
I meant to only write a few lines on this subject, but it is something I am truly passionate about. I have many around me that have been led falsely by false teachings that they can just SAY they are Christians and get baptized and go on living in sin without every being changed and still go to Heaven. Scripture teaches on the contrary... and I want people to know this. I would rather someone wrestle in prayer and over the word of God about their salvation than have a false sense of hope and go to hell.
I beg you to examine yourself, what you claim as your assurance, and test it with the Bible. Is your assurance in man-made methodology like "walking an aisle at church, repeating the "sinner's prayer", or even some type of church sacraments like baptism or communion?" If you hope is not found in Christ alone and His redemptive work upon the cross and you can not look to the Scriptures and examine your life and say, "I am a new creation, God has changed my heart. I hate the things I once loved (my sin) and I love the things I once hated (the things of God and God himself).
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Philemon 2:12
I leave you with these two passage of Scriptures: The Works of the Flesh and the Fruits of the Spirit…
WORKS of the FLESH
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
FRUITS of the SPIRIT
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk (a manner of lifestyle) by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25
Which one of these passages describes your life? If you can not say after reading the following Scriptures that you are of a new nature, you must cry out to God for Salvation.
I love you all and I plead with you to examine yourselves.