Suppose you are in a hospital dying of cancer. I would die in your place. I would die instead of you. The Bible says Christ took the penalty that we deserved for sin, placed it upon Himself, and died in our place. Three days later Christ came back to life to prove that sin and death had been conquered and that His claims to be God were true.
Faith means trust .
Just as you trust a chair to hold you throuoh no effort of your own, so yo u must trust Jesus Christ to get you to heaven through no effort of your own. I'm a good person. These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor or any other good thing you might do cannot get you to heaven. There is nothing more important than your need to trust Christ. It is not a prayer that saves you.