I Believe in Jesus, Now What?

 

I Believe in Jesus, Now What?

 

Many people find that as a new believer in Jesus they feel a little lost as far as what they are “supposed to” do or not do. I believe, what’s next Relax, following Jesus is not a list of rules. This is about a relationship with your Lord and Savior. If you are following Jesus and working to have a closer relationship with Him, He will lead you to what you should and shouldn’t do. My hope is to give you some basic tools that will help you draw closer to Jesus.

 

              “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

James 4:7-8a (ESV)

 

Along with being adopted at salvation you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who has filled you. The Holy Spirit will be a sort of live in guide for life.

 

In the hopes of keeping it simple I have just 4 things to recommend. These will help you grow in your relationship with and your knowledge of God without feeling like you are drinking from a fire hose. Personally, I can’t imagine actually swallowing any water if it was coming at me with that kind of force and speed.

 

Go to church

 

If you are a new Christian, chances are you were led to Christ by a friend or in a church. Start there with the church or a recommendation from a friend. It is important to go to church, a good, solid Bible teaching church. We are called to use discernment I suggest that you try to follow along in your Bible or write down the book, chapter, and verse so you can review what was said later, preferably the same day if at all possible.

 

What if what you hear doesn’t agree with what you read? First, I caution you against jumping to conclusions, God’s ways are not our ways, in Isaiah we read

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD”  

Isaiah 55:8

 

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

 

Especially as a new Christian it can be hard to grasp some of these differences because they often appear to be counter-intuitive. This is because, as non-believers, we thought as the world thinks. However, we are now believers and we are learning God’s ways. God’s ways are very different from the ways of the world. I recommend that you pray about it. You can also ask someone you trust about your concerns, and then give some time for God to show you.

 

Sometimes I just get a kind of peace about it, as if God is saying “don’t worry about that right now.” If after some time you don’t get clarity or peace or maybe it starts to bother you more, things don’t seem to be adding up. At this point you may want to look for another church. Again, pray about this first. The fellowship we get from church is an important part of your walk with Christ and if you allow Him, He will guide you to where you should be.

 

Find a Mentor

 

This should be someone who is spiritually more mature that you feel comfortable asking questions even if you think they are odd. Find someone you feel can come along side you to help you grow. If you can’t think of a good candidate right away, pray about it and let God show you who He wants for you. This could mean that you might need to step out of a comfort zone and ask someone that you don’t know very well. If it is coming from God, I urge you to listen and be obedient. God will not let you down.

 

You should try to meet with this person with some regularity, it doesn’t have to be daily or for hours at a time, just enough to check in and ask any questions you may have. You will always have questions even if you don’t think you do. Usually, once you start talking, you’ll remember things that you wondered about as you went about your day, or it could be something the pastor said last week. Your mentor should be your go to person, just behind Jesus, for you to bounce these thoughts around with. Your mentor may not always have an answer to all your questions, sometimes all you really need is to talk it through. If not, they should be able to help you get to the best person who will be able help.

 

 

Read Your Bible Every Day

 

You do not have to spend hours reading your Bible every day, I wouldn’t even recommend that right away, that would be equal to drinking from the fire hose. Try to read 1 chapter each day, this should only take about 10-15 min. I also recommend starting in the New Testament which is more than half way through the book. Why? Because this is where we meet and learn about Jesus.

Jesus brought grace and forgiveness to us. The Old Testament is more history and the law, it shows us that God is holy and just. The law was unable to save and that is why we needed Jesus. Therefore, reading about the law first can be hard to swallow unless you already know the grace and love of Jesus. The first chapter of Matthew (the first book of the New Testament) is a genealogy of Jesus, you will find a few genealogies in the Bible. If genealogies are not your thing don’t feel bad about skimming through them.

 

If you read 1 chapter of the Bible each day it will take a little over 3 years to complete, don’t let that be an issue. The first 2 or 3 times I read the Bible through it took me over 3 years. Read it to learn and grow not to finish it, besides you are just going to turn around and read it again. The point is to have this time be time with God. His Word is one way He communicates with His children. Read to listen and allow Him to speak to you through His Word.

Pray Daily

 

I have already given you a few reasons to pray and some things to pray about. Think of prayer as your communication to God. God wants to hear from you every single day. Even if you don’t have the nicest things to say. Maybe all you have are tears. Tears can be prayers. He will hear you and He will understand you. Start by setting a time each day to pray, be faithful and consistent. And soon you’ll be saying silent prayers throughout each day.

 

There is no formula for praying. Although, there are some tips and tricks that you might find helpful from time to time. I may even write about some tips at some point. Just don’t let your prayer become formulated. You know those telemarketers that never hear you, they are just reading off a script no matter how you answer the question? God, doesn’t want that kind of pray, He wants you to talk to Him to share everything with Him and making prayer a formula restricts that open communication. Pray as you are most comfortable, it could be sitting, standing, or kneeling, it could be silent, a loud, a song, or written. Honestly, at some point in your prayer life you will have done all of the above.

 

I Challenge You

 

Your time in prayer and reading the Bible does not have to be long. If you are one of the millions of people with a busy schedule, don’t panic. Start with 15 – 20 min each day. Read for 10-15 and pray for 5-10. Most of us struggle praying for a solid 5 minutes in the beginning, please don’t let this stop you. I know you will be glad you stuck it out and it will get easier each day. Feel free to leave a little space for silence, a time to listen is good too. I have found that God is pleased by our faithful efforts. Often it is just about showing up each and every day. And when we do, God honors and blesses our efforts.

 

With all my suggestions the total time per week is between 5-8 hours. To me this is a small sacrifice to give to my God, my Savior, my Creator, my Lord. Although, that does not make it easy. Starting any new habit can be challenging and this won’t be any different. However, the outcome will be very rewarding. As you spend time with Jesus learning from His Word and spending time in prayer and fellowship with His children you will be amazed at the blessing it brings each day.

 

I would like to challenge you to do this faithfully for 6 weeks and see the benefits for yourself. I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Accepting the Challenge?

 

If you chose to accept my challenge, I would be honored to pray for you through the 6 weeks. You can let me know in the comments or you may email me at myweaknesshisstrength@gmail.com

I would also love to hear how your 6 week challenge went. Where did you struggle? What helped you stick with it? Do you feel that God blessed you as you went through the 6 weeks?

 

Being a Christian is a Daily Walk with Jesus

 

Walking with Christ doesn’t mean your life will be easy or that you won’t face struggles. However, it does mean that God will never, ever leave you.

 

              “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Hebrews 13:5

 

However, if you are not spending time with Him regularly, I promise that you will have a hard time believing that He is with you. Why? Because you are not abiding in Him. Stay in relationship with God and even when this life is more than a challenge, He will give you peace and wisdom.

 

I pray that you, my dear reader, will draw close to God and know the peace that surpasses understanding.

 

          “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7

 

May God speak to you and meet you where you are.

 

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Grace and Peace

Debra Jean

Monday –
Bloggers for the Kingdom @ #KingdomBloggers Anita Ojeda @ Inspire me Monday
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