Written By: Beloved By Him

So you’ve received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord! Hallelujah! Today the angels sing, the heavens rejoice, your sins are washed away forever, and you begin a permanent citizenship in His heavenly kingdom! A miracle has taken place: the miracle of God’s redemption and regeneration in your heart of hearts. He’s taken what was dead, broken, and lost, and made it clean and new and perfect in His sight. Today is a day of wonders…

…but what about tomorrow?

It’s probably not just tomorrow you’re wondering about. It’s five minutes—five days—five years from now. You’ve started off on a road that you know will lead you to Him in heaven, but you have no idea about how to prepare for the journey. All your old resources, your ways of thinking, acting, and feeling, are going to be different, permanently affected by the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of you. You know you’re supposed to live for God, but you have no idea where to start. Awesome! That’s exactly how you need to feel, so that the Lord can begin to make you into who He created you to be, the person you could never have been without Him. You’re in His mighty hand, and He’s got this covered. His plan is in place, and you have access to the blueprints, even if you don’t understand everything you’re reading. The Bible is your one-to-One source for everything you need to live a righteous and redeemed life. By the wisdom of the Word of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, you are going to be an amazing testimony of God’s glory. So are you ready? Let’s start you off with some basics. Lace up your walking shoes, grab your Bible—the living water and daily bread from God—and take your first steps into a life more real than anything you’ve ever imagined.

Step one: Know God

You’re on a new and narrow road, one that will take you to God and His eternal glory, and the best part about it is that He hasn’t just left you to make the trip by yourself. He’s going to be with you every step, giving you His protection, provision, and peace, and His presence in your life will be the best part of the journey. He wants you to know Him more every day, and the only way to do this is to spend time reading the Bible regularly. If taking on the Bible seems overwhelming, then get yourself a good devotional or study bible that breaks things down into more manageable and understandable parts. The more time you spend in the Word, the more that the Lord can reveal Himself to you and the stronger you will become in your faith. (Ps. 19:7-8, Matt 7:13, Rom. 10:17, 15:4, II Tim. 2:14-17, Heb. 4:12)

But the Lord doesn’t just want to talk to you, He wants to hear from you, too. That’s where prayer comes in. No healthy relationship is one-sided, and just as we share the thoughts of our hearts with those we love, we have to do the same with God. The only difference is that He already knows what you’re going to say! He wants you to learn to trust Him, to turn to Him when you have needs and wants, and to thank Him for all that He does. Our prayers should acknowledge His lordship and affirm our commitment to love and follow Him, because He is worthy. As we draw closer to Him through His word and learn to abide in Him (dwell and remain in the awareness of His presence) through prayer, we will begin to see the greatness of our amazing God. (Matt. 18:19-20, John 9:31, 15:7, Rom. 8:26, Eph. 6:18, Phil. 4:6, I Thess. 5:17, I John 5:14-15)

Step two: Know yourself

Learning about Who God really is will also help you understand who you really are now that your life is in Him. As a “new creature” in Christ Jesus, your old life, which was controlled by the power of sin, is gone, and you have become the righteousness of Christ. God applied Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to your account, and He will never hold your sins against you again. But His grace means that you’re not just a poor servant who owes a massive debt—you’re a child and friend of the King of Kings. So now that you’re “born-again,” you should be baptized. Baptism is symbolic of our spiritual death (sin) and resurrection (salvation in Christ). It’s an act of obedience; it shows that you understand what Jesus has done for you, and you are willing to make a public statement of your faith. (Matt. 3:15, 28:19, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38-41, 8:37-38, Rom. 6:3-8, II Cor. 5:17, 19, Gal. 2:21, 4:7, Phil. 3:8-9 )

While baptism is an outward expression of obedience, a good part of walking and growing in the Lord takes place inwardly. God’s chosen people are called to purify themselves and be holy, just as He is holy. This doesn’t mean becoming religious robots, but rather striving to live a life that is pleasing to Him. This starts with the thoughts that come into our minds. Because the way we think affects both our self-perceptions and our actions, it’s vitally important that our thoughts line up with the will and character of God. When a thought comes to mind that brings any temptation, whether to behave wrongly or to believe negatively about ourselves or others, we have to consciously correct our thinking with the word of God. This is what the Bible calls taking thoughts captive and renewing our minds. As a Christian’s mind is renewed by the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, it causes our behavior to be more reflective of God’s character. This cycle of renewing our minds and conforming our actions to His will is part of the sanctification process, how God changes us to make us more like Him. (Ps. 19:14, Prov. 23:7, Rom. 12:1-2, I Thess. 5:23, II Thess. 2:13-14, Heb. 2:11)

God’s salvation and sanctification aren’t the only evidence of His grace in our lives. He’s also given His people spiritual gifts—special talents, abilities, and anointings—that are particularly suited to each individual. Christians are called to discover and use their gifts in order to benefit others, both believers and non-believers. As you grow in the knowledge and grace (the desire and ability to do His will) of God, you need to ask the Lord to show you what your specific spiritual gifts are, so that you can fulfill your unique role in God’s kingdom and plan. (Is. 11:1-5, Rom. 12:4-8, I Cor. 12:4-11, Eph. 4:11-16, I Peter 4:11)

Step three: Love others

The miracle that is the Christian life is not just for us—something we keep for ourselves, hidden and quiet, unchallenged and untested. We were given the gifts of salvation and Christ’s life in us so that others can see the love of God working in us and have hope for themselves as well. We must be living testimonies of our Lord, sharing what we have and what we know, so that people will be drawn toward God and away from this world’s promise of death. Loving others takes many forms, but all require service and sacrifice. Christians are called to lay down our lives for others, as Christ did for us. Are we actually going to have to die for someone? Probably not. But we surely will be called to die to ourselves. Forgiving someone who hurt us means dying to our self-justification. Volunteering our time instead of pursuing our own plans means dying to our self-centeredness. Giving our resources to those in need means dying to our self-sufficiency. (Matt. 6:15, John 15:13, II Cor. 4:10, 9:10-15, Gal. 6:14, Col. 1:27)

True followers of Christ are willing to give all they have because of all they have already received. If God never did another thing for us besides save us from our sins, we couldn’t rightly ask for more. But because of the promises of His love, goodness, and faithfulness to us, there should be nothing that we are not willing to do to show God, and other people, how much we love Him, and through Him, how much we love them. (Matt. 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, 14:27, John 15:16, Rom. 6:11, I Cor. 15:31)

So are you ready to begin? Don’t worry. God is the One Who will make it happen. All you need is a heart that is willing to believe and to love. And you’ve got it, because He gave it to you when you received Him as your Savior. You’re already equipped by God to make this journey of faith. So put on some praise music, set your eyes straight ahead, and start living your real life, your life in Christ.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John 14:21

“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” I John 3:23

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