If you are a new Christian then welcome to the family of God. You may find that you have many questions. Don’t worry; there are answers to all the common questions readily available. You probably find yourself hating many of the things you once loved and loving the things you once hated. This is because God gave you a new heart with new desires. You are a new creature in Christ. It sounds radical because it is. That’s why Jesus called it being born again. So what’s next? Well I’m glad you asked.
Prepare for prayer
It is such a great privilege to talk with our Heavenly Father and He is worthy of our utmost respect. The Bible tells us how we should approach a Holy God.
- Have clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4 )
- Abide in Jesus (John 15:7 )
- Keep God’s commandments (I John 3:22 )
- Desire God’s will (I John 5:14 )
- Forgive others first (Mark 11:25-26 )
How to Pray
The following is a list of some of the things the Bible says about how to pray.
- Pray with Faith (Matthew 11:24 , 21:21-22, Hebrews 11:6 )
- Pray sincere heartfelt prayers rather than vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7 )
- Pray with diligence and persistence (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 , Luke 21:36 , Ephesians 6:18 , Psalm 55:17 )
- Pray for forgiveness (Luke 11:4 , 1 John 1:9-10 )
- Pray that God’s will be done (Matthew 6:10 )
- Pray in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14 )
Communication is important in any relationship. Whether it’s marriage, parents and children, or close friends your relationship will suffer without proper communication. How you communicate is as important as the frequency at which you do it. You would never go to your spouse, parent, or friend on a daily basis and rattle off a short thoughtless memorized group of sentences and expect to grow closer in your relationship. In addition you would not go to them chanting their names over and over in attempt at heartfelt communication. People would not be pleased or impressed with this insincere babbling and neither would God if you tried that with Him. God doesn’t want some fancy scripted dialog or repetitious chanting He just wants you to pray from the heart.
Also, you know you can ask your spouse, parent, or friends for things and you can count on them to be there to help. However if all you did was ask for things they may question your love, friendship, and motivation. In the same way God loves to give to His children but he is not some spiritual Santa Clause or magic genie.
We must praise and thank God for everything, for His plan of salvation, every meal, every safe return home, every breath, everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ). We should also pray for others, for their salvation, health, safety or any need that you may be aware of. It is also so important to ask God that His will be done in your life. Ask him to use you for His glory. It’s not what God can do for you but what you can do for God.
There are many types of prayer: forgiveness, petition, intercession, praise and thanksgiving. To learn more about prayer and fasting look at Matthew 6:5-18 . We can also learn from Jesus as he prays in John Chapter 17.
Communication is a two way street so remember to listen for God’s response. You will know it when you hear it. God always answers prayer. Sometimes the answer is “yes”, sometimes it is “no” and sometimes it is “wait”. One way God speaks to us is through scripture.
Read your Bible
Read your Bible daily and obey what you read. Can you imagine a Baby that is only fed once in a while? She would get weak and sick or worse. Just as the human body must be nourished through food the Christian must feed daily on the Word of God. And like a baby that starts with milk and then moves gradually to solid food you too must gradually grow in a deeper understanding and knowledge of the Bible (1 Peter 2:2 , 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 , Hebrews 5:12-14 ).
You wouldn’t want to walk down a dark path without some kind of light. The Bible is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path in this dark world (Psalm 119:105 ).
Attend a Bible Believing Church
Have you ever been grilling and have a briquette fall away from a fire? It slowly grows colder until it has no heat in it at all. It is no longer working with the other briquettes to give off heat. This is similar to a person that is not attending church. The Bible teaches that the church is the body of Christ. You don’t disconnect an arm or leg from a body and expect it to do much. Christians are to work together in unity toward doing the will of God. You can worship in places other than the church as long as it is in spirit and in truth but the Bible makes very clear the importance of fellowship with other believers. Find a good Bible believing church and attend regularly.
Share Your Faith
Being a new Christian you may notice a strong desire to tell others about Jesus, the One who suffered and died in your place and endured the agonies of Hell in order to pay the price of your sins. You may have also noticed that many of the people that have been Christians quite a while sit comfortably in the pews without much concern for the lost in their community. Please do not let complacency overtake you in the same way. Take advantage of your new found zeal and get equipped to share your faith. There is no higher calling for the Christian than to tell others about Jesus Christ. This website will give you many resources to help you do just that.
Their will be times that you struggle and even have doubts but remember God is faithful and is always there for you. He will never let you down.