If you have recently accepted God’s Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ, let me start by simply saying WELCOME! You have entered into a family which will last for all eternity. As brothers and sisters in this wonderful family, it’s my continual prayer that we learn to encourage one another as we continue down a path which leads to a better understanding of our Heavenly Father and fellowship with our Lord and Savior.
If you have arrived at this page without first reading through God’s Plan of Salvation, then I strongly suggest you do so before continuing. No amount of instruction or encouraging words can be a substitute for humbly acknowledging our sins and asking Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.
The purpose of this page is to get you started on your journey with Jesus. The moment you accepted the gift of Salvation, you were placed solidly on God’s path. Think of this path as a well-worn trail through a thick forest. God’s desire for us is to be blessed by walking along His path. However, far too many times we wander into the forest and try to make our own way. Sometimes when we wander too far, we can no longer see the trail or even determine how to get back to where we once were.
One of the best ways to begin your journey is to have an assurance of your Salvation. Let’s begin by reviewing God’s Plan of Salvation:
Step 1: All Have Sinned.
Step 2: Our Sin Deserves Eternal Death.
Step 3: We Must Desire To Be Clean – We Must Repent.
Step 4: We Can Not Make Ourselves Clean.
Step 5: Jesus Christ is The Sacrifice Which Makes Us Clean.
Step 6: Resources for new believers.
If you believe God’s Plan of Salvation with a sincere heart and have asked Jesus to be your Savior, you are saved. You are now a Christian with an eternal future in Heaven.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
In order to accomplish all that God has planned for your life, you must KNOW you are part of His Kingdom. I’ll say it again – If you believe God’s Plan of Salvation with a sincere heart and have asked Jesus to be your Savior, you are His child and part of His Kingdom!!
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
When doubts come your way (and they will), come back to the basics of Salvation. You don’t need to be re-saved, but you’ll need to be reminded – there are no other requirements – believe and accept the gift. No matter how you feel, the gift is yours and the gift is eternal.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35,37-39)
Nothing can separate us from His love – not the things of this world or even our current emotions. Emotions will deceive you – don’t trust them. Rather, trust God when He promised eternal life to all who accepted Jesus as Savior.
Your new life is not promised to be free of troubles. You will most likely stumble and fall many times. Know that you have a loving Father who wants to pick you up and set you back on the path.
Here are a few first steps:
- Begin attending a church where God’s Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. You will need the fellowship of other believers to keep you from drifting away from God’s path. Pray that God will direct you to a church which will keep you on His path. There are plenty of good churches out there. Find one where the Gospel of Jesus is taught directly from God’s Word – God will be faithful to show you where you should be.
- Pray! You have been adopted by a loving Father, but now you need to spend time with Him in order to know Him. Think of prayer as a conversation. You talk with God and He talks to you – sometimes in prayer, you simply need to be quiet and allow God to speak to your heart. There’s no special format for prayer, but I find it helpful to begin my prayer time by simply thanking God for all my blessings. I then pray about whatever is on my heart. Don’t wait until you’ve wandered far off the path before you pray – prayers of desperation are only of limited value. Daily prayer can minimize the time you spend off the path entangled by the bushes.
- Get a Bible and begin to read and study God’s Word. Don’t worry too much about what version you get. I currently use the New International Version, but there are many good versions. I suggest beginning in the New Testament with the book of John. Do not read the Bible as you would an adventure novel. Read a chapter or two, think about what you have read, pray that God would give you understanding, and begin to apply His Word to your life. I strongly recommend that you develop and commit to a consistent and daily reading program. You will be rewarded with wonderful insights into God’s plan and will truly learn to love His Word.
- If you haven’t already done so, sign up for the daily devotions from God’s Daily Word. Don’t let this be your only source of nourishment, but at least it should keep you pointed in the right direction.
- This web site contains a good Bible study for the new believer. This would be an excellent next step. Resources for new believers.
Once again, welcome to the family of God! He has a wonderful plan for you and I pray this ministry is a blessing along your journey.
Your Brother in Christ,
Steve Troxel
President, God’s Daily Word Ministries