What Are My First Steps?

As they say, even the longest journey begins at your doorstep. Jesus is the door. Now that He is opened to you, you will certainly want to learn how to walk with Him all the way home to heaven.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Some Things Come Naturally—at First

No one needs to tell the brand-new Christian what their first steps should be. These will flow with the natural grace of a stream surging forth when it is undammed. The heart freshly filled with realizations of liberation by sins forgiven, by God's love revealed, and by the way to heaven opening wide cannot help but ascend upwards with prayers, praise, and thanksgiving. Ordinary events, the world of people, and all of nature may be seen in a whole new light, under the glow of divinely kindled new passions.

The flow of these spiritually assisted feelings may likely lead the new believer into finding a church, reading the Bible, and sharing about Jesus with their friends. We call these the "Big Five" Connecters. All of this is very good! Yet even here it will be helpful to see that this is not just you (if you are that new believer), but it is Jesus in you. He is your new life!

Jesus loves doing these things and will always seek to help you do them, even when you don't want to. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus is now inside of you, awakening and assisting all of these new, right and delightful desires. Your old feelings may return to "drown out" the new ones, but the truth is that the real you is now joined to Jesus and wants what He wants and desires what He desires. You must, however, prepare for the absence of this “starter kit” of good feelings.

When the Honeymoon Ends

It is commonly observed that conversion experiences often usher in what’s called a "honeymoon" period where God makes it easy for the new believer to trust in Him and rejoice in loving Jesus. The Lord pours out "extra grace" so that our spirits can soar assisted by His Spirit. If this is your experience, please realize that it will not last, at least not without your very active cooperation. By all means, enjoy it but take good advantage of the new sense of empowerment that it gives you to anchor your life in Christ with the necessary "tools" of a long "marriage" to your Bridal Lover. Honeymoons are something anyone can enjoy: Successful, happily fulfilled marriages require a lot of work!

You have an enemy in the dark one and his vassals (evil spirits) who will stop at nothing to bring you down once the initial grace begins to wear off. Jesus warned that the seed which is planted can easily be uprooted by the enemy.[1] Therefore, some of your first steps should be ones that will prepare you for the challenges and trials which Jesus says will surely come on account of the truths you have received.

"Tools" for Your New Life in Christ

"What are my first steps?" Jesus is the "key" to everything! He is the Main Event and the Greatest Person in your world and this universe. Now that you know it, your primary concern is going to be to stick close to Him, since He is the source of all the good things flowing into your life and He is the One your heart most deeply and powerfully loves and cannot live without. He is far more than your gateway to heaven; He is Life.[2]

If you drift away from walking closely with Him, you will naturally begin to lose life's best qualities. It is impossible to find a full and complete life apart from Him because He is both life itself and the way to live life.[3] He is also your truth.[4] You are seeing so many things right now by the light of Christ, but if you drift away from His perspective on your life and this world, you cannot help but drift into darkness and oppression.[5] Don't let that happen!

Consider these tried and proven ways of staying close to Jesus:

1. Follow His Example

Get to know Jesus through the gospels and then try to let His way of handling things become yours.

2. Live Within His Boundaries

Jesus sets the moral boundaries. Anything outside them guarantees an unhappy life! Everything you will ever truly need has already been placed on your path within the moral boundaries. Let Him teach you where the lines are drawn and don’t let the enemy trick you into trespassing. The boundary lines are drawn in "pleasant places" to ensure that your life thrives.[6] You have His Word on that.

3. See Through His Eyes

Scripture will help you learn to see everything in your life and in this world from Jesus' perspective. His Word is truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.[7] His perspective is the only one that counts! Whenever you are stuck in seeing things your way or the world's way, you will lose peace and fill up quickly with all kinds of unwanted emotions. However, anytime you regain His perspective you will regain your freedom and joy. Learn to really love truth.[8] Let scripture become your most trusted Friend.

4. Let Him Guide You

Jesus will seek to lead you within the wide boundaries of the moral law into doing all kinds of things that will expand your life, enhance your love for Him and help you discover your destined purposes for being here. The goal is to become a heaven-directed lover of God and liberator of people. So learn to listen for His voice, watch for His hand upon events, and especially become fine-tuned to the movements of His Spirit within you. There is a lot to learn in all these areas, but you are now a disciple, a "learner for life." [9]

5. Love and Trust; Trust and Obey

There is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to learn how to trust Him with everything going on in our lives and those of our loved ones and choosing to follow all that He asks of us. Since "we love Him, because He first loved us," whenever you find your feet slipping off the right path, run quickly back to Him, receive His mercy and recover your heart for your great Savior and Friend.[10] This makes it much easier to want to keep following Him.

There Is So Much More!

Love is all around you. Jesus is in you.[11] Grace is endless and very real. But so are challenges to growth. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit will watch over you and work to keep your challenges from being too overwhelming.[12] Let Him lead you step by step, stay in step with His leadings, and you will find your way through to freedom and a flow of peace that beggars description. "What are my first steps?" From the first step to last, it is all about following in His steps!

You may discover that you have issues from the past that just won't go away. The enemy doesn’t play fair: he is certain to attack you where your emotions are most raw and vulnerable. The need for emotional or "inner" healing is real: We have a whole website devoted to it. Healingstreamsusa.org is a great place to go for recovering from emotional pain or traumas of the past. The 24 main healing lessons are available for free as mp3, mp4, and PDF downloads. Additional resources can be found in our store. These will also help you learn to master your emotional state so that you will spend more time living in the deep, dreamy peace of Christ than you ever imagined possible, even under the duress and pressures of an active life.

Be sure that you seek out and find a church home.[13] Our God is the Father of an enormous family of redeemed children, extending all the way into heaven. In a loving, Bible-believing congregation you will strengthen your prayer life, gain an understanding of scripture, enjoy opportunities for fellowship with other like-minded believers, encounter the Lord during times of anointed worship and discover your gifts and passion for service to others.

The Big Five Are Life-Savers

I cannot stress this enough: These are the "Big Five" Connecters that cultivate our new life in Christ, which Jesus in us loves to be doing.[14] We get to do them with Him! They are also divinely given "safety nets" which help hold us in place when we are under times of attack or temptation. Keep them in good repair—your life in Christ depends upon it. If you don’t do these “do’s” you are certain to end up doing the “don’ts”! 

We are almost there now, at the starting point of your new beginning. What will your life in Christ be like? You are the one who gets to decide! To the degree that you commit and yield your life to Him, to that extent you will ultimately get to know Him. Jesus can only fully reveal Himself to those who trust Him enough to let Him lead them step by step into life as He has planned it.[15] So don’t hold anything back! Give the Lord all you’ve got, and you will never regret it. Press in to know your Savior as your Lord and in the bargain discover who you have been created to become.

Prayers

Father, it is exciting and a bit scary to be setting out on this journey. Thank You for all that you have done to save me and give me new life through faith in Your Son. I ask that You help me to love Jesus my Savior with my whole heart.

Jesus, You have given me so much! I owe my life and my hope of heaven to Your sacrifice. I give myself to You, holding nothing back. Let’s head out on this adventure together!

Holy Spirit, lead me into all the truths that will set me free to live in that glorious liberty of the children of God as You teach me how to deny myself and live for Jesus my Lord.

On to a Word in Parting!

A Word in Parting  No goodbye is ever forever in the Lord...

Free Downloads

pdf After Salvation, What? (43-page eBook) (43 KB)

pdf What Are My First Steps? (this article) (188 KB)