Josh Samarco

I can imagine what you are experiencing right now. The joy of finding Christ. The joy of God’s got it all under control. The joy of experiencing new freedom. The joy of release and breakthrough. The joy of something fresh and something new. The joy of being happy again. The joy of finding peace. The joy of overcoming your fears and doubts. The joy of trusting in Jesus!

Oh, how joyous it is to be chosen to be apart of the Kingdom of God.

But wait, let’s take a step back for a moment. Why do I still have problems? Why do I still have struggles? Why does it seem like people are upset that I made a change to my life? Why is my family upset that I want to be at church each week? How come I feel so guilty when I think negative thoughts? What is going on in my life???

I have to admit, leaving an old lifestyle of living all for self gratification, then to transition to a new lifestyle of how to live for Jesus is hard. As new Christians, believers in Christ, some of the first questions we tend to have are: What if I mess up? What if I sin, does this mean I am going to hell? Can I still listen to all my same music? Can I still party and club? There are so many questions and thoughts and to be honest, these questions will not be answered over night. So I say to you, Mr. and Mrs. New Christian take it a day at a time and be prepared for a journey of a lifetime! A journey where your world will be flipped upside down. In a good way of course. 🙂

I want to share with you 10 thoughts that will help you in your transition. These 10 thoughts are in no specific order but I believe each are equally important in your walk with God. Becoming a new Christian is an exciting time but it can also be a scary time. Scary, meaning, you don’t know what’s next or what to expect. You have tons of questions but no one is answering. I believe through these 10 thoughts that I mention, if you apply them to your walk of life your questions will be answered. You will grow, you will learn and you will become the person God has called you to be.

Here are 10 thoughts I have to you, the new Christian:

1) Find a mentor! Get with someone that has been down the path you are now going down. Trust me when I say this, you need someone wise in your life that can speak honest truth, with love, grace and mercy.

2) Find an accountability partner. Get with someone close in age that is on the journey you are on. I prefer male to male and woman to woman accountability partners. Unless of course you are married.

3) Stay in the word daily. Whether you are reading 5 minutes a day or 2 hours a day. Read God’s word, for it is your foundation to life!

4) Get connected to a Christ centered, Bible believing, teaching church. I cannot tell you how important it is to be connected to a local church that you can call home. We need to be connected to believers from all walks of life.

5) Pray! Spend time each day and night praying. God wants to hear from you and you need to hear from God. Prayer is our direct communication to God.

6) Journal! Write down your thoughts. Write about your struggles. Write down your victories. Journaling allows you to release your thoughts. It also allows you to keep track of your walk with God.

7) Get in a life group/small group. Being able to do life with others are key and critical to your walk. You will have support, prayer, encouragement and accountability. Trust me, doing life with others is needed! Can’t do it alone.

8) Worship your God! Find out what fills up your spiritual tank. It can be singing songs, listening to sermons, praying, dancing, etc… Give God glory each day for Who He is and all He does.

9) Read books! Never stop learning. Never stop investing in yourself. There are so many amazing books out there to strengthen your walk with God and to give you a better understanding of the Bible.

10) Serve! Serve the local church but most importantly serve for your God. Your local church can use your gifts, talents and passions. Plus, there is so much joy in serving God. God rewards us for our service. Then again, we owe our service to Him!

I will close with this. As a follower of Jesus you will mess up, you will fall short, you will have struggles, you will need help, you will need prayer. You will come to learn that we are broken, weak and needy individuals and that it’s okay to admit this. We need Jesus every single day and we need our brothers and sisters in Christ. Living for Christ is the best thing that can ever happen in this life. I am convinced. Stay encouraged new Christian. One day, you will be sharing and teaching this to other new Christians. Enjoy the journey!

 ^“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:16-17