Now What?

The preacher or believer has introduced you to Jesus. You heard the old time story of Jesus’ love that compelled Him to die on a cross for your sins. As you heard the story, something inside of you gripped your heart and drove you to make a decision. Yes, yes, I believe! I want this Savior you speak of, I want Him to become real to me! I want Him to change me, to change my life, to totally take control! But what happens after the preacher or the believer is gone? Now what?? The enemy of your soul is very unhappy and he will set his traps to ensnare you, to trip you up, to make you think you didn’t get anything, that nothing is different and that nothing happened. Let me be the first to tell you to praise God because that’s even more assurance of your salvation! Before you made your decision to follow Jesus, the devil wasn’t telling you anything, but now he comes to sow seeds of doubt. Romans 8:38-39 says that, I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces 39 or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation. First and foremost, the most important thing for you to do is to get into the Word of God and learn more about our Savior. Prayer is you talking to God, and reading the Bible is God talking to you! You might be saying, I don’t know how to pray. I’m new to this and that’s ok. Prayer is just you talking to God from your heart. Speak to Him with truth, hiding nothing because He knows all about you anyway. Remember, He sees everything, hears everything, knows everything, and can do anything! That’s why He’s God! The second most important thing to do is to find and join a good Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, Bible-practicing Church that accepts you just as you are. Where the people will not look down on or judge you but actually love you, the same way Jesus does. Remember Ecclesiastes 7:20, Certainly, there is no one so righteous on earth that he always does what is good and never sins. Also remember Romans 3:23, Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God’s glory. But the main thing to remember is Romans 6:23,  The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do not let anyone take that away from you! Do not let anyone cause you to doubt your salvation! The Bible says in James 1:6-7, When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. 7 A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. Suppose you broke one of the Laws of God, maybe it was lying. At that point the enemy of your soul would take you captive and enslave you in your sin … John 8:34 says, Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin.” Let’s go one step further: when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin was imputed (or passed down) to all of mankind. As a result, all of mankind was separated from God. Separation from God means a life of eternal damnation. Jesus came to earth in the form of a man, lived a sinless life, nailed our sins to a cross, died, rose again, defeated death, hell and the grave, so we could be reconciled back (or restored) to the Father... He was God in the flesh. He was tempted and tried just as we are and yet He did not sin. Listen to Hebrews 4:15, We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. He gave His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 says, It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people. One last thing I would like to leave with you. Please, please surround yourself with fellow believers that love God with all of their hearts. When the enemy of your soul comes against you, and he will come against you, you will need your fellow brothers and sisters to lean on, to help lift you up and encourage you in the Lord. He never promised that His way would be easy, but what He did promise is that those who endure to the end will be saved! Praise God! Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:13, But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Welcome to the family of God!