Are You a New Christian? - How to Grow in Your Walk

If you have recently received Christ you might be unsure what your next steps should be. Hopefully, after reading this article you will be better equipped to navigate your new walk with the Lord. Bible study and daily prayer, church attendance, fellowship, battling worldly influences and your own personal attention to growth are all important (and by no means all-inclusive) parts of growing as a Christian. If you do these things (and I can use this reminder as much as anyone) you will become closer to God.

Reading the Word daily will feed you spiritually. I heard a pastor say once that reading the word does for your soul what food does for the body. You might not remember what you ate last Friday, but you can be assured that your body used it for fuel. The bible is fuel for the soul. There is no better way to learn to discern the will and voice of God. You will become more and more convinced of His love for you and you will better understand his expectations for your life, attitudes, and behavior.

Prayer. This is a vast topic, but also a simple one. If you can form thoughts in your head you can pray. Be totally honest with God- you can't surprise him! Ask for his blessing, that your faith will grow, ask his blessing on others, etc. Bring your thanksgiving, requests, repentance, and praise to Him. You might find it helpful to pray as you read the Word or to use a prayer book. As long as you are sincere that is all that matters.

Going to church regularly is an important aspect of being a Christian. At a good church you will be taught more about the Lord. You will also have the opportunity to serve others, be served by others and to worship the Lord with others. Certain parts of your walk can only be strengthened and grown by fellowshipping with other believers.

Filter what you watch and listen to. As humans we are always absorbing everything around us through our eyes and ears. Make sure what you are absorbing is contributing to your growing holiness- not detracting from it. This is easier said than done, but any effort made will reap a wonderful harvest down the road. Make sure you want to harvest what you are sowing.

Do something! Your walk and faith will not just appear out of thin air. Always lean on the Lord and seek his will, but then follow through! Saint Augustine once said that Christians should pray as if everything depended on God and then go out and work as if everything depended on us.

I hope this article will encourage you. Christ suffered and died out of his love for you so you could have eternal life. The way can be difficult and we are promised troubles in this life, but we are also promised that he will never leave us or forsake us.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice! Phillipians 4:4