Are you a new believer? Do you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay for your sins? Have you confessed your past life of sin to God and turned to Him in faith? That’s awesome! The Bible says that now you are saved from your sin and born again to a new life with God. (See Salvation is for You if you have not had this experience.) This is truly the most exciting thing that could ever happen to you. Let me share some principles with you here that will help you answer the question, “What do I do now?” as you begin your new journey with God.
New Power to Deal with Struggles and Sin
Now that you are born again (saved) you have a new life in Christ. But the truth is, you will still have some struggles in this life. You will sin, too, but hopefully not as often if you’re really growing. As you face these things, never forget this truth: Jesus has paid the price for all your sin and failures, past, present, and future. You are a child of God and have access to a genuine relationship with Him. His Holy Spirit will also give you the power to deal with anything you face. You don’t have to try to work out things on your own. His power is always available to you so you can resist sin and overcome any hardship any time you choose to use it. Just ask Him!
Remember this: whenever you do sin, your Christian life is not over. You are not a failure. You made a mistake. So the way you deal with that is to go to Him, confess the sin to Him, and repent. Turn your heart away from the sin and back to God. Overcome the sin with God’s power and start walking in truth again. Isn’t that what you do when you first come to God and get “saved”? Yes. Repenting from sin is something we need to do whenever we turn from God’s truth. But understand this: you’re not getting saved all over again. Your original gift of salvation is still in effect. You are just repenting of the new sin that you committed and are now choosing to walk away from. The sooner you repent, the sooner you can enjoy your freedom again.
Sin will always try to get at you because you live in a sin-filled world. It’s going to be that way until the day Jesus Christ returns and takes over planet earth. Until then, the world, your own human nature, the devil and the demons will try to convince you to quit your new life in God. But He will always be there for you and will help you overcome whenever you turn to Him. The Bible verses that follow are very powerful. If you apply them to your life, you will grow as a new believer and have victory over sin and every struggle. Don’t treat them like rules you must obey. These are just steps you can take if you want more victory in your Christian life. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk in His truth.
New Life Principles
Galatians 5:16-17 NLT So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (17) The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
Galatians 5:24-25 NLT Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. (25) Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
- Yield your life to the Holy Spirit. His power will enable you to overcome the pull of your sinful nature. Follow His leading in every part of your life and you will succeed.
James 4:7 NLT So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Just humble yourself before God and the devil will want no part of you.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. (2) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- Give your body to God daily, especially when tempted to sin. That’s one of the best ways to worship Him.
- Don’t copy the behaviors of people in the world. You left all that behind when you came to Christ, so don’t go back to it.
- Let God continue to transform you into a new person day by day by His Spirit as you walk with Him. As you do, you will come to know Him and His will for your life. The Bible says His will for you is good, pleasing and perfect. It’s a great way to live!
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (7) Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
- Pray to God regularly. Just talk to Him about anything and everything. He is your heavenly father. He loves you totally and unconditionally. Tell Him how much you love Him, thank Him for the blessings you experience in your life, ask His help for things you have trouble with, and pray for your needs and the needs of others.
Job 23: 11-12 NLT For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed His ways and not turned aside. (12) I have not departed from His commands, but have treasured His words more than daily food.
- Read your Bible. Start with the New Testament and read the book of John, then Mark, followed by Matthew and Luke.
Colossians 2:12 NLT For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
- Get baptized by immersion at a Bible-believing Christian church. Any mature believer in Christ can also baptize you. It’s a celebration of your death to sin and being raised up, born again to a new life in Christ.
In closing, let me encourage you to read. Read the Bible, the articles posted here and my blog regularly. Read Christian books that will teach you and inspire you in your faith.
If you want some suggestions about good books or video feeds to watch, or if you have questions about what I put on this website, email me.
Randy Hartwig
