Now what?
Now that you have accepted Christ into your life, now what?
First of all, no one promises that your life will now be troublefree. God never promised us a life without difficulties; He only promised us that we will not go through those struggles alone.
If you have just accepted Christ into your life, tell someone. But be prepared for different types of reactions. The unsaved people around you may not understand. Some may mock and criticize your beliefs, attempting to undermine your newfound faith. The saved around you will encourage your walk with God and praise Him for drawing you to Him. And still others will try to distort the blessing that God has given you by trying to get you to second guess your beliefs or church. At this time, you are a baby Christian, just having been born into God's Kingdom. But just as a literal baby is not able to climb the highest mountain, nor should you expect to in spiritual matters.
From the moment of your natural birth, you have been in the middle of a war...a spiritual war that you never knew was taking place. By accepting Christ, you have taken a side. The Bible tells us the future - God wins the war. You have just joined the ranks of the winning side, but by doing so, you have just painted a target on yourself for the enemy. He has power in this world and will sick his demons of frustration, worry, and temptation on you with a renewed fury. The enemy wants to get you out of the battle and will try to cause problems in your life or work to get your eyes off of Jesus. He may cause an unbelieving family member or friend to criticize you. He may put a wolf in sheep's clothing in your path to try to steer you astray.
You may ask yourself now, "What have I done? I don't want more problems!" God is here and He will help you. Our founding pastor used to say, "God is the slowest person I know, but He's always on time." God will prepare you and help you through. You must arm yourself for battle and "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)"
The above scriptures eloquently describes your full armor of God as: Truth, Righteousness, Readiness, Faith, Salvation, the Word of God, and Prayers. What are these pieces of armor and how do you get them? Salvation...you have it. By accepting Christ and truly meaning it in your heart, then you are saved by the grace of God. Realize it. Stand firm on that. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and confess that He lived, died, and rose again for your sins, then you are saved. No one can take that away from you. As the above scriptures say, "stand your ground, and after you have done everything...stand."
That brings in another piece of the armor - Faith. Jesus told his disciples that if they just had the faith of a mustard seed, one of the smallest seeds on Earth, they could command a mountain in their lives to move, and it would move. Have faith in your salvation and your God. Sometimes things happen in this world that we do not understand. Remember, it is the evil one, the enemy, that causes these things to happen. Why doesn't God end it all right now? He will...and soon. But He's holding out for that one last man or woman to kneel at an altar, bedside, computer terminal, or wherever they may be, and accept Him into their lives. If God had ended it all just a few minutes ago, you might not have been included in the chosen few. That's why He's holding out and waiting...waiting on the last few to come to know Him. Have faith in the Lord God Almighty and that His reasons and purposes are for the best, no matter how bad they may seem to us.
You can gain the armor of Truth and Righteousness by learning and then doing what it takes to be a true Christian. Find a church of fellow believers that truly demonstrates the love of Christ. A true Christian uses Jesus as the example to model their lives after, demonstrating His love and sacrifice to all of those around them. Be sure their faith and beliefs are firmly rooted in the Bible. Find the right church by the people in it. The church is not the physical building, it is the people. God is there, because God is in us and we are there. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 10:28)" The Bible tells us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together because we support and encourage one another. Find a church where the people demonstrate God's Truth and Righteousness. Remember though that the enemy is out there too. Be aware and be strong. If you are in the Kokomo area, we welcome you to visit Gospel Light Mission.
The next part of the your armor of God is Readiness. Readiness is your preparation and willingness to help those around you. Jesus fed the hungry, healed the blind, helped the sick and widowed, and cared for the children of the world. We are to be the light of this world. We are the only "Jesus" that the unsaved see. We are to be Jesus to the world. Always be ready and willing to be like Jesus and stand up for what is right and just and to help those around you.
The remaining two aspects of the full armor of God are Word of God and Prayers. These two pieces are probably the two most vital parts of the full armor of God. The Word of God is the Bible. We must be reading the scriptures daily just to learn about God and His commandments and love for us. We must read the Bible to learn about Jesus and how to live a godly life. All the other parts of the armor rely on your understanding of the scriptures. If you know little about the Bible how can you spot deception in the world or from those around you?
Prayer is your direct line to God. The Bible tells us to pray continuously, not just before a meal or at bedtime. Talk to God. Do it out loud or in your head. When you drive to work, thank Him for the new day and all of your blessings in your life. Yes, we have bills and it's aggravating to have to work all day, but just praise God that you have a job, family, or even life at all. Pray for those around you. Ask Him to bless those doing His work in the world. Ask Him to bless our leaders with wisdom and come to know Christ. Ask Him to bless our children so that they may come to know Him and be light unto the world for the next generation. The way to improve a relationship in the physical realm is through communication. It is the same way with God. Lord Jehovah is a personal God. He knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. He knows your thoughts before you even speak them. He knows you. He always has. Talk with Him. Talk with Him just like He was sitting in the car seat next to you. He is there, not in the car seat next to you...He's in your heart.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)" Get into a God-filled church, get into the Bible daily, and get into talking with God in prayer. May God bless and keep you. Amen.
