God’s plan for our lives is far simpler than we sometimes think it is. Certainly we each have an individual calling and a unique purpose but today I’m speaking of the more general steps that put us into the place where God can speak to us and use us for His purpose.
- Salvation is where it all starts. I hope and pray that if you are reading this that you have already been born again and accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and life. If not then please read this and let’s get your new life started today.
- Bible Study and Daily Prayer Time will help you grow. The Bible is God’s Word and has been written to guide, to instruct, to correct and to inspire us. The Bible is a spiritual book and must be read consistently and prayerfully. Without prayer our faith is not fed as God intended for it to be and our Bible reading will not produce spiritual maturity. This is why effective Bible study must be accompanied by earnest prayer. Talk to God honestly and don’t hold anything back. He wants to hear and help you grow and will make the power and truth of His Word evident to you as you read.
- Fellowship with other believers on a consistent basis. We need the support of our Christian brothers and sisters and we need to be involved in a local body of believers if we are to grow and be successful. This local body of believers is more commonly called a church although the actual building itself is not important. What is important about your church is that Christ is preached and that the Bible is the final authority for all decisions. Finding and joining a Christ-centered church should give you the opportunity to hear the teaching and preaching of mature saints of God while at the same time building a necessary support network of praying brothers and sisters.
- Tell others about your faith. Jesus’ last command to us was to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). In order to be effective at making disciples we must be trained and taught and we must be strongly rooted in our faith. In other words, if we haven’t focused on steps 1 through 3 of this list then our ability to carry out step 4 will be weak. Presenting the plan of salvation to a lost person is extremely important but it is only the beginning step in making a disciple. New Christians must be nurtured and taught in much the same way that a child is raised by loving family members.