Q&A: I’m a Christian, What’s Next?

This is a great question. I think Christians do a good job of professing the name of Jesus, but we dont do a great job at acting like Jesus. Once you get saved the holy spirit comes to live in you. Much like a tree, we are supposed to bear fruit. This is called the fruit of the spirit, these are outward markers that indicate that God is operating in you. The fruit of the spirit can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 the bible says:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

When we call ourselves Christians we’re supposed to be recognized by having the fruit that I just mentioned. Now some of us are stronger than others in different areas, so your development may look completely different from the development that someone else might need. And that’s okay, don’t get in the habit of beating yourself up about it. Just realize that the Holy Spirit is always working on you just keep showing up! 

I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior as a child. I grew up in a Christian school, I went to church on Sundays, fellowship on Saturdays, and bible study on Wednesdays. I’m not saying church is bad, it’s a great thing, but I was so busy with church as scheduled that I think 

I missed that I was the Tabernacle. 

I was the vessel in which God chose to dwell. I didn’t know how powerful I was, so I lived in fear. I didn’t know how loved I was, so I lived in a place of rejection, neglect, and abandonment. I didn’t know how intentional God was in creating me, so I thought something was wrong with me because I wasn’t like everyone else.

I spent so much time at church as a kid I dont think I ever thought about God outside of the 4 walls of the church and what he might want my life to look like. I just wanted to have a life. A life I would later ruin by not truly having a relationship with God. 

No one ever taught me how important it was to talk to God and to learn how to hear him. I always knew God spoke but I never heard him. I always knew the bible was his word but I didn’t understand it. I always knew people prayed but I didn’t know how useful and powerful prayer was.

It wasn’t until my life completely fell apart that I realized that God is real, Jesus is alive, and walking with Christ isn’t a to-do list, it’s a relationship. This isn’t about assigning blame, I’m just being honest about my experience, I’m sure the people who taught me just did the best they could and maybe no one taught them either. So if you’re newly saved or if you’re coming back to the faith let’s talk about what’s next! These are a few practical steps you can take to start building a strong relationship with God.

This is probably a given but I’ve noticed it’s always our small simple habits that are the most powerful and have the biggest impact on our lives. Our small habits are usually the easiest to overlook, disregard, and be lazy about. In Song Of Solomon 2:15, The bible says: 

“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” 

When foxes get into a vineyard they dig little burrows in the ground, tear up the roots of the plants, and destroy the entire vine. The foxes are hidden, tiny, and usually quiet so they’re easily overlooked. This means when your vineyard has foxes that you haven’t dealt with they will eventually destroy your fruit. It’s the same for bad habits they can go unnoticed because you’ve had them for so long. Your fruit is what God is trying to produce in you and through you. Bad habits left unchecked can destroy everything you are trying to build with God and can delay your move to what God has next for you.

So as I mentioned before, I didn’t know what salvation was outside of making it to heaven. When you truly experience Jesus you react to him. You have a desire to get rid of bad habits. You want to get up and do something because you can’t hold it in! 

In Luke 4:38-39  the bible shows us what a reaction to Jesus should look like. Jesus went into Peter’s house and Peter’s mother-in-law was sick, Jesus fully healed her and she got up and immediately began to serve him. That’s what our reaction should be when we meet Jesus, we can’t help but serve him! Jesus teaches us love in accepting us while we are still sinners. I dont know about you but I dont deserve what Jesus did for me. So because Jesus loved me first I love him in response. Love is a verb to love properly requires action.

So what Foxes do we need to eradicate so we can serve, love, and BE like Jesus?

Fox 1: Putting your desires before God’s- Knowing what God wants for your life can be difficult. The best way to know God’s will is to spend time with him and make that time a priority. When he prompts you to make changes follow his lead. God knows what we don’t, and following his will ensures we are kept from the enemy’s traps. The Bible says:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

If you’re looking for a change in your life, seek God first follow the promptings of the holy spirit, and allow your heart to be transformed. In that process, God will begin to develop fruit in your life that will either change your circumstances or change your attitude about your circumstances. A constant question for the Christian should be am I following God or is God following me? Learn to prioritize Jesus

Fox 2: Skipping Prayer- A weak Christian is a Christian who does not pray. It’s not the Holy Spirit in you who’s weak, it’s the lack of using the Holy Spirit’s power that makes you weak. You have the power that Jesus had but you can feel powerless if you dont pray. Prayer is one of our weapons! Jesus wasn’t a violent man, he preached peace, love, and repentance. But when explaining his power in Matthew 25:53 Jesus says: 

Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?

As a child, prayer was just something I did it was just part of a checklist before the preacher spoke. I only prayed because it was built into my church schedule. I was going through the motions of a Christian life without a relationship with Jesus. I didn’t bear any fruit. I dont want that for you. 

Pray often and openly to God because prayer is where your power is!

Fox 3: Not reading the bible-  Spending time in God’s word wasn’t an exercise that was displayed or discussed outside of church. If you want to hear God learn his character and how much he loves you you’ve gotta read his word. 

When I talk to people about what that looks like for them I usually get a few blank stares and confusion. People seem to be genuinely confused about what the bible says especially as it pertains to the King James version of the bible. Certain translations can be very difficult to understand because our language is different. But the trick is to get the right bible! 

A lot of people dont know that there are different translations of the Bible out there. One that I love is the Quest Study Bible. It’s written in NIV so it’s plain English and easy to understand. The Quest Study Bible has references, explanations, and commonly asked questions. When I did my first full bible read this was the bible I read! Getting the right translation can change how you consume God’s word. Dont worry about having to read a different translation from anyone else. You do what you need to do to consume God’s word. Remember, in Proverbs 29:23 the bible says:

A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Don’t let people shame you because you can’t understand the King James Version of the bible. I’m here to encourage you, God will honor you and meet you where you are. Don’t allow anyone with arrogant intelligence to discourage you! No one knows more than God and you have the mind of Christ! All you need to do is study and show yourself approved, the Holy Spirit will teach you and guide you every time you seek God’s face! 

Fox 4: Skipping Worship- When I was younger worship only happened when I was with God’s people. Learning how to get in God’s presence is a game changer. God is a gentleman he does not interrupt you and he won’t intrude. God wants to be invited into your life. God is always present but many of us go way too long without sitting in his presence. Worship is the one thing we give back to God. Time isn’t ours our gifts are from him and he put the breath in our lungs and woke us up. Worshipping God fixes your focus on him and allows the troubles of this life to be put into perspective. Getting into God’s presence in worship is healing for our spirits. But remember worship isn’t about us, it’s about giving God what he deserves, we were created to worship. Every day God gives us is an occasion to worship him! In Revelation 4:11 the bible says:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Being able to worship God is a privilege provided only to his children. God doesn’t owe us anything, especially not his presence. When we get saved or re-dedicate our lives to Christ learning to get in God’s presence is one of the most important things we can do. When God’s presence falls on us all of our cares, worries, and wants become prioritized under the presence of God and the thing that you were once concerned about can’t get put above God. 

God is in control and worship is a great reminder of his authority!

Fox 5: Not Fasting-  Humans don’t like fasting. Going without food isn’t fun, God gave us tastebuds and a desire for community for a reason. The benefits of spiritual fasting, far outweigh the costs. Fasting is a way to lean into God’s presence by substituting food for time with God. In Psalm 35:13 King David says, he “afflicted himself with fasting”. 

Pushing back your plate in fasting makes you more sensitive to God’s presence. Fasting helps with spiritual breakthroughs, deliverance, increasing discernment, and can help bring both heart healing and physical healing. Fasting isn’t about bribing God it’s all about seeking him. In fasting, God isn’t moving closer to us but we are moving closer to him.

In Luke 5:34-35, Jesus was being questioned about why his disciples weren’t fasting, he responded: 

“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

Jesus explained that fasting was not needed while his physical presence was available but after he was gone fasting would be required. God is the only one who sustains us fasting is a reminder to our flesh that it is God’s spirit that keeps us. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus reminds us

“…Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

As Christians, we have to learn to be more spiritually dependent on God than we are physically dependent on the things of this world. 

Fox 6: No Church home- Find a church and keep going!  This point is plain simple and easy, your spirit needs to be fed consistently. We are built for community. It took me a couple of tries and a lot of prayer before I found the right church. I made a list of all of the churches that were in my area and began to visit them until I found the right fit. It may take some trial and error but that’s ok! Your parent’s church may not be your church. Just dont get discouraged and when trying on a church try it for a couple of weeks before you change. Personally, if I dont feel corrected or feel a need to repent within that few weeks, I know I’m probably in the wrong church. Show up consistently trust that God will lead you and above all stay in prayer about where God wants you to go! In Matthew 18:20 the bible reminds us that God loves to commune with his people the bible says

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

God will show up when his children call on him. There’s just something that he loves about his people coming together, worshiping, and sitting under the teaching of his word. God can’t help but inhabit where his people are found praising and worshipping in his name.

Fox 7: Being in the world and of the world. Speaking of where his people are found that brings me to fox number 7. This is the core of today’s video because I believe that it is the singular thing that Christians today mess up. We tend to look too much like the world. 

We dont profess Jesus until someone has a song name demons or until a singer carries a pitchfork in a performance. People shouldn’t talk to you with any level of consistency and have to guess whether or not you’re a Christian. Of course, you don’t want to shove Jesus down anyone’s throat but you dont want to look so much like the world that people can’t tell the difference. The most important thing to do is to learn how to walk with Christ outside of the 4 walls of the church and make a difference in the world.

This is where the full impact of your walk with Christ will be found. Take me for instance, I used to smoke weed, so there were certain markers around me where if you spent any amount of time with me you could tell that is what I did. It wasn’t until I met Christ and he healed me that I was not able to interact with people who have habits that aren’t Christ-like but I am very clearly set apart to the point where people have stopped offering me to indulge in certain things but I’m still there to minister the Gospel. For you, this may look different as you interact with friends family, and coworkers. 

Learn to be okay with being different During my walk with Christ, my friends had to change and so did my environment but above all,

I’m not who I used to be because Jesus changed me and it shows!

Learn to walk like Christ, he was in the world eating with sinners but he was never of the world. Everyone isn’t called to ministry but all of us are called to the world. Developing your walk with Christ and how you interact with others is the most important thing you can learn to do. 

If you’re newly saved or if you’ve been saved since a child the most important thing you could do is,

Learn to be Christ-like with people who might look nothing like him!

Learn to talk about Jesus with people who need him. Learn when and how to be discrete and wise. Learn humility and how to take correction. Practice patience when it feels like you’ve completely run out. But above all things, the bible says to guard your heart. Learn how to walk so closely with God that you begin to identify the traps the enemy has set for you. If God is light and the enemy works in the dark that must mean that the light of God allows you to see the traps the enemy has set. When you walk close to the light the darkness can’t hurt you because you’re no longer ignorant or powerless to it.

Between Jesus’ public baptism and the start of his ministry, he went through a 40-day fast where he was continuously tested, we aren’t any different. When you first get saved the enemy knows that might be the best time to try to get you to backslide, because nothing has changed but your heart and desire for Christ. Temptation never stops but what is tempting to you can change. When you recommit your life to Christ or get saved, You still have the same friends, the same issues, and the same habits, that stuff takes time to change. 

Learn to deal with your little foxes so your vineyard flourishes and your fruit isn’t affected.