You are a new creation!

Once you become a Christian there is a shift within you. You are born-again! You accepted Jesus, His love and His great sacrifice for you and now you want to live for Jesus! Are you wondering, "What now? How will my life change now that I'm a Christian?"

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the gift of Holy Spirit is given you.  You now have God’s power living in you.  The Holy Spirit helps you have faith and compassion. It convicts you of right and wrong and gives you the power to resist temptation and make choices to glorify God.

This doesn’t mean you are never tempted to do wrong or that you will never sin again. You can choose to ignore the power of the Holy Spirit in you. But as you continue to pray to God, spend time in His Word, and spend time with other Christians…as you turn your heart TOWARDS God, the more you will fully desire to serve and please God with your life.

As you do this, you will be filled with such joy and peace.  Your heart will be overwhelmed by what God has done for you and you will desire to put off your old, bad, self-serving habits and start living for Jesus.  You will understand that your old ways can’t fulfill you the way Jesus can.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

As the Holy Spirit lives in you and you walk with God, you will receive the fruit of the Spirit.  You will exhibit these traits:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22

How will becoming a Christian Make a Difference in your Life?

1. First – You can rest assured in God’s unconditional love

You no longer need to prove yourself or feel unworthy.  God loves you and He is FOR you! You find your identity in who God says you are. “This I KNOW: God is for me.” Psalm 56:9

2. You have unexplainable peace

Even when things are tough in life (and they still might be) you believe that since God is for you, He is never going to abandoned you and he is working all things out for your good, even if you don’t understand it all.  You trust God and know that HE IS GOOD. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

3. You belong

You are a member of the family of God. You are welcome here. There is great joy in finding other Christians to be in community with. “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

4. Your future is secure!

You are going to heaven!  Don’t be fooled…heaven and hell are real. And as a Christian you have the security that you are going to heaven to live with God eternally.  And quite frankly, heaven’s going to rock!!  What a great thing to look forward to!

Jesus said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

So How Do You Please God with Your Life?

God has done so much for us. So how do we live in grateful response for all he has done? You live according to His word and you glorify God with all you say and do.

In the Bible you will find many instructions for living. God left us these instructions for a few reasons:

1. To protect us from ourselves.
2. To teach us how to love others.
3. To enlarge the Family of God.
4. To Bring glory to God.

Did you notice that “To earn our salvation,” is NOT one of the reasons. We have been saved by grace.  However, grace is not opposed to our EFFORT to live a life worthy of God's gift, it is just opposed to EARNING the gift.

Following God’s Law

The 10 Commandments are found in the Bible and they are often called God’s Law.
The first four Commandments show us how to love God and the last 6 show us how to love others. Here they are:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Some people think that God's Laws are restrictive. They don’t want anyone telling them how to live.  But God’s laws are actually an act of love…put in place protect us. Take commandment #7, for example, “Do not commit adultery.” God desires to preserve marriages and save us from the pain that cheating can cause.  Or commandment #9 – which said another way says, “Do not lie.” God knows that lying hurts you and almost ALWAYS comes back to haunt the liar. You get the picture - God wants the best for you.

Jesus summarized the law like this:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" Matthew 22:37-39

In the Bible God also tells us to do the following:

• Forgive each other
• Care for the poor
• Fight for justice
• Be kind and compassionate
• Take care of the widows and orphans
• To tell others about Jesus
• And so much more

Go out into this big beautiful world with joy in your heart and Love God and Love Others.

Up Next:

You Belong in this Family! The moment you are saved you are welcomed into the family of God called the Church. Here are some tips on how to find a church.