Journey

When you say Yes to Jesus, you do not arrive at a destination; you embark on a journey. Your life could radically change in an instant or like my experience it very much could feel the same at the beginning. Everyone's salvation experience is different, just like everyone's journey in their walk with God will be different. No two people are the same; we were created by God in His image, in our own unique way, with all of these beautiful differences that make us who we are. Each one of us is His favorite! I know it's hard to believe since God has SO many kids, but it's true! God can relate to each of us as if we were His only child; we are the apple of His eye! Live life knowing this about how God thinks of you and sees you. You don't have to strive to be in good standing with God. He does not love us based on works but just on the fact that we are His kids.

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I want to encourage you to embrace the journey, the ups, and downs, the learning and growing. Believing in Jesus does not mean that you will now live a perfect life without any issues, but it does mean you will not be doing life alone. You have access to the Father anytime your heart desires to be in His presence. You can ask God questions and hear from Him. You have been reconciled to the Father, and His desire is to be actively involved in your life; how much will be up to you.

Since the Bible is a living book, it is filled with insight and revelation; it's almost like an onion where you peel away layers the more you read it and get to know God. You could read the same passages for a year, and the next day when you go to read those same passages, you will see something you never even noticed before! The Holy Spirit will highlight things for you at just the right time, as God speaks to us through the Bible. Be very aware of scriptures that touch your heart or stand out to you; that could be God speaking to you!

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The Bible says that God's sheep hear His voice. You can hear God in ways other than reading the Bible. A still, small voice inside, things you come across in your everyday life that stand out to you, or a nudge or pull on the inside are a few ways God can speak to us. The more you get to know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit you will learn their voice and it will become easier to be led by them.

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Be led by how you feel inside when it comes to a church you may choose to go to or ministries you choose to listen to online. Do you feel peace inside? Don't worry about believing something and then later changing your mind. It is part of maturing in the Lord. I recommend checking things you learn from churches or ministries against what the Bible says. We can't just believe what everyone tells us. We need to check things out for ourselves. On that note, no one person will have perfect revelation of what the Bible says without anything coming forth from filters they have in their lives or just a wrong understanding of what the Bible says. They are sharing with you to the best of their ability what they believe the Bible to say. Have grace for them and be ok being in a community with others you may not 100% agree with, but you will want to agree with the big things that matter to you. Ultimately, God will lead you as to where to go and those whom he has for you to be in community with.

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God does not expect perfection out of us, Jesus is the only perfect one and we are now joined with Him, and that is good enough for God. His desire is a willing heart to be taught by His Holy Spirit. Keeping that in mind, being part of a community of believers is valuable, especially when starting your walk. If you can't find a church you resonate with in person, try finding a ministry you feel connected to online. Maybe you have some Christian friends you already know, or maybe try and join a Christian outreach to make other like-minded friends to be in community with.

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Be open and honest with God, don't be afraid to share things with Him. One of His favorite things is for us to be vulnerable with Him. He can take whatever it is we have to say. He doesn't want us to be fake or try and hide how we feel with Him.

You will make mistakes along the way, be kind to yourself when you do. There is no condemnation in Christ, if you are feeling condemned that is not God.

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One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Romans 8:28 - God works all things together for the good of those who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose. ALL THINGS! The good, bad, and ugly, He works together for our good. How, when, etc, is up to Him but we can trust the word to be true and that this will happen.

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Experiences compared to what the Bible says. This is a big one. We can't lessen what is written in the Bible compared to what we experience in our lives. The Bible is true no matter what we experience in our lives. For example, the Bible talks a lot about healing. Let's say you pray for someone to be healed, yet they don't get healed. That 100% does not mean that God does not heal. It's a mystery why some get healed, and some don't, but we choose to carry on believing that at some point, all will be healed just like they were when Jesus prayed for them. The Bible also says that Faith pleases God. Keep having Faith in Him and what His word says, and you will please God!

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Another little tip for your journey is that we are all referred to in the Bible as Sons of God; this is not a gender thing but rather a position that we hold now as believers in Jesus. We are all referred to as the Bride of Christ as well, again a position and not a gender. Often when man is used in the Bible, it refers to both genders, not just males.

These are all just little things that I would have loved to know back when I started out on my journey. I hope they will be a blessing to you on yours!