Get a Bible and begin to read every day from God's Word
You can purchase a Bible at a bookstore or online and select a translation that is easy for you to read and comprehend. Two popular modern translations include (but are not limited to) the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT). There are some excellent apps as well you can download to read and listen to the Bible. One of the popular Bible apps is the You Version Bible app which can be found on the App Store, Google Play, or at www.youversion.com. With this app, you will be able to read and listen audibly to the Bible, and there are other nice features to help with your daily Bible reading. If you've not read the Bible yet, you may want to start with the New Testament in the book of Matthew and read through to the book of Revelation. Some concepts will be easy to understand right away, and some will take some time to learn. God will help you understand the Bible more and more as you read it daily. There are also Bible reading plans that you can subscribe to that will give guidance on what you can read daily. The Bible contains God's holy Word that will nourish you spiritually, and give you great wisdom and direction for your life.
Get baptized by full water immersion as taught in the Bible
Jesus said "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" Mark 16:16 NIV. Notice the Scripture puts the believing first, then baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of something that has happened on the inside - it's something you do now that you have repented and asked Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. With baptism you are making a public statement that you are wholeheartedly committed to God, that you have repented of your sins, that you are burying the old self and putting on the new self by dedicating your life to Christ, and it represents how Jesus washed away your sins. It is a very powerful experience!
Ask God for the filling and baptism of the Holy Spirit
In the Bible, Jesus said "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you" (John 14-16:17 NASB). What a wonderful promise from the Lord...He sent His Holy Spirit to be WITH us and live IN us! As a believer in Jesus, God wants to fill and empower you with His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person and a member of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). When you asked the Lord Jesus into your heart to be saved, His Spirit comes into your heart and joins with your spirit. The Bible says "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out "Abba, Father". The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:15-17 NKJV). The Holy Spirit gives you a knowing in your heart that you are a child of God.
God also wants us to be filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a powerful experience. This is where Jesus fills and baptizes you with the power of the Holy Spirit to equip and empower you to do God's will in your life. The Holy Spirit's power will help you in so many ways such as being an effective witness for Jesus, helping in your prayer life, to have greater intimacy and strength in your walk with God, to help you in daily life, and to help you flow in the gifts of the Spirit as He wills. You can also continually be filled with the Holy Spirit in a number of ways by asking God for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit, and through prayer, praise and worship to God in the Spirit.
The Biblical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues (Acts 2:4). Just as when we grew up we learned a natural language, when you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, God also has a heavenly language for you. There is a lot to understand about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, however to start just know that as a believer God will fill you with His precious Holy Spirit by asking Him and that the He will help us in our life with every need we have and empower us to help others. The Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent His Spirit to be with us on this earth. Some Bible references about the baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit include....
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NLT).
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4 NKJV)
"For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself." (Acts 2:39 AMP)
"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:17-20)
A simple prayer to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit is "Lord Jesus, I ask that You fill me and baptize me with the Holy Spirit and fire with the Biblical evidence of speaking with other tongues, by faith I now receive and thank You for the baptism of the Holy Spirit". After you pray this prayer, simply believe in your heart that you receive the promise of the Holy Spirit and begin to practice speaking in the heavenly language He gives you from your heart. You won't understand it with your head because it's a heavenly language (tongues). This is what the Bible refers to as praying in the Spirit. You can also sing to God in the Spirit with the heavenly language He gives you. Speaking in tongues You can also ask God to continually fill you with the Holy Spirit which will bring strength and refreshing to your heart.
There are so many wonderful things to know about the person, the work, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit that you can study in the Bible. For additional reading, the books and teachings by Kenneth E. Hagin are excellent additional resources. His book called Baptism of the Holy Spirit can be found on Amazon by clicking here, and his book on the Holy Spirit and His Gifts can be found on Amazon by clicking here .
Take some time every day to pray
Get to know God through prayer. As you pray daily, you will learn more about God, His will, and His wonderful Presence in your life. Be yourself when you pray, and open your heart to God because He loves you! The Bible will teach you how to pray more and more effectively. In the Bible Jesus taught us to pray to the Father in His name. Use your prayer time as a time to get to know God personally, to worship Him, to give God thanks, to pray for others, and to ask and believe God specifically for what you need in your life. He is the God who still works miracles today, and he will respond to your faith in Him and His Word. Remember to be patient and wait on the Lord for the things you are praying about. God loves to answer prayer and blesses those who pursue Him! Keep in mind, God wants you to know Him personally and have fellowship with Him, this is a wonderful blessing to being a Christian. God still answers prayer and performs miracles today!
Confess your sin to God
If you commit a sin after you have become a Christian, confess your sin to God, repent and ask His forgiveness. Do your best to live your life in a way that brings glory of God, and do your best to avoid sin and tempting situations. However if you should sin as a Christian, God has given us a wonderful promise in the Bible that says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NIV). It's important not to use this Bible verse as an excuse for sinning, however thank God He knows our heart and as we stay repentant and humble before Him, He is there to forgive, strengthen, and help us. So just as you began your walk with God with repentance, continue to confess your sins straight to God when you fail and He will cleanse you. You can also ask him for the strength to overcome sin and the things that drag us down and He will help you!
Forgive others as the Lord forgave you
The Bible says "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15). God forgave us a debt we could never repay, so He expects us to forgive others and walk in love as He does toward us. You may say "but you don't know what he or she did to me". I can confidently say that most of us have in some way been hurt - and sometimes very badly by other people at some point in our life. However, when we make the choice to forgive everyone and anyone of what they have done to us, it opens the door for God to continually forgive us when we repent and confess our sins to Him. I believe forgiveness is a choice, and sometimes it may take a while for the feeling of forgiveness to settle in. Remember this - forgiving someone doesn't make them right, but it frees your heart of the weight of bitterness and anger. God will even give you the strength to pray for those who have offended you. It's also important that after you've confessed and repented of a sin to God to forgive yourself. This will being a tremendous amount of healing. God loves you and He wants to lift the burdens of sin off your heart. Choosing to walk in forgiveness toward others and toward ourselves is so important in that process.
Find a strong local church
Find a strong local church that worships God and teaches the Bible in ways that will help you grow as a Christian. The Bible says that "We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming." (Hebrews 10:25 - Gods Word Translation). It's important to pray and ask God to lead you to the right church. Find a church that's alive spiritually and teaches the full Gospel, that believes that Jesus saves, heals, guides us, and a church that believes in the baptism and power of the Holy Spirit. So many churches have great websites that you can look over to help you in your decision. As you are faithful in your attendance you will be blessed, and you can get involved and volunteer in areas where you can help them. God has given us all gifts to use to help and serve others. It's in giving and serving that you will strengthen your faith and be blessed back in so many ways.
Ask God to send some new Christian friends into your life
Your home church is a great place to find some new friends. However God can lead you to new friends anywhere. This is a prayer that I believe that God wants to answer and will answer for you. Having Christian friends will encourage you and enrich your life in so many ways, and you can do the same for them!
Tell people about Jesus Christ
The Bible says "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30 NKJV). We are all called to be soulwinners. By you sharing your testimony of what God did for you it will help strengthen your faith and can help someone get saved, to develop a personal relationship with God as well, and experience the same joy and assurance of heaven that you have through Jesus Christ. It is an amazing honor to be used by God to lead someone to the Lord!
Ask God to reveal His plan for your life
The Bible has a lot of guidance for us to help navigate through life. There is a lot of specific direction the Bible provides for how we are to live our lives. The Bible also says that God has a specific plan for our lives and that He will guide us. There is something unique that God has called you to do. God has equipped you with gifts and abilities to serve Him while helping people and earning a living. Here's some Bible Scriptures to confirm that...
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jerimiah 29:11 NIV)
"However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" - the things God has prepared for those who love him -these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV)
"Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land." (Psalms 25:12-13 NLT)
"The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8 NLT)
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." (John 16:13 NLT)
"Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you. making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling. what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." Ephesians 1:15-21 NKJV)
These Scriptures give assurance that you can confidently pray for God to guide you in your life and grant you wisdom and revelation, and He will answer that prayer! God can speak to you and give you guidance in multiple ways - through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your heart, through reading and listening to the Bible, in dreams, by speaking through other people (which should confirm what God is already telling your heart), and there are other ways He can speak to us. Be patient with God to reveal His plan to you. Just like a farmer plants seeds and patiently waits for a harvest, so we should be patient for God to work His plan through our lives. Do the best you know how to do each day in the Lord and He will continually reveal more to you as you go on in your walk with the Lord.
The primary way God speaks to you is through the leading of the Holy Spirit in your heart. We'll talk about that more in the next point.
Follow the Holy Spirit's leading in your heart
God will lead you daily. As we take time to pray and read the Bible daily we will recognize His voice more clearly. The main way He will lead you is by the Holy Spirit in your spirit (your heart). Here's some Bible scriptures to encourage you that He will lead you...
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." (John 16:13 NLT)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6 NIV)
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Romans 8:14 NLT)
"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." (Psalms 48:14 NIV)
When God leads you, he puts a knowing of what to do in your heart. We all have a spirit (your inner person), a soul (your mind, will, and emotions), and we live inside a body. God is a spirit and when He leads you He leads you in your spirit, which can be known as your heart. As stated before as you read the Bible and pray, God's voice will become more clear to you, and also as we listen and obey His voice. However keep in mind there's a lot of simple and easy to understand guidance that God has already given us in the Bible that we can do daily. And as we need more specific leading, He will provide that by His Spirit in the heart of the Christian who follows Jesus.
Align your thoughts and words with Gods Word
God's word has mighty power and victory, and God wants you to have victory in every area of your life! As we spend time with God in prayer and reading the Bible, God's wisdom will transform your heart, mind and words. And it's important that we yield to God and allow Him to transform us day by day to be more like Jesus. As we are transformed to be more like Jesus day by day, we will walk in God's power and supernatural victory that Jesus paid for on the cross.
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice. acceptable to God. which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21 NASB)
"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea', and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:23-25 NKJV).
So we can also see that our choice of words is very important. Instead of saying the things we used to when we weren't saved, let's allow God to transform our words to line up with His Word. The Bible teaches that the things we say are the things we are going to experience. This doesn't need to be a negative thing. We can speak words of life from God's Word and we will experience and reap blessing from the Lord! It's important to choose our words wisely.
Walk and grow in love
God's love for people is so amazing, and He wants to fill us with His love. The Bible says "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". (Romans 5:8 NLT). God loves us so much that even when we were sinners Jesus came and died for our sins. He also wants us to show love back to Him and to other people. Jesus was asked " 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'." (Matthew 22:36-39 NIV). The Bible is very clear about how important it is to live a lifestyle of loving God and loving people. Another great prayer is to ask God to fill you with His love for Him and for other people. There's so much to say about the topic of God's love. This is a great Bible study topic. In your study you'll find that a great chapter in the Bible to read about love is in 1 Corinthians 13. As we love God and are filled continually with the Holy Spirit, He will fill you and help you love others. You will find that when we have genuine love and care for people how that will positively impact them, and can even change their lives. Always remember how much God loves you!
Some final thoughts...
Remember that it takes time to develop a personal relationship with God, but the process is wonderful! God wants to have fellowship with you and a relationship with you, and you with Him. Always remember how much He loves you. Similar to the athlete that goes into training for an event, we also are in spiritual training and as we grow closer to God we will get stronger and stronger to walk according to His perfect will for our lives. God has given you specific gifts to be a blessing to the world around you. You'll find that serving God is much more exciting and fulfilling than our old way of life, and it has eternal rewards!
Congratulations on your new walk with God! Remember to quickly find a good church to attend each week. This will help you develop and stay strong as a Christian.
We pray that God will lead you in His perfect will for your life and bless you abundantly, in Jesus' Name - Amen!