2 Corinthians 6:2 ...Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Don't put it off my friend, time is getting short and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Here is some simple advice, from someone who has traveled the same path you now find yourself on.
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Come as you are - don't wait until you are perfect, or you haveconquered a certain vice, or understood some finer point of theology. God will accept you as you are (warts and all), and start working with you from there.
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Stay in the relationship - don't expect immediate perfection of character, or some miraculous overnight transformation. God will justify you immediately (accept you as righteous), even though in practice you are not. This is because he applies the righteousness of Christ to you. However, sanctification (character change, becoming Holy and set apart by God) is a lifelong process. There will be much to learn, and many battles to face, as you are slowly purified. The more you co-operate the faster the change, but typically new Christians make many mistakes, and even mature Christian's are not above them. The important thing is to remain connected to God, andbuild that relationship by spending time with him in daily prayer and Bible study. He will take care of the rest, as he leads in your life.
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Find fellowship - If you take a lump of coal and separate it from the rest (on a barbecue), it gets cold. If you place it with the others, they all stay warm together. Don't try to be a lone star Christian - it doesn't work. Join a local Church group and make some friends. Leave the company of those who lead you into sin. Eventually, you will find that you have very little in common with some of your old friends, and even dislike their company - as you become less carnal, and more spiritual.
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Grow your faith - Like your physical body, your spiritual self needs food, it needs to breath, and it needs exercise. Bible study can be compared to feeding your spiritual self. Prayer can be characterized as the breath of the soul, and is also essential. However, you will become an overgrown,lazy, useless, and eventually faithless Christian, if you don't also exercise your faith by performing good works. This should come naturally, not in order to be saved, but because you are saved. If your heart is telling you to help that little old lady across the street - do it. Help those in need, do what you can, when you can. Faith without works is dead . Simple mental acknowledgment of the truth is not enough, you must manifest it in your own life, you must internalize it, you must live it .
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Be patient - it is common to become frustrated with a perceived lack of progress, or some elusive teaching you just can't seem to grasp. Also, being temporarily overcome by some sinyou thoughtyou had a handle on is common - especially for immature Christians. If you fall - get back up. Do it as many times as it takes. God will never leave you, or forsake you, as long as you are willing to keep trying. Nothing can snatch you out of his hand, but you can choose to leave.Cherished sinscan cause you to leaveyour relationship with God, so that you can practicethem in peace. There will be no peace when you sin, as long as the Holy Spirit is working in you, because it is one of his jobs to convict you of sin. You will grieve the Spirit, create a spiritual warfare within yourself, and will have to choose God or the sin eventually. Otherwise, the spiritual warfare becomes so intense, it may feel like it's tearing you apart. This is normal - when it happens let go of the sin, not God.
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Stay in the middle - the Christian walk can be compared to walking down a road. There is a ditch on either side of the road, and both are equally dangerous. One ditch (legalism) says you must do good works in order to be saved. The other ditch (presumption) says good works are totally not important, just presume upon God's grace, and live anyway you please (sin is acceptable). It is common for new Christians to stumble from ditch to ditch until they get their balance. Some never do, in fact there are whole Church's that like to wallow in one ditch or the other, and have institutionalized their errors. The truth lies between these two extremes. We are saved by grace, through faith,that's true -but faith without works is dead. God wants to save you from your sins, not in your sins. He is able to sanctify, as well as justify, those who come to him. Your acceptance is not based on your performance, but if you are truly in a relationship with God, your performance will become better and better over time.
I could go on and on, but I feel these things were helpful concepts to me over the years. May you grow in grace, and abound in love - the greatest gift!
Ken Rich
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Ken Rich
https://kenrich.me
updated by @ken-rich: 05/08/17 08:16:06PM
