New to the Faith?
If you recently told Jesus that you were sorry for your sins and
You believed in Him enough to invite Him into your heart, then you are truly saved or born again. Congratulations!
So, what does it mean to be saved?
In a nutshell, you have been rescued from the punishment for breaking God’s law. Any sin that is on your record in heaven has been wiped totally clean. If you read Romans 3:23 you will see that all of us have broken God’s law and have fallen short of His expectation for us. In God’s eyes there is a consequence for breaking His law. Somebody has to shed blood and die. Fortunately for us God allowed His Son Jesus to shed His blood and die on the cross to save us from having to die for our sins. That is what the scripture in John 3:16 is all about. It says God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish (die) but have everlasting life. If we invite the Son into our hearts we get the everlasting or eternal life. (1 John 5:11,12) Eternal life means we get to live with Jesus forever.
You Are Saved By Faith
Think of faith in two ways.
• First you have to believe (accept as true and take personally) that Jesus died and rose for your sins.
• Secondly, you have to act on that belief and invite Jesus to live in your heart.
• When you put the belief and the action together, that’s faith.(Ephesians 2:8)
BELIEF + ACTION = FAITH
When You Are Saved You Become A New Creature
In the Bible in John 3:3, Jesus said “you must be born again”. Being born again means you let your old sinful self die just like Jesus died on the cross and you allow Jesus to rise up in you just like he rose up from the grave. Jesus rose from the grave with all power and when he moves into your heart at your request, He moves in with changing power.
The change from the old you to the new you begins the moment you invite Christ in and continues to happen as you believe and obey God’s word. For me the Lord miraculously took the taste for alcohol out of my mouth the moment He came into my heart and has since then been working on the other issues of my life one day at a time.
| |  Keys to help you change and grow in Christ.
• Exercise your faith
• Refuse to worry about how fast you grow
• Don’t compare
• Follow God’s special plan for you
• Be quick to apologize and to accept God’s forgiveness when you mess up
• Don’t take it personally when people run from the new creature; prepare for new connections with people who love Jesus like you do. 
• Spend time getting to know the one you invited to live inside your heart
• Thank and praise God often
• Don’t be shy in your time of fellowship with the Lord. Share everything with Him and ask Him anything believing that He will answer.
• Don’t make your time with GOD a one way conversation. Take time to be still and let him impress your mind with His thoughts.
• Read His word, the Bible like you were studying for a test. Even if you don’t understand it, put it in anyway. Go to the table of contents and put a post it note there to help you find your way. Get a translation of the Bible that is easy to understand like the New King James Version or the New Living Translation.
• Resist the temptation to figure it all out for your self. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Find a church home where you can be nurtured, encouraged, taught and shown how to live a life pleasing to God. You will know you are in the right place when you feel loved and hear the truth straight from the Bible. Another good sign is a praising church. When God’s people come together and praise, God really shows up.
• Know that you are a work in progress and that God will not quit on you. He will work on you until the day Jesus Christ returns. Just face it. He’s the master and he is working on a masterpiece. That’s you!
• Read the following scriptures and be sure to order a copy of “The Way of Salvation” or any of the other titles in the
Plain Gospel Publication series. These short, easy to read booklets are designed to aid you in your walk with the Lord.
*Romans 3:23 *Romans 6:23 *John 3:16
*Romans 10:9,10 *1 John 5:11,12 *Ephesians 2:12 *2Corinthians 5:17 *John 3:3 *1 John 1:9*
*Jeremiah 29:11 *Psalms 100:4 *Psalms 34
*Psalms 139 *Matthew 6:10
*Psalms 16:11 *2 Timothy 2:15 *Psalms 92:13
*Hebrews 10:25 *Psalms 22:3 *Philippians 1:6
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