New-ish to the faith

[humbleservant86]

Hello fellow Baptists! :wave:

I have recently had a renewed interest in my faith. I used to "believe" in God, but I never cared very much.

That has changed now though and I am actually very interested in learning about God and experiencing His love!!

I have started to attend church every Sunday, but other than that, what can I be doing? :scratch: Just things in my day to day life. Stuff that other 19-year-olds mess up on when trying to follow Christ?

I hope to get to know all of you!

[sneezingleopard]

This happened to me also when I was your age. All I can say is that since that time, god has changed my life completely for the better. Peace and love out to you and your journey sister. God calls for us to love hime above all else. A great way to get to know god is to learn to study his word, read the bible daily, study jesus' teachings on prayer, pray any chance you get, make friends with others at your church and fellowship with them often. Ask your pastor about opportunities and ways you can help out and get involved in oyur church. They may have classes, outreach, bible study groups, prayer groups etc.
In Christ,
Matthew

[aReformedPatriot]

Hello fellow Baptists! :wave:

I have recently had a renewed interest in my faith. I used to "believe" in God, but I never cared very much.

That has changed now though and I am actually very interested in learning about God and experiencing His love!!

I have started to attend church every Sunday, but other than that, what can I be doing? :scratch: Just things in my day to day life. Stuff that other 19-year-olds mess up on when trying to follow Christ?

I hope to get to know all of you!

Begin to allow the Holy Ghost to transform you by the renewing of your mind. That is to say, start casting away all the things that lead to sin and begin focusing on holy things. I would encourage you to get a strong grasp of who Christ is and his mission. No doubt you already know he died for your sins and stuff, but there is more to Christ than that. Begin to read the Gospels and begin to pray.

Remember, you live for God not for any other thing or person. Begin to mirror God in your life as you are created in his image.

:clap: I rejoice over you.

:prayer:

- Mark

[arunma]

Hello fellow Baptists! :wave:

I have recently had a renewed interest in my faith. I used to "believe" in God, but I never cared very much.

That has changed now though and I am actually very interested in learning about God and experiencing His love!!

I have started to attend church every Sunday, but other than that, what can I be doing? :scratch: Just things in my day to day life. Stuff that other 19-year-olds mess up on when trying to follow Christ?

I hope to get to know all of you!

If you're in college, your church probably has a college outreach ministry (it might be called something else). You should probably join, because it would be a great way to meet other believers. Also, most moderately sized churches have small groups. Joining one would be an excellent way to develop deeper fellowship. I just joined one this year, and it's great.

[daveleau]

Hello fellow Baptists! :wave:

I have recently had a renewed interest in my faith. I used to "believe" in God, but I never cared very much.

That has changed now though and I am actually very interested in learning about God and experiencing His love!!

I have started to attend church every Sunday, but other than that, what can I be doing? :scratch: Just things in my day to day life. Stuff that other 19-year-olds mess up on when trying to follow Christ?

I hope to get to know all of you!

Welcome! I am so glad to hear about your desire to follow God.

Things that can help you grow as a Christian:
- Read a little of the Bible every day or as many days a week that you can. Try a small devotional book like Utmost For His Highest. You can pick up a copy from WalMart for a $4 or any bookstore. Or, you can get it online here: http://www.rbc.org/utmost/

- Remember the greatest commandments:
Mat 22:35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
Mat 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Mat 22:37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Mat 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Mat 22:40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."


- Put up reminders in the bathroom and in the car (or other convenient places) that mention prayer. Prayer is a superb way to grow. You don't have to say anything from memory, but just talk to God and ask Him to guide you and thank Him for all He's done for you. Psalms is a great example of prayer, but again, you don't have to recite anything. Just talk to God.

I pray that you will be blessed by your new commitment.
God bless you,
Dave

[£amb]

Hello fellow Baptists! :wave:

I have recently had a renewed interest in my faith. I used to "believe" in God, but I never cared very much.

That has changed now though and I am actually very interested in learning about God and experiencing His love!!

I have started to attend church every Sunday, but other than that, what can I be doing? :scratch: Just things in my day to day life. Stuff that other 19-year-olds mess up on when trying to follow Christ?

I hope to get to know all of you!

Welcome...:wave: You will hear this alot, but get yourself into a daily study of the bible. Get yourself familiar with it. If you don't have one available then you will find the bible on the internet, any version you're interested in. And definately get yourself involved with a fellowship group if you have not already done so. It's great to have friends that share a common bond with you and you can be held accountable to. They can help you with any problem because they may have run into the same thing themselves and could give you some godly advice into handling a situation. Besides, you can always ask away here any questions...:)

[seebs]

At the church I go to, there are folding doors; when people are coming in, the doors are folded aside, and there's a sign you see as you enter the meeting room, saying "Please enter in the spirit of worship." During worship, the doors are closed. Then, when it is time to go, there's a sign on the door, saying "Please enter in the spirit of worship."

Religion is in no way separate from your daily life. If you drive to work, drive as you believe Christ would want you to; let people merge in, don't hold onto anger at those who drive badly, don't cut across multiple lanes of traffic, remember to use your signals. If you eat in a restaurant, tip well. Be kind to your coworkers. Buy food for hungry people.

This is a way of life, not a once-a-week life insurance policy.

[mesue]

:clap: Welcome back!! :hug:


Read your Bible every day
and remember
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
this renews your mind and pushes the junk (stinkin' thinkin') out :)

[Joykins]

These are what I did at 19...

Make time for prayer and Bible reading.

Get involved in a small fellowship group, such as a Bible study with your church or a campus ministry aimed at your age group.

I wasn't the perfect Christian at 19 but the above kept me keepin' the faith :)

[steepfall]

Welcome :) you have the same story as me i also only came back to the Lord a couple of months ago and my advice from what i have learnt would be like everyone else on here read the bible as often as possible and just try to get as involved with your church as possible it is amazing the amount of support you get along your journey. God bless

[creidibh]

Read the Bible, look at your life and try and see how much it matches to the example Christ told us to follow.

Everyday I try to remember to love God, and humanity and everything else flows from there. Am I grateful to God? Am I living how he would want? Am I giving myself over to God or giving into sin? How am I treating other people? It is just? Is it caring, compassionate? Am I thinking about what I say or do before I say or do it so that I don't hurt people without intending to?

[lenny367]

I returned to the Lord just over a year ago, and can only endorse the comments about reading the bible and attending church regularly. I recently found a "prayer partner" and meet out of church once a week to discuss any concerns and pray together. That has been the greatest help as I resume my journey with The Lord

[humbleservant86]

Thank you everyone for you suggestions! They are wonderful!!! :)

[Flynmonkie]

:wave: It is wonderful to have you! Welcome to the board! You have a lot of really GREAT advice here! (From really neat people!) But I want to add.. what you did right now is perfect! Ask questions! You sometimes will get all sorts of answers, as that we all learn differently and no one person is perfectly right. But the next step is to look up the subject in the many great resources out there for this. Making sure you try everything you hear with prayer and study! But honestly, what I did was pray - now it is an all day occurrence. I talk to God no matter the circumstances as if he is an "imaginary" best friend. But He is not! He is even better than the real thing! I will never forget when the TV show “Joan of Arcadia” came out it cracked me up - at times it can be just like that for me. But not all people are like this in our forms of worship and prayer. He gives you everything you need exactly when you need it. He promises! I think also it is very important for you to know Gods promises to you. It has been the source of my strength. Because we cannot claim them, if we don’t know them--- is my motto!

There is a site Grace to you - By Charles Stanley (http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/exploring/promises/index_77684.html) that lists many of Gods promises by subject such as worry, or fear or leadership etc...that is a good place to start. At the very beginning things can become difficult in learning to walk with Him, but do not ever forget - all things can be overcome through Him. Have faith NO MATTER what seems daunting in your life. He is there - even when we don't understand - we know for certain He has a plan for our lives - trust in Him. That's what faith is all about!

So very glad you have joined us here! Looking forward to studying with you!

[JPPT1974]

Welcome my friend to Christianity.
Accepting Christ as your Savior & Lord is only the beginning of your Christian walk with Him.
Follow then in baptism and fellowshipping by joining a church.
Also reading the bible and prayer time.