Maybe you are not a Christian, but you want to know what the Christian life is all about. Maybe you just put your faith in Jesus and want to know what comes next. Here are five lifelong habits that are part of every believer’s “walk with Christ.”
What does it mean to walk with Christ? Before sin ever entered the world, God walked among his people (Genesis 3:8). They had a relationship with him. When Adam and Eve chose to distrust and disobey God, they didn’t just break God’s law, they severed their relationship with him. Sin has the same effect in every one of our lives–it puts us under God’s judgment, not his favor. It makes us unable to walk with him or be close to him, because he is good, and we are sinful.
That’s why God sent Jesus to earth (John 3:16). In fact, Jesus’ own name means “God saves,” because “he [Jesus] will save his people from their sin” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus came to rescue us from sin in order that we might be restored to a right relationship with God (1 Timothy 2:5). When we understand that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and we put our faith in Jesus, God mends our relationship. He welcomes us to walk with him again, because our sin has been taken care of.
The Bible does not describe the life of faith in Jesus as a new religion filled with rules and regulations in order to please God. It describes the life of faith as a love relationship where we follow and fellowship with Jesus, obeying his Word, because of the love he has already shown us (Galatians 2:20). Like every relationship, your relationship with God will involve regular habits of communicating, and intentional investment of time. Let’s look at five core habits for your walk with Christ.
1. Listen to God
Start reading the Bible! The Bible is the primary way God communicates with us. It’s the way he speaks to us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He has told us of his character, thoughts, laws, desires, and plans in his Word. If you don’t know where to begin, start reading the book of John, which will introduce you to Jesus.
We recognize reading the Bible can be difficult—this is true for the new Christian, the 15-year-old Christian, or the Christian who has read the Bible all of their life! That’s part of why we created Bibles.net. We want to help you read the Bible, familiarizing you with some of the concepts that may seem foreign.
2. Talk to God
Pray! Prayer is talking to God. God has given those who have faith in Jesus the right to express ourselves to him at any time. We are his children, who he welcomes to come to him at any time for anything (Hebrews 4:16).
3. Meet Your New Family
Find a church! When God saves us, he brings us into his family—a new community of people transformed by Jesus’ work (Ephesians 2:18-20). This community is called the church. Churches gather together weekly all over the world to worship God. We share God as our Father and have a unique bond with each other because we are God’s family (Ephesians 4:4-6).
It’s very important that you’re connected with your family—that you get involved with a church that teaches the Bible and provides relationships and resources for you to grow in your relationship with God.
It’s in your family (a specific local church) where you hear biblical preaching. Biblical preaching is not a Bible study (as important as Bible study is!). Preaching is when one of the pastors of the church (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:1-7) takes a specific passage in the Bible, explains the main point, and applies it to your heart. The preaching of God’s Word has always been an important ministry of the local church. God intends it to be a blessing to your soul.
4. Get to Know People Who Know God
It’s vital that you have individual Christians in your life to whom you can turn if you have questions, who can challenge you, and who can have fun with you! Jesus called his followers disciples or apprentices (Matthew 28:18-20). Our relationship with God is a lifelong journey of learning and growing that we can’t do alone. If you don’t know of any other Christians near you, email us. We would be happy to help you find a local church, pray for you and with you, and answer any questions you might have. It would give us joy to rejoice over God’s work in your life.
5. Talk About God
God gave us the particular task of sharing his good news of salvation with others (Matthew 28:18-20). How will people know the good news if they don’t hear it, and how will they hear it if someone doesn’t tell them about it (Romans 10:13-14)?
Can you think of someone you know who needs to know the good news about what God has done for us through Jesus? As a first step, pray that God would give his gift of salvation to them. Then, consider sharing with them your own story of coming to faith in Jesus (Psalm 40:10). Or, share with them our page, What Is the Gospel?, introducing them to the good news about Jesus.