Maybe you’ve heard it said a few different ways—getting saved, saying “yes” to Jesus, accepting Him into your heart, believing in Jesus, trusting Him. There are a lot of words people use for the moment someone starts following Jesus.
Maybe you’re reading this because you’re discovering you need Someone else to lead your life here on earth and forever into eternity. Maybe you’re realizing, “I need forgiveness, peace, direction, hope, and a fresh start.”
Jesus knew you would be here and that’s why He once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He also promised a way for you to “live life to the full.” Jesus wants to teach you what’s true, lead you to what’s good, and give you a meaningful life starting now and lasting forever.
All of this happens when you’re walking with Jesus in a relationship. Here’s how you can start walking with Jesus:
1. Talk with Him
Call it prayer or a conversation with God. He loves hearing from you and promises He hears you every time you talk to Him. You don’t have to sound spiritual, in fact, the more honest and from the heart, the better!
Start the conversation with God, keep it going, and keep it honest.
Example. Pray this in your own words.
God, I might not know a lot about You, but I want to talk to You.
Thank You for listening to me.
Thank You for caring about what’s going on in my heart and life.
I want to trust You with every area of my life.
I know I need You and want you to lead me from now on.
Please help me learn how to trust You more.
Amen.
2. Tell Someone Else
Your faith is personal, but it shouldn’t be private.
There’s research showing that people who talk about their faith publicly make greater progress in their spiritual journey. When you tell someone, something gets “real”—your faith becomes part of your actual life, not just a thought or moment. And think about it…when something great happens, you want to tell other people!
So…who should I tell?
Anyone, really! But here’s a suggestion: tell someone who already follows Jesus. It will make their day and now they can help you, pray for you, and encourage you as you make progress on your own faith journey.
If you want, you can even let us know you’ve decided to follow Jesus. We would love to celebrate you!
3. Find good people
Faith grows in community.
You need people around you who follow Jesus- people who remind you what’s true, encourage you when you’re discouraged, and help you move forward when you feel stuck.
Where do I find these people?
Church is a great place to start. But we know it can be intimidating. What should I look for? Look for a church that…
- Loves Jesus
- Teaches the Bible
- Welcomes you
If you want help finding a trusted church, look at a recommended list here. You don’t have to do this alone!
4. Open the Scriptures
The Bible is how God speaks to you.
If it seems like God is speaking to you right now- it’s because He is. And the good news? He wants to keep the conversation going.
It can be helpful to know a few things about the Bible. Here’s a quick roadmap:
- The Bible is one big book made up of 66 smaller books.
- It’s written by different authors, in different styles, or genres, across different times in history.
- Some books read like poetry, some like history, some like letters. Do you like a
- There are four biographies of Jesus, called the gospels. Each one offers a different perspective of Jesus, but all together really show us who Jesus is. Pick one below and ask one simple question as you read: “What does this show me about Jesus?”
Mark – Written for everyday people. His favorite word is “immediately.” Fast paced like an action movie.
Luke – Written by a doctor. His POV of Jesus’ life is detailed. He includes dates and times. Careful storytelling.
Matthew – He knew Jewish history, so he connects the dots between the Old Testament and Jesus’ life.
John – Completely unique. As Jesus’ best friend, John gives us closer details of Jesus.
5. Take a step
Life with Jesus looks like walking- daily steps of faith, surrender, and trust.
One Christian author describes this life with Jesus as “a long obedience in the same direction.” (Eugene Peterson. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.)
No instant perfection or overnight change. Just daily steps. So what’s your next step? Ask Jesus to guide you and our hope is that you respond “yes” to Him today and every day for a lifetime.
Your next step might be…
- Finding a Christian mentor
- Joining a small group
- Serving at church
- Listening to worship music
- Getting baptized
- Making something right with someone
- Forgiving someone