Welcome to your new life in Jesus! 

You are more than likely receiving this book after someone shared the Gospel with you and you made Jesus the Lord of your life. You surrendered all to Jesus, and you are now born again. You might have randomly met this person at the grocery store, street corner, coffee shop, or restaurant. They might even be a co-worker, family member, or close friend. No matter your relationship to this person, we are excited to welcome you to your new life in Christ. 

You are at the start of a new life, and you will never see life the same as you did, because you now have the Spirit of God in you, and your spirit is now alive, as you were previously dead in your sin. You are now living more than at any other point in your life; actually, you have abundant and eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

Since you have eternal life upon making Jesus the Lord of your life, you don’t have to fear death. This is great news, as the fear of life after death is a common fear of many, but with Jesus, you now don’t have to fear death. “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

As you have this new life in Christ, it doesn’t mean that trials and challenges in life will disappear, but you now have answer for the trials in life, and the answer is Jesus. As He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). No longer do you have to turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, or being a better person in life to try and bring you comfort in your trials in life. You now have Jesus to help you in the midst of the trials. 

This devotional is a resource for you to build a foundation for your new life in Jesus. This is the start of your new life, and you can build from here. You can use this by yourself with God, with the person who led you to Christ, with someone from a local church, or with a mentor whom you trust. 

These next 10 days are a foundation and encouragement for you as you start this journey with God. Hopefully, this will help propel you in your walk with Christ in the days ahead.  

Community

We would like to encourage you to get connected to a local community of believers. This could be a church or a small group of people who are followers of Jesus. This is a biblical principle found in Scripture from the start of the church to today. “So, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46). Those who were followers of Jesus were meeting in homes and at the temple daily. This can apply to us today, as there is the opportunity to meet with others who have been seeking Jesus for a little while longer—to learn and grow with them. 

In addition to meeting with a group of believers, it is beneficial to meet with another Christian one-on-one to grow in Christ. It might be the person who led you to Christ. It could be someone you know who loves Jesus that you could start meeting with on a weekly basis. You might recall someone you know who loves Jesus, and you could tell them that you gave your life to Jesus and would like to start attending church with them and meeting regularly to get in the Word of God. This is important for your growth—getting connected to others who are in the family of God. This is a discipleship process that God wants to establish in your life.

The Bible

We want to encourage you to get the Bible and allow the Word of God to be your foundation of beliefs in the days ahead. The Bible is 100% true and is breathed by God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). There is the Old Testament and the New Testament. They are both books that apply to today, as we have a God Who doesn’t change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). You will see from the beginning to the end of the Bible that God wants a relationship with people, and that includes you. Allow this truth to be a guide as you study the Scriptures in the days ahead. 

Born Again

For whatever reason, you may have gotten this far into the introduction, and someone gave you this devotional, but you actually haven’t been born again yet.  Possibly someone shared the Gospel with you, and you said that you were not ready to give your life to Jesus. Today and this moment could be your moment. In the pages ahead, you will see the freedom and life that is found in those who are following Jesus. 

You, too, can have a new life in Jesus. You simply need to receive the grace of God, place your faith in Jesus, and surrender to Jesus as your Lord. Jesus died on the cross because He loves you and wants a relationship with you. He then rose from the grave to conquer death and is alive now, desiring to be in a relationship with you by faith. All you have to do today is say this prayer, “Jesus, I receive Your grace, I want You to be my Lord. I surrender. Forgive me of my sin; I turn away from my sin.” If you said that from your heart, you now have new life in Jesus. This devotional will make a lot more sense. 

If you are still interested about being a follower of Christ and still haven’t surrendered, then read the next several pages. I encourage you to follow Jesus with all your heart and start by praying the prayer above. 

Baptism

Since God has made you new on the inside, there is a desire to express this reality to the world around you. One step of faith in doing this is getting baptized. You may have been baptized as a child or before you surrendered to Jesus, but now you have surrendered, and the baptism will have meaning. 

You will want to be fully immersed in water, displaying that you are dead to sin (going under the water) and that you are alive to God (coming out of the water). This is a step of faith for your new life in Christ. Your receiving God’s grace and turning away from your old life with your confession of your faith that Jesus is Lord is the reason that you are born again. Baptism doesn’t make you born again, but it is a step of faith. 

Reach out to a friend, possibly the person who led you to Christ or a leader and get baptized as soon as possible to tell the world of your new life in Christ. You can get baptized in a pool, bathtub, or river, or at church. The location doesn’t matter; a surrendered heart and contact point of faith is what God is looking for. This also will be a good remembrance for you as you continue your walk with God.