Whether you’ve just become a Christian, coming back to Christ after a period of doubt, trying to process the “big picture” or just need a refresher course, this could be the beginning of the most significant experience in your life.

The life Christ gives right now is abundantly richer and fuller than anything you can imagine. It is eternal life, yet it can begin immediately. Life in Christ is lived on a higher plane because of His forgiveness, love, and guidance. It’s all about “becoming.” Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). God really has an incredible plan for your life and has made every provision for you.

The following four key points are from the Chrysalis Believer’s Guidebook. You can get the entire free eBook here.

1. God’s Word
First and foremost, just as you eat food to sustain your natural life, the Bible is food for your spiritual life. Through His Word, God speaks to you and reveals His plan for your life. A great place to begin reading God’s Word is in the New Testament Gospel Book of John.

2. Prayer
Prayer sustains your life with God. Start each day with a few minutes in prayer asking to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Your conversation with God doesn’t need to be formal. Let God know of your experiences, circumstances, joy, excitement, good news – as well as all your problems and burdens – because He really is very interested in everything you do.

3. The Holy Spirit Empowered Life
Nothing on the journey will make any sense nor will it have any real eternal impact apart from the power and presence of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through your life. The Bible tells us that we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit for ministry and life (Romans 8:1-11; Galatians 5:16-25).

4. Spiritual Parenting
Every born-again Christian needs a spiritual father or spiritual mother in the faith (this is sometimes called “mentoring” or “discipling”). We all need an older, more spiritually mature person to help guide us on the journey.

Spiritual parenting is a part of God’s plan (2 Timothy 2:2). While a spiritual father or mother is never to take the place of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, becoming more like Christ can best be developed through a relationship with an older, more spiritually mature believer in the faith.

The Apostle Paul pointed out in I Corinthians 4:15, “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” Becoming spiritually mature fathers and mothers is our goal and we should never stop growing and continuing this process in the lives of others.

If you’re not already a member of a local church, I want to encourage you to get involved where the Word of God is faithfully taught. It is in the body of Christ, His Church, that you’ll find love and acceptance, instruction and guidance.

The journey will be filled with great adventure and great joy, but it does not mean that all your problems will be automatically solved. In fact you may find you have some new ones such as doubt right from the beginning! You will find that the devil, God’s very real enemy and yours, will try to destroy the work God is doing in you. He will try to make you seriously doubt your faith in Christ. We defeat Satan through the Word of God, the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony (Romans 8:34-39; Revelation 12:11). Follow the example of Jesus when He was tempted in the wilderness. Each time the devil tempted Him, He reminded Himself and Satan of God’s Word by quoting Scripture out loud (see Matthew 4:4-10).

Try and develop friendly relationships with other Christ-followers at your church. A church pastor can provide incredible guidance as you take next steps with the Lord.

May our gracious and loving Father God richly bless you on the journey. -Doug