Salvation Guide
What Just Happened to Me?
Welcome to the Family of God! Since you’re reading this, I assume you have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make! Deciding to commit your whole life to cultivating this relationship with your Savior from DAY ONE has put you on a path to an overcoming life!
You live in a new kingdom!
You are no longer under the power of darkness, sin, sickness, and death. God has taken you out of the hands of your enemy, Satan, and put you into the kingdom of His Son! In the Spirit, your address changed from Dead Dr. to Alive Ave. You can’t see it but it’s more real than what you can see. What a reason to celebrate! Even the angels are rejoicing today because you got saved! (Luke 15:10)
Satan has no right to control you anymore. You don’t belong to him. He’ll try to control you, but if you decide you are never going back to your old life, his reign is over. He’s no match for God, and God is your Father now. Our Father takes His family very seriously. If someone messes with you, they’re messing with Him. All of God’s favor and power are behind you. You are SAVED!
“ – for whoever touches you touches the apple of his (God’s) eye –“. Zechariah 2:8
You are a new creation!
This “you” has never existed before. You may look the same and feel the same, but you are new. Everything from your past is forgiven. The slate is wiped clean. But, it is deeper than forgiveness. You are born again, just like Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:3-8.
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. John 3:3-5 NLT
It is literally as if your life is starting over in God’s eyes. Yesterday, you were a sinner bound for hell; today, you are a saint bound for heaven and a partaker of every single promise God made to His children. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise!
What’s Next?
The trajectory of your new life in Christ is determined by what you do next. If you do nothing, over a period of time you will find yourself back where you started before you got saved. If you give your time, passion, and energy to growing in the Lord, amazing confidence and power will be yours!
“And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize–a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”
Matthew 11:12 AMPC
The key to an upward trajectory in God’s Kingdom is to seek Him as a precious prize, with the most ardent zeal and intense exertion. We are the “violent men” Jesus is speaking of in Matthew 11:12. We are not to be physically violent. One definition of the word violent in this verse is “fired up”. We have to be fired up about the things of God. Seeking God is not a hobby or some side thing in our lives. It is our reason for living! We are part of an ever-increasing kingdom. You can go continuously up from here by devoting yourself to violently seizing everything in God’s Kingdom.
Don’t waste any time! If you are a brand-new Christian, you can skip all those years of little growth and launch into a life of maturity and power! If you’ve been saved for years, let this be your tipping point. Make the decision today you are going to get serious about the things of God and get violent about possessing everything He has for you! It’s not too early and it’s not too late!
Be Baptized in the Holy Spirit
You need power to live in this world. There is power available. It is the same power Jesus poured out on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. It is the power of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Your human willpower and passion carry you only so far, so you must have a supernatural power to live this Christian life victoriously.
Jesus said He was sending us a Helper so great that it is better He leaves.
I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
John 16:5-7 NKJV
That is hard to fathom! How could anything be better for you than having Jesus around? This Helper is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. Jesus would be going back to His Father, but He would be sending the Holy Spirit to us to live IN us. Think about it. When Jesus was on this earth, he could only be in one place at one time. He was in a mortal body. Once he had been resurrected and ascended to His Father, He could send the Holy Spirit to live in every believer.
Every believer receives the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit at salvation. Romans 8:9 says, “…Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.” However, there is a second work of the Holy Spirit that follows being born again – the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this baptism is to receive power to witness and to live. The sign of receiving this baptism is speaking in other tongues.
How You Can Receive
First, you must believe this baptism is for you. If you are born again, the baptism is for you. Everything from God is received by faith. If you don’t believe, you won’t receive.
Follow the pattern in Scripture. Read for yourself how the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost and He is still being poured out today! Acts 2, 8, 9, 10, and 19 show how every believer was baptized in the Holy Spirit. . It is helpful to think of it as if the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a faucet that was opened on the Day of Pentecost. Now, the faucet is running. You only need to get under it and receive it! You do not need to beg for the baptism. You receive this gift by faith.
Someone may lay hands on you to receive. That is scriptural. Expect to receive when someone does lay hands on you. You can receive on your own in response to hearing the Word and developing faith to receive. Either way, once you receive, the Holy Spirit will enable you to speak with other tongues. You will feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit from your gut – not your head, but you must open your mouth and speak as He enables you. He will not speak for you. Once you open your mouth and begin to speak, the heavenly words begin to flow.
Finally, thank the Lord for the supernatural power to witness and to live! Thank Him for the gift of tongues! Now you can pray in tongues every day.
Read Your Bible Every Day
Read the Bible every day. Don’t read it as a religious requirement, but as a daily meal through which you receive power for the day. You wouldn’t go a whole day without giving your body food and you shouldn’t go a whole day without giving your spirit food. You don’t get religious points for the number of chapters you read each day – you get something much more valuable. You get knowledge and power from the scriptures you read, understand, believe, and put into practice in your life!
You must understand the Bible is not just a good book. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is Truth. It contains no error. It is completely reliable to guide your life. The Bible is God speaking to you today. Any teaching, any tradition, any popular opinion, any person, even your own thought, that speaks something contrary to what is contained in the Bible, is speaking a lie.
God’s Word is alive! It is not a dry, dead set of rules. It is a book of wisdom and instruction. When you search through the Word like you are in search of a great treasure, you find the path to an abundant life.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
God’s Word is like a mirror. It shows you yourself – without any filter. As you read the Word, you see areas of your life where you are in disobedience. You see attitudes and actions you have in your life that God has forbidden. Then, you can repent of those things and get in line with the Word. It’s not just corrective; it’s also instructive. The Word also shows you how to please God and walk in His blessings. The Word shows you how to succeed financially. The Word shows you how to have healthy relationships, how to be physically healthy, how to have peace and joy, and so much more!
Pray Every Day
There is a way to pray that draws you nearer to God, gets you answers, gets you desires of your heart, and gets you wisdom and power for any situation.
“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].”
James 5:16 AMPC
Prayer is a dialogue between you and your Father. You speak and He speaks. As you pray, you learn how to hear God’s voice. He reveals to you what His purpose is for your life. He gives you strategies and plans to make you successful. God is a communicator. He loves to speak to His children. When you pray, you hear Him.
How You Can Pray
Start with thanksgiving. Praise takes you into the presence of God! If you don’t feel like praising at first, praise Him anyway! If you can’t think of anything to praise Him for, praise Him for your breath; praise Him for a sharp mind; praise Him for a beating heart! As you begin to praise, you feel the life of God come into your body and praise begins flowing before you know it!
Make repentance part of your prayers. Ask God to forgive you of anything you’ve done that was wrong,
Make your requests to God. Whatever you need, He has. Ask Him. When you ask, believe that He has heard you and will answer.
Pray passionately. Prayer is not a religious requirement. It is a passionate connection with Your Father.
Pray in Faith. Everything you receive from God, you receive by faith. Everything you do must be done in faith. Prayer is no different. Jesus told us,
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Mark 11:22-24 NKJV
There is a believing that comes before the receiving. This believing is faith. Once you have brought your request to God, thank Him that He hears you and is now working on your behalf.
Find A Great Church and GO
Every born again believer needs a church home. God sets you in a body of believers so you can mature under strong teaching, have a support system of people who believe like you do, and have a place to serve. Choosing a good church will be one of God’s greatest blessings. When you find a good church, it is a joy to go there and fulfill the command to meet together.
The church where you were saved would be the obvious choice for you to attend if you are able. This is where you heard the gospel in power and received Christ. That is the mark of a great church. If you cannot attend the church where you got saved, here are some “non-negotiables” for a great church.
Find a Spirit-filled, Holy Spirit Honoring Church. A Spirit-filled church believes, teaches, and promotes the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit should be in operation at every level from children’s church to senior ministry in a great church. Tongues and supernatural demonstrations of God’s power should be included in every service – not just during revivals. The authentic move of the Holy Spirit should be welcomed.
Find a Church that Honors the Bible as the Ultimate Authority. Culture changes. Traditions change. The Word of God remains the same – reliable, useful, true. You must find a church that follows the Word.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
You recognize a church honors the Bible when God’s Word is at the center of every teaching. The Word is promoted – not self-help, not social justice, not political agendas. Most churches have a Statement of Beliefs. The first doctrine should be The Infallible Word of God or something similar. If the foundation is anything other than the Word, their beliefs and practices will change with the culture.
Find a Soul Winning Church. Jesus commands us to win souls. You have access to the supernatural power of God for a purpose – to bring the lost to Jesus. A soul winning church is a joyful church because the believers are focused on helping others find Jesus– not on petty squabbles inside the church. Soul winning unites the believers with a common purpose.
Once you find your church, attend every service you can! Make church a priority. Become a member of your church and serve there. Be open to whatever opportunity God gives you to minister from being a greeter or a parking lot attendant to teaching. Do something! As you serve, you mature.
Be Baptized in Water
Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward work which happens at salvation. When you got saved, something wonderful happened on the inside of you. You were made new! But, people can’t see the inward change with their eyes. Baptism in a tangible thing people can see. You’re giving a testimony of something Jesus has done on the inside of you! It symbolizes you have died, been buried, and resurrected to a brand new life with Jesus Christ!
Your friends and family can see you are making a public declaration to the world that you are a new person because of Jesus Christ! Your baptism is a perfect chance to invite your family and friends to know the new you! Through your obedience some of them can be saved! Every command of God has a purpose and a blessing attached to it!
Every born again believer who has confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior should be baptized in water by immersion. Immersion means being fully “dunked” under water. This is the example we see in scripture. This is significant because water baptism symbolizes to the world you have died to your old self and been buried (going under the water) and you have been raised to new life in Christ (coming up out of the water). Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne says, “When something dies, you dig a hole and you bury it. You don’t sprinkle dirt on its head!” Praise God! The old man is dead and we are raised to new life! Go under to show the world what Jesus did for you!
Keep Going!
You are on a path that leads you upward in life! You don’t ever have to stop growing and increasing. Continue to grow in your relationship with the Lord by studying His Word, praying passionately, and sitting under anointed preachers and teachers. Especially, pay attention to the Word of God.
“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Hebrews 2:1 NIV
Whether you’ve been a Christian for one week or many decades, you need the Word of God to keep you from drifting back to your old ways of thinking and living. Never stop devouring the Word!
Stay fired up about the things of God! He is taking you somewhere! Surround yourself with people who encourage you to grow in your faith.
I pray this is a helpful companion to you as you sit under godly pastors and teachers. I pray you find a group of friends who encourage you to serve God with all your heart. You don’t have to do this alone. You have a family now!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
You are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses like Moses, Abraham, Noah, Samson, Rahab, and many more! They are cheering you on from heaven telling you to “strip off every weight that slows you down, especially the sin that so easily trips you up” and to “run with endurance the race God has set before you”.
These great men and women of faith who have lived and died serving God, are looking down from heaven to cheer you on. They’re telling you, “It’s worth it! Don’t ever give up!”
The best is yet to come when you keep serving the Lord. Just keep going.