You've been baptized...what now?
Well the first thing is a celebration!
You are now officially "Born Again" and your new life as a baptized Christian officially begins as soon as you are out of the water! Remember that you are now a Christian that is publicly and spiritually known, so you MUST prepare yourself for this new lifestyle and the challenges that come with it. Here are a few things to consider...
(1) WARNING...YOU WILL BE TESTED (by your enemy)!
Right after Jesus was baptized by John, Jesus went into a deserted place to fast (abstain from food) and pray. The devil came to Jesus and attempted to make Him (Jesus) question who He was and also tried to make Him sin and be disobedient to His Father Yahweh God.
Luke 4:1-13 NKJV
(1) Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (2) being tempted for forty days by the devil.And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. (3) And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." (4) But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' "
(5) Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6) And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (7) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." (8) And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
(9) Then he (the devil) brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.(10) For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' (11) "and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "(12) And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "
(13) Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
- THINK ABOUT THIS... If the devil tried to temp Jesus the Son of God... then who are you? You can be sure that you will be tested by the devil after your baptism. Stay aware of temptations that will all of a sudden reappear in your life in the form of people who are not good for you spiritually, temptations and weird sinful cravings, and other spiritual attacks in the form of questioning yourself, your faith and beliefs.
- Every Christian has a target on their back because they are now enemies of satan the devil and he is looking to break your belief and faith!
I strongly suggest that you do basic things right away to combat the attacks.
Make sure you have these basic things in place...
The Next Steps----> (Click Here)
(2) People Will Watch You and How You Live Your Life!
1st Timothy 4:10 - 12 NKJV
(10) For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
(11) These things command and teach. (12) Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
- The Apostle Paul -
As a Christian that has publicly professed to BE a Christian the people around you will watch what YOU SAY and DO.
Many Christians have described their Christian life as living in a fishbowl. You will be humanly judged on your actions and in many ways this is unfair to both you and the God that you represent because you are still learning HOW to live your life as a Christian.
Keep in mind that you won’t be changed in a day...The Holy Spirit will slowly make changes inside of you and then people will begin to notice the changes that have been made. Just remember that your journey as a Christian is a LIFE JOURNEY!
(3) Knowledge and Obedience are the Keys to Success
It's been said, "That if you're gonna talk the talk then you need to walk the walk." In short, you need to back up your speech and confession as a Christian with actions that clearly show that you are a believer in Christ. God gives us knowledge through His written word the bible and through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
James 1:22 - 25 NKJV
(22) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
(23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
(4) Use the Tools That You Have Available...
Starting With The Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38 NKJV
(38) Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will begin to encourage you to lead a CHRISTIAN LIFE which will be much different from the vast majority of the people that are in the world today. To be successful in your Christian Life there are certain tools that you will need to have. As you diligently pray and read God’s word you will be led by the Holy Spirit and develop these needed tools to navigate your new life.
(5) ONE LAST THING..DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
The devil wants you to give up...SO DON'T! The bible is filled with many great people who made huge mistakes but refused to give up! You are the next great story! You cannot lose your salvation because you are sealed.
You WILL Sin..
1. Admit your sin to God
2. Ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness
3. Thank God for forgiving you (even if you do not feel forgiven yet)
4. Do everything that you can do to prevent it from happening again
5. Go back to striving to live a Christian life
6. If you sin again... repeat the above steps.
