I felt overwhelmed as the song played and the words built a home in my heart. Nothing would or could separate me from Christ. I was not alone no matter how alone I felt. His love would never fail. I was surrounded by thousands of other college students at a Christian conference I decided to go to on a whim. I wanted more of Jesus, but I didn’t realize just how much of Him I would get. As the tears rushed down my face, I told Jesus that I trusted Him and knew He had died for me because He loved me unconditionally. I threw my hands in the air in full surrender. I didn’t pray any sort of official salvation prayer, I was just completely ready to give it all to Him, no matter what it took. But as the song came to a close, I thought, Now what? I am deciding to follow Jesus, but what do I do now?
After I made my decision, I could see so many areas of my life that I was pretty sure didn’t align with what God wanted for me. But, I had no idea where to start. Do I focus on the Ten Commandments? What exactly is baptism? How do I even know what God wants for me? Who could help me?
Don’t stress. Just get closer to the one who loves you more than you can understand.
I had so many questions, just like you probably do. So, I made a short list of things you can do after you make the decision to follow Christ that will help answer some of those questions. And remember, these things aren’t meant to burden you. Don’t stress. You can’t “get this wrong.” The point of my list is to help you get closer to the one who loves you more than you can understand. That’s the answer to “Now what?” for the rest of your life!
Three Things That Will Help You Get to Know Jesus
- Tell everyone! After the message that night I made the decision to follow Jesus, I immediately told my best friend. The next week, I signed up to get baptized at my church and make that decision public. We celebrated, and I knew that Heaven celebrated with us! Baptism is a symbol of that decision to follow Jesus. Even Jesus got baptized. We can know we’re doing the right thing whenever we follow His example.
- Do life with other believers. Doing life alone is hard. After God created man, He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” We were not made to do life alone. Find your people with whom you can learn and seek Christ. When I did, it was a game changer. Growing up, I struggled with loneliness. My friendships were surface-level. But my LifeGroup helped me process through that and grow into being more vulnerable and transparent. It took courage and boldness to plug into a LifeGroup, but I’ve never regretted it. I am a better person because of the relationships I’ve formed in my group.
- Get to know your maker. We know our parents, our best friends, and our significant others on deep levels. God knows us on even deeper levels and wants us to know Him, too. How do I get to know God like that, you ask? He gave us something that can show us His heart and all that he desires for us: the Bible. 1 John 4:8-10 shows us who God is and the extent of His overwhelmingly abundant love. Digging deeper into Scripture shows us that He is a Provider, Protector, Comforter, Friend, Father, and so much more! Try starting this Bible Plan to help you learn more and create a Bible-reading habit.
The more we get to know God, the more we see the purpose of our own lives.
When you look at the very next step instead of trying to look at the whole game plan, it becomes a little bit easier. When you realize every step is just about loving God and His people more every day, it becomes sustainable. Life isn’t perfect now that I’m following Jesus, but it is purposeful. The more we get to know God, the more we see the purpose of our own lives. I know that there are people around me who will celebrate with me or support me and point me back to Jesus when life gets hard. When you tell everyone about your decision to follow Christ, begin doing life with other believers, and get to know your maker, you’ll see your life align with who God created you to be.