STEPS TO GROW IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD
STEP ONE:
Attend a worship gathering regularly.
STEP TWO:
Spend time daily in the Bible. Buy a notebook or purchase a journaling app. We recommend Day One. Read your bible and write down what the author is saying to the original reader and then what He is saying to you. If you have questions about what you are reading you can read a brief explanation. The Bible Knowledge Commentary is reliable and affordable. Remember, the quantity of what you read is less important than the quality. Read half of chapter or even a paragraph a day. Consistency is key.
STEP THREE:
Talking with God is the power you need to succeed in your faith. There is no substitute for prayer. We use the acrostic PRAY to teach prayer. P-Begin your prayer time by Praising God for who He is and what He has done. Thank Him for all you have, and all He has given to you and your loved ones. Thank Him for His holiness, power, majesty and mercy. R-Next, repent of your sins. Ask God to wash you of your sin and to bring to your mind hidden sins of motives, thoughts, and careless words or actions. A-Ask God to meet the needs of others. Health, financial, relational and emotional needs can be brought to the Lord. Then ask God for what you need. Putting others first is modeling the life of Jesus. Remember, you can bring anything to the Father. Y-Finally, and often the most difficult part of praying is to yield to what God has revealed to you. This may be to forgive people who have hurt you deeply, confronting others who are living in sin, apologizing to people you have hurt, a special directive to give away your belongings or a monetary gift, or any number of things God has directed you to do as your prayed. Many people will continue their prayer time with a worship song they have downloaded. Finally, and very importantly, sitting in silence to listen for God to speak is very important. The book How To Listen To God may be valuable to you. Also, as you pray you should keep a list of the requests you have made to God so that you can celebrate when He answers your prayers. We encourage you to download Prayer Notes or a similar app. A paper notebook does just as well.
STEP FOUR:
You have been granted the greatest gift that could be given. This gift should be shared. Often, Christians do not know how to make the transition from regular life to a gospel presentation. We recommend you just be yourself and allow God to work Jesus into your conversations. If you would like assistance in breaking the ice we recommend Share Your Faith, Sharing Your Faith 101, and Living Waters. You can always invite people to First Baptist and we promise to give everyone, every Sunday an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ and become a Christ follower. Pray for people by name and watch how God will work in their lives, it is truly amazing. We believe prayer works!