Watch That First Step!

Everyone who experiences God for the first time, through salvation, has a lasting period of practically-invulnerable faith. An encounter with the Creator of the Universe after a life spent without Him up to that point understandably leaves a lasting impression. This time of infatuation wears off though, and it leaves many new Christians wondering what they did wrong, or if the experience they once had was real. It’s in this crucial time that new believers can really use someone to lean on that has gone through what they are going through now. (Don’t lie, you went through this the same way that I did.)

Well I’m here today to assure you that what you experienced was real. When you asked the Living God to forgive you of your sins, and to be the Lord of your life, He did it and He is. In that moment, God sent His Spirit to live in you, comfort you, and guide you. The feeling you are having now is a common step that every Christian must take. I call it your first offseason.

We all go through seasons in our faith, especially early on. Some seasons we feel like we couldn’t be closer to God and others we feel like there is no road that leads to Him. Fortunately for us God is always there, it is just us having these feelings. In fact, we are even told in Scripture that we make the separation between God and ourselves. (Isaiah 59:1-2) It’s an unfortunate side-effect to the sinful nature we are born into, though it may or may not be a sin that causes your first step. All the same, when this first offseason rears its ugly head, we are often caught not knowing what to think or do.

The great thing about God being unchanging, is that He doesn’t have these same seasons with us. So when this happens to us for the first time, it doesn’t take Him by surprise. It will even be a learning experience and help you grow closer to God, if you look at it in the right light. God’s Word tells us to persevere in this in James 1:2-4 because trails in faith produce spiritual maturity in believers. In this time it is important to remain diligent in prayer and Scripture reading, because you will come out on the other side a stronger believer that is more affixed on God and His will in your life. The greatest thing we can achieve as followers of Christ is to accomplish the goals the Father has for us.

So we know that this first offseason won’t last and that we are to persevere through it, but how are we to do that? What have others done that has helped them through this critical time in their faith? Well, like most things pertaining to your walk with Christ, there is no cookie-cutter answer. And that is a good thing! God wants each of us to have a unique relationship with him. No two people walk the exact same path, and we shouldn’t want that. It would diminish your experience with Him if it was the exact same experience someone else had. With that being said though, there are some things we all can do to help us stay close to Him during this offseason.

• Daily prayer and Bible reading

  • A solid foundation of faith can come only from God. This practice is critical at all stages in your faith. Lean on God, and He will comfort and guide you. By spending this time alone with Him, you allow Him to speak to you through the Holy Spirit. This is where you get all of your spiritual comfort and guidance.

• Buy a devotional book

  • There are many great devotionals with daily applications that can help strengthen your faith. The daily practice is what makes this so effective in your first offseason.

• Fasting

  • There is a special connection you make with God when you deny the needs of your flesh in favor of relying on Him. Read up on Scripture verses on this practice and seeking God in this way.

• Fellowship with other believers

  • A bond with other believers can do wonders in affirming your faith and growing closer to God. He gave us the ability to speak, think, reason, and feel emotions because He wants us to commune in His name. Find some friends at church or join the Geeks Under Grace Facebook Community to fellowship with like-minded believers.

• Find a new worship song you really like

  • Some people connect in a special way through music. Finding that one song that you haven’t sung over and over that conveys what is on your heart to your Creator can really help in this slump.

• Participate in sacrificial giving

  • That feeling you get when you give to someone without expecting anything in return or expecting any recognition for is no mistake. God delights in his children helping one another, and He shows up in a special way when you do this.

As I have said, not all of these things will be beneficial to everyone, but doing some of these should help. As always, God is listening to you, and more importantly He is rooting for you. You can always reach out to Him in prayer and be honest about having a hard time with your faith. We can lean on Him in our times of trouble and He will comfort us spiritually, guide us, and even bring people into our lives in that time if that is what we need. So stay strong and persevere. God is working with you to help you through this and make you stronger in the end.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”