I've accepted Jesus; now, what's next?

I attended a Casting Crowns concert last week with my wife, along with a group from our church. It was nothing short of remarkable; in fact, I was astonished when I realized that the lead singing and songwriter of Casting Crowns, Mark Hall, was also a youth pastor. My first thought was: How the heck does a band like Casting Crowns, a band with a net worth of 3 million dollars, have time for other jobs that doesn't involve touring 24/7?

Well little did I know, the band only tours 3 days a week. Incredible. So since Mark Hall is a youth pastor, he filled the time between songs with "mini-sermons" and short, inspirational stories. I am pretty sure my wife and I enjoyed his mini-sermons more than the actual music being played! - Anyway, Mark discussed their new CD and what the focus is. To avoid writing an entire book about this, I'll keep it brief.

Their new CD is titled: "The Very Next Thing"

In short, it focuses on the idea that we must follow God. Where you are. Right now. There are many Christians who are saved, but not free. What does that mean? What if you don't "FEEL" saved? What if the promises and forgiveness of all of your sins doesn't "STICK" What does it mean to truly "BELIEVE" in Jesus and surrender your life to Him?

This has been on my mind this week not only because of the concert I attended last week, but also because of a conversation I had with a gentleman discussing various struggles in his life. Based on our conversation and what I gathered from it, these questions were left on the table:

1. How can God forgive me and my past, much less people?
2. What's next? I gave my heart to Jesus...now what?

These are questions ALL believers find themselves wondering about . Mark Hall states in his new six-week devotional called "The Very Next Thing" what the most important next step for any believer is: "To cultivate a more intimate knowledge of God and His Word. We need to dig into Scripture and establish a pattern of consistent prayer and worship to know God and his promises and encouragement, and also know who YOU ARE in Him."

Not all "new Christ-followers" are true believers yet. Some aren't grounded in scripture and prayer. You see, when our roots are in Scripture, we don't launch out on our every thought and fantasy.

"When it comes to doing the very next thing God says, we need a scriptural foundation or else we'll think every crazy idea that pops into our heads is from God."

Becoming a believer and finally accepting Jesus into your heart is just the beginning. Once you trust in Jesus, you are transformed. The Bible tells us that you are "born again" (Jn 3:3,7). You become a "new creation" in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).

But the reality is believers STILL SIN, which can make it hard to feel like we're saved. Why is that? The reality is that being "saved" doesn't make your life easier; in fact, many would argue that it makes it harder. If you think Satan has a stranglehold of your life before, then you're in for a wild ride. Satan will never stop pursuing us with his lies, bluff, and deceit; in actuality, he only becomes more aggressive in his pursuit. He will do whatever it takes to shake our faith in God. Only through intentional prayer and strong faith can we be successful in our fight against darkness...

Sometimes, its just plain hard to feel God's presence and to feel saved. But take heart; we can have full confidence that we are truly saved because of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since Jesus was able to conquer the grave and rise from the dead, we know that He has the power to save us, whether we "feel" it or not.

In order to truly change who you are and be transformed, you must trust the Lord with all of your heart and not rely on your own understanding (Pvbs 3:5). There is no other way around it. No other path will bring you true healing, change, and transformation.

"The spiritual disciplines of bible study, prayer, and worship are our road map to "The Way" and NO SHORTCUTS EXIST." It takes daily discipline to deepen our relationship with Jesus.

What is the next step God is telling you to take? No matter how far away you feel from God, you are always just "One Step Away" So, take the next step. Right Now.

Follow God.