7-Day Devotional
Day 1 - You are a New Creation in Christ
So, you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You might be asking, “What does this mean now?” or “What do I do differently?” Those are all really great questions.
The first thing we want you to know is that we are so excited for your decision. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life. This decision put you into an elite group of people. A group of people that have made the decisions to follow Christ, leaving behind their old lives and pursuing Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
You see here in 2 Corinthians that the Bible says that we are a new creation in Christ. This means our old life is behind us and we get to look forward to the new life Christ has for us.
So where exactly should you start? We really encourage you to be water baptized. Water baptism is an outward expression of the inward decision you have made. It is you telling the world that you are following Christ and that you are a new person because of what He has done for you!
Read Matthew 28:18-20 today, in this passage Jesus talks about making disciples and baptism.
We encourage you to make your next step today by signing up for water baptism.
Day 2 - This New Life with Jesus
Now that we know we are a new creation, what does our new life look like?
Jesus is into transforming us into His image. There is only one person that ever walked the earth that was perfect, and that man was Jesus. This amazing fact is that Jesus lives in our hearts.
This scripture in Colossians talks about Jesus is the hope of glory in us.
Colossians 1:27 NLT
For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory
With our new life in Jesus, it does not mean that we do not mess up or are not tempted to go back to our old life, it means that we know have a relationship with Jesus in that we can go to Him when we feel tempted or we do sin.
So, with this new life, we have to build a relationship with Jesus.
How do we do this? We spend time with Him in prayer and in reading the Bible.
James 4:8 NLT
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
You see in James it says if we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us. When we seek Him we will find Him! As in any relationship, you have to spend time with someone in order to get to know them. That is what we are doing when we draw closer to God.
Take a moment today, to download the YouVersion app and read Romans 5:1-5 and spend time praying and growing closer to God.
There are many devotionals that you can be connected to that will help you grow this new relationship with Jesus.
Here are a few we recommend:
Growing Your Faith by YouVersion
New Life in Christ by YouVersion
Who I Am in Christ by YouVersion
Day 3 - Reading the Bible
The Bible is God’s Word. It is full of answers about our new life in Jesus. It gives us answers to questions like: Who am I? What is my purpose? How should I be living? and so on.
God’s Word is our manual for our new life in Jesus. It is our guide to life.
Psalms 119:105 NIV
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
You see here in Psalms 119 it says that His word is a lamp for us to walk the lighted path He has for us. Wow! Isn’t that incredible that we have this guide to life called the Bible.
God desires for us to walk a life knowing just what we need to do.
So, what exactly do we do with the Bible? We read it. Study it.
There are so many incredible stories, wisdom, and direction we can receive when we study His Word.
It can feel overwhelming to just open up the Bible and begin. We encourage you to begin with the book of … and read one chapter a day.
Also, there are many wonderful devotionals in the YouVersion app that can be a good place to start the habit of reading His Word.
Just begin today, open up the app and start with Ephesians 4:20-24 as it talks about how we are not perfect, but created to be like God.
Day 4 - Prayer
Prayer in an integral part of your relationship with Jesus. It is how we communicate our feelings, needs, praise, adoration, etc.
To simply put it, prayer is it is talking with Jesus as if you were having a conversation with another person.
When you have a relationship with a friend or spouse you talk with them. That is how we should talk to God. He knows our hearts and our minds. He knows how we need to be comforted and when we share our thoughts and feelings with Him, He listens and cares. He is always ready to talk to us. He is never preoccupied, always available and He is always happy to hear from us.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything you can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Just as you would nurture a relationship with someone else, we have to put the same effort into that relationship with God by talking with Him through prayer. He longs for our prayers. He is waiting for us to talk with Him. He is not concerned with the words we use or how we pray. He just wants to hear from us!
Start today by simply saying Hello. Tell Him how your day went, the struggles you encountered.
James 5:13-16 talks about how powerful prayer is. Read it and just begin to talk to Him.
Day 5 - How Do I Pray
Do you have to kneel? Should I close my eyes? If I open them am I cheating or are my prayers invalidated? God doesn’t care which pose we take or the words we use. He just wants to talk with us. There is no formula required for our prayers to be heard. He always hears our prayers.
Here is a simple acronym that will help us when we pray:
P.R.A.Y
PRAISE: We enter His gates with thanksgiving. Sit quietly and thank God for who He is and what He has done in your life and the lives of others.
Psalm 100:4 NIV
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
REPENT: Repentance is asking God to forgive you of your sins. When we pray with gratitude for God’s unrelenting forgiveness, God hears us.
1 John 1:9 NKJV
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
ASK: We are not telling God anything new. He knows everything about us, including our thoughts!
Matthew 7:9-11 NKJV
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
God doesn’t answer because we are good, but because He is good! – Pastor Erik Lawson, Element Church
YEILD: The fact that we have brought our prayers before God indicates our trust that He will, in His time and in His way, show us the way we should go. Not that He will answer every prayer with a yes. But that trusting Him to point that He knows what is best for us.
Proverbs 3:5-6NKJV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
When you feel you do not know the words to pray, simply P.R.A.Y.:
Praise – Thank You for all You have done in my life, God.
Repent – Forgive me of anything in my life that is not pleasing to You.
Ask – I am struggling with… Can You help me? Guide me and direct me according to Your will.
Yield – God I trust You that You know what is best for me. Allow me too sensitive to what You want for my life. I surrender … to You.
Open up your Bible app or take out your Bible and read The Father’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. This is a great prayer to pray when you feel as if you don’t know what to pray.
Day 5 - Getting Plugged In
God made us for community! The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God. At the very core of who God is, He is a relational being. If this is how we were made, then if we ever expect to experience the life God intended for us, we must learn to get plugged into a local church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews talks about how we can encourage one another. We can encourage one another by getting plugged by attending weekly service, into a small group, doing a Bible study together on YouVersion, joining people in the chat during our services, and taking the opportunity to serve during a weekend experience in-person or online.
Being plugged helps us grow. Jesus is our living hope, but life can wear us down and there is something incredible about being encouraged in our life struggles by like-minded people. When we are in a relationship with others and seeing and talking with them we are encouraged.
1 Peter 3:8 NIV
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate, and humble.
Galatians 6:2 NIV
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Since we were designed to be in relationships with others we cannot grow alone. We need people to encourage us when we feel like quitting. We need people to hold us accountable when we are struggling. 1 Peter and Galatians tell us how we can do this with others and also be someone that encourages others.
Today, take a few minutes and think about how you can get connected in community with your church family. Also, reach out to someone today and encourage them as Hebrews 10 tells us to do.
We encourage you to look up Hebrews 10:19-25 and pray how this can help you continue to get plugged into Element Church.
Get connected to a Small group at https://www.elementchurch.com/groups/.
Get connected to a volunteer opportunity at https://www.elementchurch.com/volunteer-team/.
Day 7 - What Now?
Your journey has only begun, and God has some amazing things in store for you! Remember, none of us have arrived. We have a way to go as we dive deeper into our relationship with Jesus. We will continually be learning more about who Jesus is and how we should live as a Christian as we dive deeper into prayer and in reading our Bible.
Do not be discouraged! You are going to mess up! We all mess up. Whether we have been a Christian our whole lives or are just starting out. Remember we are imperfect people. This scripture in John encourages us to have peace because Jesus has overcome the world. That means we can rest in Him.
John 16:33 NIV
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus knows we are not perfect. We need to keep pursuing a relationship with Him! Be patient with yourself. Set up expectations for yourself on the front end, knowing that you will fail, but with failure comes success. When we do fail in areas, we now have the knowledge to overcome those things and be successful in pursuing the growth Jesus desires for us.
You are not going to know everything right away! It will take time and with reading your Bible and praying, Jesus will show you exactly what you need to do when you need to do it.
Congratulate yourself as you have begun to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s great love for us! Take time and read Colossians 3:15-17 and thank Him for all He has done and all He will do in and through you! Continue to spend time reading your Bible and encouraging yourself in the Word!
What is NEXT? Sign up to begin Pursuit of Jesus which will help you grow deeper in your relationship. Sign up HERE!