Written by Chris Gabbard

Designed by Cameron Sanderson

I love playing the game Simon Says. It is a childhood favorite of mine, and I still like to play it today. The key is listening. If you don’t listen, what will happen? That’s right! You will be out. Before you follow the command, the leader must say, “Simon says.” If you get too rushed and don’t listen, you will be out of the game. God desires for us to listen to him. He wants us to hear his voice. If we rush through life, we won’t hear what he has to say to us. Many people think that following God is just a bunch of rules and orders. Have you ever heard someone say that? Read the scripture below.

Jeremiah 29:11- “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

How does that verse make you feel? What does it say to your heart?

You have taken the plunge! Now what?

There are three steps to guide you in being a new Christian. Remember when we talked about the Royal Priesthood, being God’s very own? The cool thing is that God has done his part to see that we become all that we can be; now it’s your turn to do your part.

These next few steps are important in following Jesus. Are you ready? Good! I knew you were. Here we go…

Step 1 – Read Your Bible (Study God’s Word)My wife gave birth to our daughter Hannah in 2005. She is the joy of our lives, and we thank God for her every day. I remember the days after she first came home with us from the hospital. She was so

little and so fragile. I remember the doctors telling us she had to drink from her bottle every three hours. I thought to myself, “This will be really fun at 3:00 in the morning.” Although getting up in the middle of the night did not sound like a fun thing to do, we knew that it was important that she have her bottle every three hours.

As I think about all the times we fed her, it was a lot of work. We had to get used to waking up and feeding her. We had to learn to change our schedule for her. We had to make sure she wasn’t hungry. What would happen if we didn’t feed her?

Think about that for second. What if we ignored the doctor’s instructions and never fed our baby? What do you think would happen if we didn’t feed her?

I’m sure what you wrote down is correct. She would be hungry, she would cry, and she could possibly die. That’s pretty intense.

Why is it important to read your Bible?

Think about that for a second. We will come back to that thought.

When you accepted Jesus, someone began to live in your heart. Can you fill in the blanks?

He’s called the H _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ .

Yes! The Holy Spirit.

There are the words “Holy Spirit” again. Who is he, exactly?

The Holy Spirit is God’s spirit in us that convicts our hearts of God’s truth concerning how sinful we are. We need God’s forgiveness. He is righteous, meaning he died in our place for our sins.

Studying God’s word is so important to being a Christian. The Bible is there to guide and direct you in all you do. There is nothing—nothing—you will be faced with that God’s word cannot help you with. The Bible has answers for everything.

As a Christ-follower, it’s important to read your Bible because it helps you grow spiritually.

Read the scripture below three times out loud. Psalm 119:11 - “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”