New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 31
page A33
FIRST STEPS
not the case. Some are surprised to find that the Christian life is not a playground but rather a battleground. While it is true that walking with Christ
will help us avoid many of the problems we used to face, we are still going to
experience what the Bible calls “trials.”
Trials may come in the form of a crisis, a sudden illness, persecution for
your faith, or some other drastic, unwelcome change in your life. You may go
through a difficult time when you don’t feel God’s presence, when church may
not be as exciting as it once was for you, or your prayers seem to go no higher
than the ceiling. This may cause you to wonder if you have angered God or if he
has left you. But God does not allow us to experience trials because he wants
to see us suffer. Rather, he allows these difficulties into our lives to help us
grow spiritually—to learn to live by faith, not by feelings. Trials are like God’s
gym where we grow stronger, but as they say, “No pain, no gain.” Look up the
following notes to see the role trials play in our lives. Notice also God’s promise
to be with us during these times of trouble.
• God promises protection to those who follow him see Genesis 15:1, page 16
• What does the Lord require of us? see Deuteronomy 10:12-13, page 180
• Can we count on God’s protection? see Deuteronomy 23:14, page 191, and Job 1:10,
page 470
• God will not forget us see Ruth 4:15, page 254
• Dealing with sickness and disease see 2 Kings 20:5-6, page 364, and Psalm 104:27-30,
page 554
• Jesus is with us in life’s storms see Mark 4:35-41, page 936
• Trials test our foundation see Luke 6:47-49, page 964
• God gives hope to our troubled hearts see John 14:1-7, page 1014
• Trials help us comfort others see 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, page 1110
• Trials are survivable see 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, page 1112
Live as a Disciple
When you hear the word disciple, do you immediately think of the Twelve who
followed Jesus during his ministry on earth? Many people do not realize that
Jesus still has disciples in this day and age. While every disciple is a believer,
not every believer is necessarily a disciple. A disciple is someone who has
made a wholehearted commitment to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
In one sense, you might call discipleship “radical Christian living.” When you
truly make a commitment to be Christ’s disciple, you will be living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. And then we who are disciples need to “go
and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).
This means seek to lead people to Christ, help them get up on their feet
