First Steps of Faith
If you recently made a decision to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, welcome! We want you to know God is with you. He has welcomed you into His family. He wants YOU, He is beside you as you walk. He wants to have a relationship with you.
Step of Faith – Reading the Bible
We have put together some bible readings that will help you as you journey as one of God’s children. God desires a relationship with you. He already knows you, so the following verses are to help you know him better. We encourage you to read them study them and if possible, memorize several. Use them to build your foundation of faith and trust so that you ‘cement” them in your heart and mind as you move forward.
The Bible is a collection of books, written by dozens of authors over many hundreds of years. Christians believe that it is God’s word, written down by human authors. Some are very brief–less than a page–while others are much longer. But in spite of their diversity, when you examine them, you discover they all have a common theme: God’s relationship with the human race.
You can access the Bible at biblegateway.com or on your smart phone by downloading the YouVersion Bible app – be sure to look for, and friend, Faith Woodbury to join in community Bible reading and discussion.
If you are in need of a printed Bible of your own, we would love to gift one to you!
If you want to begin reading the Bible, a great place to start is the gospel book of John – it tells the story of Jesus and how much God loves us!
Step of Faith - Prayer
Prayer is having a conversation with our Lord. Just as you would have a conversation with anyone else here on earth. You can speak to God anytime day or night and he will always listen. You can tell him your worries, your fears, your joys, your anger. He is there waiting to hear from you. Take the time to also listen to God during your prayers. This can be difficult to do in the beginning but as you become closer to God it will bring you so much Joy.
The following are some Bible verses about prayer.
In the Bible, Philippians 4:6 tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Jesus gave us a model for our prayer time with “The Lord’s Prayer” found in Matthew 6:9-13. “This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
A great way to remember the parts of prayer is to think P.R.A.Y.
Praise – Give God Glory for who He is
Repent – Ask for forgiveness and for help to change
Ask – pray for the needs of others, for yourself, and for our world
Yield – turn over control to God and to what He wants
Step of Faith – Finding Community
We encourage you to find a community of faith near you. If you are close by to us, we’d love to connect with you to see if we are a good fit for your life of discipleship. If you’re too far to join us in person, we think it’s important to find a congregation where you can connect. Regularly meeting with other Christians helps us to grow and feeds our soul. Depending on your needs this may take some time, but in the end being part of a community of faith is both a strength and a blessing.
Please contact us at Faith United Methodist Church. We are waiting to help you grow and have a relationship with our Lord.