What's Your Next Step?
I remember hearing about a pastor who had someone come up after his Sunday message and say, "I really liked your message, but you left something out. You didn't tell me what to do. What am I supposed to do now?"
The Tragedy of Stunted Growth
It's a tragedy if a baby never grows and it's a tragedy if a baby Christian never grows up. Becoming a Christian, becoming a follower of Christ happens in a moment. But living as a Christian is a lifelong journey of growing ever closer to him. Therefore, we've got to always ask the question, what is my next step?
You never want to stop growing. Because if you stop growing as a Christian, you actually go backwards. Because you're either growing to be more like God or you're growing to be more like the devil, right? You don't want to be doing that. There's no in between in this operation.
The Battle for Your Life
We need to understand something about the spiritual battle we're in. We've got to realize that there's spiritual battles going on in this world and that Satan has a plan for your life and it is not a good plan. Our job is to continue growing in the faith according to God's plan.
As Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy... I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." Satan has a plan for you, but God has a better plan.
Early Phases: Getting Started Right
If you haven't come to a personal relationship with God, then that's your first step. Until you take the first step, the rest of the steps aren't going to make a whole lot of sense.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:16: "We know very well that we're not set right with God by rule keeping, but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen... Convinced that no human being can please God by self improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good."
Practical First Steps
The good news is we have help from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes people think that their spiritual life is separate from their emotional life and intellectual life and all that, but guess what? They're all linked together. So, if you are emotionally stunted, then that's the way your spiritual life is going to be as well.
Jesus came to set us free from the traps that stunt our lives:
Anger can lead to depression, but Jesus wants to turn it toward passion to help people
Fear and anxiety can be transformed into faith
Hurt leads to resentment, but God can give you courage to fight for good
Shame can become humility instead of toxic self-condemnation
Sadness can lead to acceptance and faith instead of self-pity
These internal battles are part of every person's life. And a great next step for you to pick one of these emotions that's getting you down and really work on it this year and let God set you free from that emotion that is keeping you from the abundant life.
The Power of Community
Nobody can make it alone in our faith because it's called the Body of Christ. We all have to stick together because we're all part of the body. And if you take an elbow and you stick it out in a field by itself, that's not going to be much of a person.
Look at what happened to the early believers in Acts 2:46-47: "Day after day, they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely while praising God. And everyone liked them. And each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved."
This is what the normal Christian life looks like. Those early Christians knew something that we need to know; there are only two things that are going to last forever: people and God's word.
My Whole Life Belongs to God
As we move to higher levels of Christian growth, we must understand a fundamental truth. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22: "God establishes us together with you in a relationship with Christ... he has put his seal of ownership on us."
Everything that I have is God's. God owns my time. God owns my family. God owns my job. God owns my money. God owns my talents. If I'm a Christian, it all belongs to him. It is all a gift from God to start with. Everything that I have is on loan to me from God.
Do we own our money or does our money own us? Instead of being obsessed with making money, how about becoming obsessed with how my money and my talents and abilities can be used by God to advance his kingdom around the world.
Here we see the heart of Paul from Acts 20:24, "But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus. The work of telling others the good news about God's mighty kindness and love."
This ought to be the heart of every single believer. When Jesus came, every person has a commission to be God's man, God's woman. Every single believer is to be an agent of God's love to this generation.
Advanced Next Steps
Robert Bella, in his famous book Habits of the Heart, said that one of the greatest values Americans hold is "keeping our options open." It's kind of like going to a banquet where there's a big, long serving table, and you want to keep your options open, so you don't put anything on your plate. And you get to the end of the line and what do you have? An empty plate.
Here's my prayer for you: defy the American custom of keeping your options open and go ahead and make a decision. Go ahead and make a commitment. Pick one or more next steps and go for it.
It's only when you find something bigger than yourself and commit yourself to it that you find meaning and purpose in life. That's where happiness in life comes from, finding something and giving your life to it. That's what makes life worth living.
What's your next step? The choice you make today could be the most important decision you make this year. Don't keep your options open, make a commitment and watch God use it to transform your life and the lives of others.
Reflection
What is my next step? As you honestly assess your spiritual journey today, what specific area needs growth? Are you in the early phases of relationship with God, battling internal struggles, needing deeper community, or ready to fully surrender everything to God's ownership?
What's holding me back from commitment? American culture teaches us to "keep our options open," but spiritual growth requires commitment. What fears or hesitations are preventing you from making a concrete next step in your faith journey?
How am I using what God has given me? Consider this truth: God owns your time, family, job, money, and talents; everything is on loan to you. How are you currently managing God's resources, and where might God be calling you to better stewardship?
Application
Today, defy the cultural norm of keeping your options open. Choose ONE specific next step from your current season of faith:
Early Faith: Start a daily prayer time, begin daily Bible reading, or commit to weekly church attendance.
Internal Growth: Identify one emotion (anger, fear, hurt, shame, sadness, guilt) that's hindering your abundant life and actively work on letting God transform it.
Community Connection: Join a small group, commit to meeting weekly with a Christian friend, or share your faith story with someone.
Full Surrender: Acknowledge that everything belongs to God, commit to tithing, or get involved in a ministry.
Kingdom Purpose: Consider a mission trip, start a new ministry, or commit to sharing your faith story weekly.
Write down your chosen next step and tell someone about your commitment today.
Prayer
Loving God, today is a day of commitment. Help me accept this challenge to move forward and become the man or woman you want me to be. I know you have a purpose for my life, Lord. Let me live it with all my heart. Give me courage to take a next step, knowing that you are with me every step of the way. In Jesus' name, Amen
