Steps of faith

Begin a new life with God

 Begin a new life with God

Most of these footsteps towards faith in Jesus have been things for you to do yourself – naturally enough.
There’s another side to it, though, the side that we can’t do for ourselves and need God to do for us.

Jesus talked about this to a man called Nicodemus:

Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”
Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God ‘s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don ‘t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only God ‘s Spirit gives new life.”
John 3:3-8

If you feel ready to take the step of asking God for this gift of his Spirit, of spiritual rebirth, there is a prayer below you can use – although of course you can use your own words, if you prefer.

But first: how will it make you feel? Overjoyed? Like a new person? Unburdened? As if you’ve reached the end of a long journey? Or started a new one? Maybe some or even all of those things. But maybe none of them. Maybe nothing at all.

Which is perfectly all right, because feelings aren’t the important thing here. What Jesus told Nicodemus about was not a change in how he felt but a change in his relationship with God, in his spiritual state. If you don’t feel anything, that doesn’t mean nothing has happened.

Think about getting married. The ceremony and the exchange of vows might make you feel euphoric, like a whole new life has begun for you. Or you might feel nothing of the kind. Either way makes no difference to the fact that you are now married: your relationship with this person is transformed and your status before the law and before God is changed.

Jesus promised, “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.” So, if you are ready to ask God to make this change in your relationship with him, and in your spiritual life, here is a prayer:

Dear God,
Jesus promised to give his followers the gift of your Spirit, who gives us new life and make us your children in a whole new way. He promised that none of his followers who asked would be refused.

I pray that your Spirit will live in me and that you will accept me as your child. Give me the new life that you have promised. Please help me to follow Jesus and live a life worthy of his name. Amen.

If you’ve prayed this prayer, you might want to let someone know about it. Click here for details of how to contact us by email or tell a Christian friend. You might like to get in touch with a church or Christian minister (a vicar or priest) to talk with them about the different ways they could help you grow as a Christian.

Back to the top
Bookmark this page: