If you’re new to the site, here you’ll find Christianity and reality examined in light of the truth that there is proof for God. Data Point One is really quite simple, and quite believable. If you go click on Data Point One and then at the bottom click Start From the Beginning, that will walk you through things that you’ve likely never been told, or yourself grasped, about reality.
Following on from that, this post begins to walk you through orienting yourself into going from a worldly person to being Christian.
You should read for yourself the stories of Jesus and work on understanding them. My suggestion is to read some or all of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and then skip to the New Testament and read the Gospel which is the first four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which tell the story of the life of Jesus by disciples and scribes who followed him during his ministry. Those are the basics, which will get you up to speed quickest in my opinion.
Review The Ten Commandments on the Resources page. The Ten Commandments are what we are all judged by, along with how we love. Are you charitable, compassionate, sympathetic, and generous? Some people have a nature of discord and are argumentative. Work on being nice.
Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – from Matthew chapter 5
Now, you need to make adjustments, and these are adjustments anybody can make. Clean up habits of bad language. Start being more specific and articulate instead of just using bad words. You probably can’t use the word “sucks” in Heaven, as it’s a borderline word, but it is coarse. You can change bad habits and think and speak more intentionally. In some cultures being coarse or vulgar is a show of strength or manliness, or an expression of strong emotions. If that’s where you come from, you’ll need to adapt to taking the high road, so that no bad words slip out.
Everybody has a temper, but everybody should keep their temper in check, too. Avoid cursing, swearing, or taking the Lord’s name in vain. Don’t utter “God” or “Jesus” as an exclamation. (I also would not say “Lordie” or “Good Lord”.) People copy off of others and some have become very insensitive to this, however it is breaking a commandment, and it’s sinful to have language that does not respect God. Don’t even misuse the word holy. Holy is a special word.
God said “Be holy, for I AM holy.” – from Leviticus chapter 19
Don’t lie or steal. If you’ve stolen something, work on returning it or making reparations in some way. Undo the wrongs you’ve committed if it is feasible.
Many adults have developed dependencies of various kinds that are unnatural. We should work on eliminating such vices. Understand that the true Christian takes seriously the call to have good character and avoid doing wrong. We are on Earth in this life to one day be with God and for that we need the right disposition and good character.
Don’t use narcotics even if you use drugs daily or only sometimes. If you have rough friends you may need to avoid them for a while, or forever to make your change.
If you’re addicted to vodka or other forms of alcohol, set it aside as an antiseptic or medicinal purposes – maybe a sleep aid. Value your sobriety and work on the virtue of self-control. If you’re a longtime tobacco or nicotine addict, understand that nicotine is a corruption of the vitamin niacin that the brain develops a dependency to. You may be able to come down from the nicotine addiction by instead of smoking or vaping, taking a daily multivitamin, or breaking a multivitamin in half and taking twice a day. These days the gummy multivitamins are about 40% or 50% of a serving, meaning take no more than two gummies a day (of course, read the label). Although various Christians have somewhat liberal views of tobacco and cigars, my perspective is that you want to reduce and eliminate dependencies insofar as you can.
One addiction counselor suggests the right mentality is not to “quit” but to “start”, as in start becoming a non-smoker. If this applies to you, that may help you to reorient your thinking. That may help you to be a cleaner person. I know of a man who eventually would become a preacher. God kept on him to give up his addiction to cigarettes, and he did beat it. That was around 50 years ago – whereas today, you can easily get smoking cessation products and help if you try.
Fighting sinful habits will take some strategizing. A previous post guides you on finding a church. I suggest to seek help in a minister who is local to you.
That should get you started. Read Genesis and the Gospels. Start being nicer. Eliminate bad language and bad habits. Contemplate the Ten Commandments and the Virtues list found on the Resources page. Spend some time on it. More posts to come.