What Do I Do Now? Updated and Expanded Edition: Building a Solid Christian Foundation

By Nakia Trader

What Do I Do Now? Building a Solid Christian Foundation by Nakia Trader is a must-read for new believers and spiritual leaders alike. With insights gleaned from her own experience, Trader offers practical steps and workable solutions for those struggling to find their footing in their Christian walk. Through the lens of her own journey, the author illuminates God's love and guides readers to a solid foundation in Christ. Full of heartfelt advice and gentle nudges, this book is a win-win for all readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Way of Truth Evangelistic Ministries
• Release date: Jun 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223650188

Book preview

What Do I Do Now?

Building a Solid

Christian Foundation

Nakia Trader

What Do I Do Now

Building a Solid Christian Foundation

by

Nakia Trader

Copyright © 2022

ISBN: 9798847850070

Independently Published

First Edition

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB® are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book is dedicated to everyone who loves Jesus and wants to serve Him wholeheartedly, whose passion in life is to serve others and help them reach their full potential in Christ.

Acknowledgments

My dear friend, Valyncia, you have inspired and encouraged me to continue to follow the Lord and always be my real self. Thank you for your unwavering support and belief in my God-given dreams. You have so much potential inside of you, and I hope God will give me a front-row seat to see all He is going to do through you. You are more than my friend—you’re my sister. Thank you.

Preface

What do I do now? Many new believers are faced with this question, and rightfully so. We teach and preach that we are sinners because we all have disobeyed God and receive forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Sharing that message is essential to the Christian life because Jesus commissioned us to Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) The question is, what happens after you make a disciple and win a soul for the Kingdom of God? Do you pat the new believer on the head and say, Go forth, my child, and continue to trust in the Lord? Or do you take the time to instruct that person in the ways of living the Christian life according to the Word of God?

This book will not exhaust all the questions that you may have about your new life in Jesus Christ, and it is likely you will have more questions as you read this book. The purpose of this book is to give a foundation on the fundamentals of living your life in Christ. Or as my dad would like to say, the basics. Trust me when I tell you, there have been countless times in my walk with Christ when I had to go back to the basics or the fundamentals. This book is not for those who have no heart to see sinners come to repentance or new believers excel in their new life as a child of God. This book is for every Christian who has ever wondered, What do I do now? This book is for those who wish to mentor new believers but who also need spiritual guidance in teaching people from the Bible how to become effective and God-fearing disciples of Jesus Christ. If this describes you, then let’s get started!

Table of Contents

1 – This Is My Story

2 – This Is My Song

3 – The Call to Follow

4 – The Cost of Discipleship

5 – Salvation

6 – What Does This New Life Mean?

7 – How Can I Be Sure I Am Saved?

8 – What Do I Do Now?

9 – Real Faith

10 – Challenges as a Christian

11 – Exhortation

About the Author

1

This Is My Story

"N

o one loves me. My dad doesn’t love me. I am worthless and unworthy of love. No one will ever love me." The words flowed from my mouth. Like a waterfall, there was no end to how I was feeling inside. I was drunk and curled up inside a two-star-motel bathtub in Baltimore, MD, weighted down by ten years of accumulated sadness, loneliness, and feelings of worthlessness because of my father.

But it did not begin that way.

My father was an associate pastor at Liberty Church. People loved to come on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings to hear him preach. My father would preach so powerfully under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the altar was always full of people ready to give their hearts to the Lord. Knowledgeable in the Word of God, my father taught me that the most important thing for a Christian was to love and fear the Lord.

When I was 11 years old and a few weeks before school started, my four siblings and I went to a Christian summer youth camp with the other children from our church. To say the least, I was not excited about spending the remaining weeks of summer at a church camp. I felt miserable because I was concerned that my fellow campers would find out that I occasionally wet the bed—plus, I was just tired of going to church all the time!

I felt like my parents forced my siblings and I to go to this summer camp; therefore, I was determined to be defiant. I was smart-mouthed and sarcastic to the youth director, constantly rolling my eyes at any little thing she said and sucking my teeth whenever asked to do something. By the second or third day, she banished me from swimming with the other children during our free time. Instead, I was to help staff set up for the activities. I could hear laughter coming from the children—including my siblings—at the swimming pool. My heart ached at missing out on all the fun, and I determined not to continue my bad behavior. I got myself together.

Thankfully, I made it through camp without anyone finding out about my occasional bed-wetting. But more importantly, I did not finish camp that summer without meeting the most important love of my life—Jesus Christ. Up until the moment I accepted Jesus into my heart, I did not realize I