In this first lesson you will examine what the Bible says about the change that has happened to you. You will learn about your new privileges and responsibilities. You will discover the new family into which you have been born. And you will find out about the new relationships that God wants you to build with your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Have you ever watched a child who is learning to walk? Barely able to stand, the little one wobbles and totters around the room, holding onto whatever can be reached. But what excitement! What a look—as if the whole world had been conquered! And so, sometimes moving, sometimes standing, sometimes falling—but always getting up again and going on—the child learns to walk. The desire to succeed is strong. All the time the parents are close by, reaching out to help and encourage every step.
This lesson will help you understand how God speaks to you. Sometimes He will speak to you directly. At other times He will use His Word, the Bible. At still other times, He will use another Christian. As you study this lesson, you will discover how to recognize your Father’s voice no matter what method He chooses.
This lesson explains more about these four important principles of spiritual growth. As you study it, you will see how you can put them into practice in your own life right now. Wonderful results will follow! Harmful patterns of acting will be replaced by good ones. You will grow day by day into the kind of mature person God wants you to become.
A similar kind of change is taking place in your life right now. Your spiritual life is unfolding. As you "grow up" in Christ, new interests replace old ones. There are also new responsibilities—ones that can bring you new kinds of rewards and satisfactions. In this lesson we will look at these special changes and activities. You will discover that other people also share your new interests!
Standards are also needed if a person wants to reach a special goal. Athletes, for example, follow the instructions of their coach. They do some things, but there are other things they don’t do. Their purpose is to develop skill and strength so they can win the prize. Now that you are a Christian, you have a new, special goal. That goal is to become all that your heavenly Father wants you to be. This is another reason why you need standards.
Your heavenly Father plans for you to be part of His family and reach the goals He has for your life. This lesson explains the new standards He has given to help you. Following them will bring you many benefits.
As you let the Holy Spirit guide, you will discover that you can learn how to keep the standards God has given you. The Holy Spirit will give you power to turn away from evil and choose what is right. Day by day, you will grow more like your heavenly Father.
Yes, you have a wonderful Helper! This lesson will explain who He is and how He helps you.
Many are watching you to see if what you say about the power of God is true. Your life shows them how the gospel can change people. What you do, even more than what you say, is a testimony for Jesus.
In this lesson, we will look at some of the rays of light that shine from your life because Jesus lives in you. These rays help convince others that the gospel is true.
This lesson explains the kind of freedom that you have right now because you are a child of God. This freedom sets you free from the terrible effects of sin. It liberates you from the fear that you will not be able to please God. It helps you overcome spiritual error and confusion. These blessings are yours because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. But they are just the beginning.
Your new life of freedom, which has already begun, will never end!