A New Beginning: My Journey to Faith in Christ

Discovering God’s Love and Embracing a Life of Faith

Chester Cathedral

Searching for Something More – The longing for purpose and truth

Before I became a Christian, I pursued many things, including relationships, to make me feel valued and loved, but nothing truly satisfied my heart.  After leaving a long-term relationship, I was dressing provocatively for attention from men to enable my longing of needing to be close to someone. 

I began to ‘see’ and chat with a few different guys over the following few years.  But they were all empty relationships, all geared towards one thing, that I now know as a sin. 

Looking back now, I guess I’d always kind of drifted through life, never really having an anchor or a specific direction that I was headed towards.  The restlessness in my heart was a longing for something eternal—something only He could fulfil. 

In hindsight, I’ve realised that God was always with me and watching over me, even before I knew Him as I do now.  There are so many points in my life where I can see His fingerprints, guidance, prompting, and nudging.

Encountering God – How I came to know Jesus

I grew up going to Sunday School and church, but as I got older, we stopped going as a family, and I wasn’t old enough to go on my own.  Through my teenage years and into my early adulthood, I would have classed myself as more spiritual.  Believing in a higher power of some description, be it a person or a spirit, who was watching over us all and orchestrating everything.  

Then, a few years ago, over a few months, I was constantly being prompted to ‘read the bible’, which was something I’d never done before.  It was so annoyingly persistent that I eventually relented.  

I began by downloading a Bible App, watching online sermons, looking up Christian content creators and YouTubers, and buying my first journaling bible.  I began to use it while I was watching online sermons, making notes in the margins, highlighting, circling and underlining parts as the pastor spoke their message.  

YouVersion bible app logo

My first journaling Bible

Taking the First Steps – Surrendering my life to Christ

I was then led to look for a local church to visit to see if this church thing was potentially for me, so I made a list of potential ones, and I decided that I was going to visit a different one each week starting in the new year.  It made sense to look for a physical church to visit while I was testing the waters as a potential new Christian so that I would get a more rounded view of what it could potentially be like to continue on this journey.

I went to the first church on my list one Sunday morning early in 2020, and I never made it to any of the others.  Another prompting: I needed to come to this one more than once to see if it was my church; you can’t always know after one visit.

Every week I met new people and had to make a list of them on my notes app on my phone so I hopefully wouldn’t forget anyone.  They were so warm and welcoming, and there was tea and cake after the service!  What could be any better after being fed spiritually than to drink tea and eat cake?

Over the next few years, my faith and my friendships at church grew, but I was still struggling with the transition of becoming a Christian, even after being baptised in 2021.  I wondered if I was "doing it right”?  I didn’t know any scripture, and I wasn’t praying. But I soon realised that faith isn’t about rules or rituals; it’s about a relationship with God.

Challenges and Growth – Navigating doubts and deepening faith

I’ve faced doubts, struggles, and moments of wondering if I was worthy of God’s love because of my sexual promiscuity outside of marriage and because I struggle to feel worthy and loved. There were times when I questioned whether I was strong enough to stay on this path and even if I was meant to be on it.

But in those moments, God was teaching me the importance of trust. His Word reminded me that He is patient, loving, and always near. Growth in faith isn’t about never struggling—it’s about choosing to rely on God through every challenge.

When I became a Christian, I found that I was struggling to read the bible.  It’s this big, daunting book with lots of confusing references and hard-to-pronounce words; sometimes the sentences don’t seem to make sense, and it was written 2000 years ago!  How could it be relevant to me?

The Joy of Walking with Jesus – How faith transforms everyday life

For the last few decades, a favourite part of my day has been my morning routine and quiet time.  It’s where I would journal out my thoughts and occasionally jot down the odd nugget of wisdom that was downloaded to me, all while I drank a hot cup of tea.

I found a bible that had split the bile up into 365 sections, one for every day of the year, except a leap year.  It has parts of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs all to read each day.  I found that this not only gave me an overall view of the Bible, but it also enabled me to tag reading this onto the existing habit of journaling in the morning.  

One of the greatest joys of becoming a Christian has been experiencing the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. Even in difficult seasons, I no longer feel alone. My faith has given me hope, purpose, and a new perspective on life.

I’ve started to understand what it means to truly follow Christ. It isn’t about perfection—it is about grace, transformation, and learning to walk with Him daily.

My daily Bible

Encouragement for New Believers – Advice for those starting their journey

If you’re new to faith, I want to encourage you to take it one step at a time. You don’t have to have all the answers right away. Faith is a lifelong journey, and God is patient with you.

• Spend time in His Word—start with a translation you can understand and begin in the Gospels to learn about Jesus.

• Pray, even when you don’t know what to say.  Just talk to God; tell Him your worries, fears, and concerns, and thank Him for all He has done for you.  God hears you.

• Find a community of believers who will support and encourage you.  Find a local church community where you feel safe and welcomed.

• Trust that God is working in you, even when you don’t feel it.  

Living Faithfully – Trusting God and growing closer to Him every day

Becoming a Christian isn’t just about a one-time decision—it’s about making that decision daily to walk with Jesus. I’ve found that some days are easier than others, but through every season, God is faithful.

I’m still learning and growing, and I know that this journey will continue for the rest of my life. I hope that through this blog, I can encourage others to seek God, trust in His plan, and live each day with faith.

It’s about changing the decisions you make in certain situations, making better choices, and altering your behaviours to honour Jesus, and doing it daily, sometimes multiple times a day. 

If you’re on this journey, know that you are not alone. God is with you, and He has an incredible plan for your life.

Have you recently started your journey of faith? Or are you considering it? I’d love to hear your story! Feel free to share in the comments or reach out. Let’s walk this journey together.