The learning process after becoming a Christian is called discipleship. This is Step 2 in building a strong Christian home. If you look up disciple in a dictionary, some inaccurately list the definition as someone who guides others to Christ. The reason I say that is inaccurate is because it is only a part of being a disciple. I think words like student or apprentice are much better to describe this 2nd aspect of building a strong Christian home. I personally love the word "apprentice" because to me it indicates learning through activity while to me a student learns through lectures. In being a disciple, there are no boring lessons. There are amazing new revelations. I can be struggling and praying over a problem and read a verse that I have read many times and perhaps even memorized and it suddenly has a new truth to me in my situation.
Therefore, discipleship is learning about Jesus and to be like Jesus and to understand His commandments for us all (Matthew 22:36-40) and to begin the process of recognizing His special plan for our individual life. This is a process of making Jesus the author of our life. You may be saying, God has never given me clear enough messages to determine my career, relationships or financial choices. In fact you may be thinking, its all in my mind or I have some strange mental illness with delusions of a cell phone to God. However, I assure you, if you seek God's guidance, He will give it.
When seeking God's direction in your life, there are a variety of things that you can do to make it easier for God to communicate to you and your family.
1. Read the Bible often. At least daily. Many web sites like http://odb.org/ have daily devotions (stories of how the Bible applies) and scripture readings free for you each day. Some even read aloud to you so you can put them on your MP3player!
2. Memorize scripture. Matthew 22:36-40 is a great scripture to start with. By memorizing scripture, God can bring guiding scriptures into your daily struggles even when you're not reading the Bible.
3. Pray often. It only takes a moment to pray. Sometimes my prayer is just, "Help me". Other times that I sit aside, I can pray longer and bring my sins, worries, requests/petitions to Jesus in full explanation. The key is to be frequently praying and seeking God's direction.
4. Locate other believers...I'm a bit hesitant to include this because if other "apprentices" start telling you things that you can't find in scripture, then they are not a benefit to you and may even discourage you. Today's Christians meet in homes, tea rooms, rented meeting rooms and churches so finding a loving group to encourage you and your family in loving the Lord is easier than ever. You can even start your own group of believers.
5. Create a consistent environment of Biblical education. Children need the great stories of the Bible to begin to understand the character of God. Places like http://www.cbhministries.org/ have great free resources to teach your kids what God values right from the Bible.
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