THE FIRST STAGE OF THE JOURNEY

THE INITIAL STAGE: FAITH IS RECOGNIZING GOD

Characteristics:

 All of life is centered on an awareness of God.

 Usually this awareness of God comes from wonder or a sense of need.

 A person recognizes their old tendencies to be self-absorbed and self-centered 

God is approached as the key to life.  This involves a humility to reach out and accept a free gift of grace.

 At that moment a person places their faith on the work of God and He then places them on a spiritual journey.

Such an act of conversion enables a person to experience the “new birth” in Jesus and a new spiritual nature.  Also the Holy Spirit, God comes to reside in the soul of the believer.

 This begins the journey.  It is very individualistic and the emotions can cover the whole gamut of experience.

 Examples of this stage: Moses (Exodus 3), David (I Samuel 16), Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), Lydia (Acts 16:11-15), the Jailer (Acts 16:22-34), Simon Peter (John 1:35-42), Saul (Acts 9:1-11).

 Often a person feels unworthy or horribly weak; everything is new.  A person is a new creation.  He/she is adopted into God’s family.  He/she has been justified.

 There is an excitement and whole new perspective on life. 

.Beliefs/Behavior:

 God is big, we are small and insignificant.

 The new believer is motivated into a blind obedience to what God wants.

 This person is very child-like in their acceptance of spiritual information.

 Someone has the answers to life’s questions.

Realities that might produce getting stuck in this stage:

 An enduring sense of failure.

 A feeling of inadequacy.

 Suffering as a role in life.  (martyrdom)

 A feeling of being ignorant and uninformed.