Navigating A New Normal

What does it really look like to navigate life as a new Christian?

In this episode, I share the journey of learning to live through the Bible—not just reading it, but putting it into action daily. It’s about the struggle of dying to our flesh, choosing God’s way over our own, and striving to live more like Jesus in the little, everyday moments.

I’m still learning, still growing, and still surrendering—but my heart is to reflect Jesus through my actions so others can see Him through me.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Hey guys, you're listening to a Rebel No More podcast with your host, Jane Fairstock. In today's podcast, we're gonna talk about um navigating life as a new Christian for me. And I feel like this is just like a really strange place to be at in life right now for me because like I gave my life to God about two years ago, and I've learned a lot about the Bible. I've learned a lot about history, which ironically coincides a lot with the Bible in the areas that I was studying. And I think that navigating life right now feels more um clear. Like I feel like I have more of a clear picture of like what's really happening, and you know, as I do navigate this, I find life a little challenging in some areas, especially like being around people who aren't Christian, because I spent 43 years serving the world, doing whatever I wanted to do, saying what I wanted to say, doing what I wanted to do, behaving how I wanted to behave, and it just so wild to sit back and look at everything and just it's it's weird, and I say that because it's like I was at lunch with a friend of mine, and she grew up with religion in her life, and she's an amazing, an amazing woman. And I just all I could think about in my mind when I was hanging out was like I really hope that if I act like old Jane or she comes through a little bit, I really hope that my friend can see that I'm not perfect and that I don't want to give her or any of my friends or anybody that is watching our lives or my life or my husband's lives because like I feel like the minute you come out and you're like, Oh, we love Jesus, that you're under this microscope of what are they doing? What are they saying? What are they wearing? What are they listening to? What are they watching? How do they sound? And you know when you put out there that you're following a Christ-like life and you're not modeling it, I think that that's kind of not kind of, it is so hypocritical, but like also I'm just trying to think back of like when I was living in the world and what it was like to watch people who claim to be Christians live because I think I might have been one of those people, like, oh, they claim to be a Christian, but look what they did. And now I feel like I'm under a microscope because there's a lot at risk now because my husband and I are out here claiming to be Christians, which we are, and I think for me the hardest part about navigating my new life as a Christian is really trying to um, and I believe I did a podcast on this topic as well, letting my actions reflect the oh I did. Uh it was the last one. Live it loud. Letting our actions reflect the gospel is so important because like people literally are watching everything Christian, a Christian does or a Christian says, or what they wear, how they dress, what they post. And and I I find myself doing that. I'll be on Facebook and say, well, they say they're Christians, but they're complaining about politics. My my personal thought, and I literally just did a podcast on um submitting to authority. When I see people who fight authority, I was one of those people, and now I see it, and it's just like as a Christian, I don't like don't hear what I'm not saying. Like, obviously, I care about like the world and like things that are going on in it, and like the war, and like obviously I do care about those things, and people do matter. I don't care where you're at, people do matter. Yes, war is scary and it's upsetting, and it's just not a fun time for anybody, obviously, but like bashing other people for their beliefs, or whether or not they support our president's decision decision to do this, or you know, they support him. It just doesn't matter what side you're on, you know, you're still on a side, and people still watch you. You know, you say you're a Christian, well, they're gonna watch what you say and how you say it and where you post it, and you know where your fruit is. It's like everybody in the world can well, not everybody. Like people will say, Well, you're a Christian, so why do you this? Or wow, that person, I don't know what it was. It was an article. Some pastor somewhere got in trouble for something. Oh, some somewhere in Texas, I don't know what it was. And I remember reading the comments, and one of them was like, and you want us to something with religion, and it was just like I caught myself. I don't know if I was judging, but I I do remember thinking, I might have even commented on the post, I don't remember. But just because you say you're a Christian and you're like, yeah, I you know, go to church and I go to women's groups and I'm doing a podcast and I'm doing this and I'm doing that, and I love the disciple for Jesus, and then I'm gonna go home and not live like that and behave like that, and just people watch that, people see that, but then on the flip side of it, it's like, well, good. I want you to watch me because if you're watching me, then you're gonna watch what Jesus is doing in my life. And while navigating this life is difficult and it's challenging and it's new and it's scary, it still is something that people watch and they're so ready to say, you're not really that Christian, or you don't love God that much because you did this, you did that. And you guys, if you're not a Christian and you happen to be listening to this part of this podcast, I really, really, really want you to hear this. Just because somebody claims to be a Christian does not mean that they are perfect. Okay, when you become a Christian, you do not get some sort of superpower that turns off that switch to sin. Okay, that could be as clean of a sin as you want to label it, as to you know, as dirty of a sin as you want to get. It's there, it's done, it's a sin. Period. Done deal. So, like, we're going to sin. It's just it's going to happen. I didn't say invite Jesus into my heart and get this superpower to not sin. I didn't get a superpower to automatically take my ability to never say a bad word out of my mouth. There are times where I meet with actual close friends that I've had to say, I'm still new at this walk. Please don't let my actions or my inability to control my actions or my mouth in a moment be the picture of God that you get from me. I am broken, I do things wrong all the time. I'm sin just like the next person. But I'm trying to navigate this. And when I say that, when I figure out I did something or said something or whatever it is that goes against God's word, as a Christian, we go and we're supposed to um go into prayer, we're supposed to apologize, and we're supposed to not repeat that sin again. But, you know, we are people and that stuff does happen and we will repeat that same sin. But I've heard, I think a pastor I follow um online, um Kelly says, it's doesn't matter what like who, what, where started it. What matters is the first person to the cross. And what that means is let's say I'm with some girlfriends and I accidentally swear because guess what? Not all my friends are Christians, they're not. And I'm only two years into this. So if you get me around people, and you know, I'm I might get shamed for saying this, but I'm not gonna lie and hide who I am. If I am around a crowd of girls or friends or whatever, and or in a situation or a place that isn't godly, I have to be so mindful and so present because I literally have to have to exercise physical control over my mouth, over my face, and over what comes flying out of my mouth. Because I am not seasoned like someone who's been doing this for 30 years, to where this comes so natural to me. Living like Jesus is not natural to me right now. Loving everybody when they wrong you or hurt you or cut you off in traffic or whatever is not easy. It is not easy to bury my flesh desires and to just safe face and say, you know what, I forgive you and I'm gonna leave it be. I'm gonna let whatever these nasty thoughts are be with God because they're not mine and I, God, you need to take them away. These do not align with you. And you you go in and you go get right with God. And here's the thing: even if you're not right in that moment and you're like, you know what, God, I can't, I know I need to, but I need you. And you do that every single time you go into the, but I don't know, let's say you're struggling with forgiveness, and you don't really forgive that person yet, but you go into prayer every day. You know, God, you know I don't forgive this person yet, but you know I'm trying, and I thank you, God, for taking this and and giving me the ability to allow myself to forgive this person for wronging me. God, anything and everything is so possible through Jesus. It's just us giving up our flesh saying, I'm wrong, it's not about me, it's about Jesus, and I'm gonna act like that. I'm telling you guys. I this is hard. I didn't accept Jesus Christ in my life thinking, well, this will be easy now. Let's just, Jesus is gonna do everything for me, and I'm just gonna kind of sit back and like live this easy streak. It's been nothing that is not been easy. It's been, I think I sent my uh friends a text that said something like, I feel like uh spiritual attacks are like a way of hazing because like you feel like you're getting right in one aspect of your life, and then Satan's over here, like, just kidding, I'm gonna go meddle here and get your attention over here so that you're not focusing on God, but I'm gonna go have you focus on something that happened two years ago. I'm gonna keep you in the past. Because if I'm in the past, I'm not focusing on God, I'm not focusing on how to navigate my new life. I'm constantly looking behind me. And so, you know, now that I've been on this walk for two years, I was talking to my pastor's wife today about this. I think. I think it was her. I think that for me and for baby Christians like me, it's really hard to navigate life because you have your life, you have your flesh and all the things that you have created 40 that I've created 43 years of routines or habits or behaviors, whatever. And then just to stop on one day is just it just doesn't, I mean, unless there are some people where Jesus does work that fast, but like I've said it previously, I'm not on that fast path. And it takes self-control, it takes me meditating on God's word, not to say a profane word when I'm around non-godly people, because that is like the worst place to drop any sort of bad word or crappy behavior is around a non-Christian because I want to show my non-Christian friends or friends that lack or have a little bit of faith that you know there is something to this. I mean, look at me. I know how I was before I had Jesus, and I know what life was like, but I also know what life is like with Jesus. And I personally feel like life is so much better now, and all the do's and don'ts and things like that that scared me away from wanting to follow Jesus at 14 or whatever age I was. Um, I wish that I would have comprehended this a little bit better because a lot of us have this conception or this idea that God is about all the things you cannot do versus all the things you can do. And walking in freedom, walking without chains, um, I'm free to, you know, to to live. I'm not, I'm not being told I'm being shunned for things of guilt, like, oh, we should go do this, and then you get guilted into something, you know, we went to the casino and blew $200. Oh, why'd you go? You know, Satan's gonna guilt you and be like, why did you do that? After giving you the idea to go there. You know, Satan likes to give these crappy ideas. You're like, let's go. And then you're like, crap, I messed up. And Satan's like, yeah, you're stupid. It's like, stop listening to him. He's just leading you down a terrible path. And this entire world is so brainwashed that Satan's normal and good, and God's people who love God as crazy and weird and Jesus freaks. Like, that's that's the literal, that's the the world we live in. Like, that's literally you either are a weird Jesus person or you're um, or you're not. And it's like those are the categories this world has made. And then when you're a Jesus person, you're you know, a certain Jesus person who does this, this, and this, or doesn't do this, and you there's just throw the rules out. Our flesh loves to make rules, and when it does that, all it does is divide us. So just do like if we just did what the Bible said, my friend's husband said this, and it's like it's so true, and but like it's such an easy statement, and it's like, why did I not think of that? But like he's also been walking like for 10 years or more-ish, and I'm like on year two, and it's like I oh man. I don't want a life without God in it. I really don't. I want my life with God in it, and even more God in it. Even more. And all the promises God gives us are in the Bible, and I'd rather have this life and trying to navigate this Christian life than my worldly life because I feel like I actually have direction. I feel like there's stability in my life now. I feel like um I understand air quote. I'm using air quotes. I know you can't see me, but understand the little bit of fundamentals that I have. And I like building on them. I like learning about God, I like learning about all of these things, and it's just it's fun, it's different, and it's just full of love and peace and joy, and it's you know, learning that self-control, it's learning to be slow to speak, quick to listen. And, you know, while all those things might sound so easy and simple to you, those are the things that I struggle with, while struggled with. And, you know, like I said, I've had a life without Jesus in it, and it just was just yucky. It was just not fun. But this life now with Jesus in it, it's way better. It's way better when I'm listening to God, it's way better when I'm listening and submitting to authority, it's way better when I'm express like exercising self-control. Life is better when you have Jesus in it. I I know that I'm living it. I don't want to live a life without Jesus. No, thank you. And I'm not judging anybody who doesn't have Jesus in their life. I just, it really isn't my cup of tea, and I'm glad that I figured that out now because the eternal the alternate uh place would not be fun to be in, and I really don't want to go there, so we're just gonna leave it there. Um, I don't know what my life is gonna look like as it continues to navigate this life path of accepting Jesus Christ and trying to live the best life I can through Jesus and discipling for Jesus. I know that it's different now, but it's a good difference. It's quiet now, it's peaceful. And my relationship with my husband is way better. I don't know if he would agree or disagree, but I definitely feel like we're stronger. And all it did was literally navigating our life the way we are now. It's dying to our own flesh to honor God and to respect God and to listen and not um rebel against our leaders, it's putting God first, it's you know, keeping him in your sights. And as long as he's in our sights, that's I think that um that's the best, you know, situation is setting your sights on your eyes on God. So um, if you guys have any questions, I know this podcast was kind of blurry and a little bit all over the place, but I just feel like as a new Christian, I feel like that's kind of my life right now, kind of all over the place, trying to figure the ins and outs and just do my best to help lead and guide people to Jesus and not make them run and not make them hate God and not make them hate church. My goal is to make and want people to want to want God. That's my goal. I don't know why you wouldn't want God in your life, but if you don't, I hope you keep listening to this podcast. Because there's more to come. I don't know what. But um I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I don't really come up with podcast topics. I just kind of put it out there and like just like when I this is my second recording today, so um I'm gonna go edit and you know do what I need to do. And before I go edit, I you know pray to silently, like, all right, what are we going to talk on next week? And sometimes I get something right away, and sometimes I'm here Sunday the night before I need to post something in the morning. So um, and sometimes that's me dragging my feet. And um, but a lot of the time I'm gonna throw the Holy Spirit under the bus. I'm being funny, but some of the times I don't get a topic until a little bit later in the week, but that's okay, that's not my timing. It's his, so whatever. Um, if you would like to reach out to me, please do so. You can contact me on Facebook or Rebel No More. You can contact me on TikTok if you like TikTok at Jane F A Z 17. And you can always shoot me an email at jccrim81 at gmail.com. I hope you guys had fun listening to this random podcast. I'm sorry if it was a little bit everywhere, but I'm sure that's just the first to come. I hope not. But, anyways, thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for your continued support. And I just I pray for each and everybody's faith grows stronger and stronger. And if you don't have any faith yet, I do pray that you do get faith, and I pray that it multiplies daily. Thank you guys. God bless you.