as a matter of fact you should have a character change right away ------there should be some change in the way you think and act ----after receiving Jesus in your heart ----
This is not always the case. At least it wasn't with me. Maybe some Christians are instantaneously changed in a way where they never have the old desires affect them.
I remember being confused after I first truly believed, confessed my sin, and need for Jesus, and baptized, because I still had lustful thoughts, and even succumbed to them from time to time.
Why was I still reacting in this way? Hadn't God made me new, with new desires and the complete death and destruction of my old sinful desires?
Yes, I had a hunger to read and study Scripture, and attend service, and I had a greater love for God and people, but those nagging sinful desires were still there.
It took yrs for me to understand what was happening. And it's this:
We STILL inhabit our sinful, dead flesh.
We STILL live in a fallen, sinful, broken world that thrusts temptations at us daily.
The Devil STILL tries to whisper all sorts of destructive things in our ears.
So we can CHOOSE to succumb to those desires that are STILL there, but NOW, we have the power to reject them!
Before we are born again we had no power to do this. But I think it's dangerous message to give baby Christians that they may not be saved if they don't immediately have a drastic change in their life.
Again, it's wonderful for those that do, but this has not been the case with most Christians I know.