Hi Reevesy,
welcome to the club! I have been playing for over 50 years and still learning.
The key to playing is practice, more practice and then still more practice (sorry if that sounds a bit dull). I found that the best way to progress and really learn was to pick a favourite song, preferably not too complicated (don't try 'Girl from Ipanema' first time out . . . ), and work it out by ear, by yourself. You will need the basic three inversions of the major chords, and the same for the minors - you can find those in the chord books, but work out the melody as if you were playing it as lead guitar, then work out the rhythm part (chords). You'll tear your hair a few times, but you will gradually find you're playing something recognisable.
After that, try experimenting with how you're playing the individual notes in a simple melody - stopping them, bending them, a bit of vibrato, hammer-on, left-finger pluck (I was doing these things automatically before I knew they had names) that way you will learn about technique, and in time you will find that you have developed your own individual style.
Perseverance is the key - good luck mate!