What is a Born Again Believer?

Prior to our salvation, we had a body and soul, but our spirit was dead in sin. As a Born Again Believer our spirit is now alive and contains the Spirit of God. We can enjoy constant quiet time within our spirit, regardless of what is occurring in our body or soul. With this regular fellowship, our soul abides in a state of peace, which causes our body to remain in better health and vitality.

This does not happen before we are Born Again. In God’s presence, we refresh our soul. Even if He remains silent, we enjoy the companionable silence of His friendship and lordship in our life. Regardless of our circumstances, we live in serenity in our spirit. As we focus on our connection with Christ in our spirit, He heals the negative feelings of our body and soul.

We look at life from a spiritual rather than an earthly viewpoint. We love Christ immensely; our soul draws nourishment from His existence in our life. His Word comes alive in our mind, His presence comforts our fears and His love pours over us like a waterfall as we keep our mind focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3). We do not need to see Him with our eyes, because we hear him with our inner ear (Matthew 11:14).

We feel His Spirit within us (Colossians 1:27). We float through life as the Spirit of God stirs the waters. We flow with the ebb and current of God’s will. People see God’s life-changing power within us. So many turn a deaf ear or blind eye, preferring to believe Satan’s lies. Others want our same experience, so we travail in birth pains with them. We desire to win people to Christ, so they can live in the love of God with us.

Prayer:

Father God, You are the author and finisher of our salvation. Jesus made this possible by His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross, and Your Spirit drew us to Your precious heart. Thank You for loving us, caring for us and helping us in our doubts and fears. We look to You to provide our daily bread and to lead us away from every temptation, which might bring dishonor to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

Taste and see that the Lord is good. – Psalm 34:9

 

The Unkown God

 

Paul found a statue on Mars Hill to the Unknown God. He gave a life-changing message that day. After listening to His eloquent exposition of the prophetic words of the Old Testament, many came to know and trust Christ as their Savior. Trusting in an unseen God with our whole heart and relinquishing our power is ludicrous to most people. That is why so few people ever come to the place of total surrender to God. We learn from childhood that life will dominate us if we do not rise up and subdue it.

We use our own efforts to make the wisest choices we can and to recover from our mistakes (Isaiah 64:6). The older we get, however, the more we realize that no matter how many management courses we take, life has a tendency to squeeze out of the mold we create for it. God is the only being capable of controlling life. Surrendering to His love and wisdom brings serenity to our life. God provides balance to our chaos, by leading us on His perfect path.

Relinquishing control of our will is the most monumental struggle any human being has to face. We start with repenting of our sin of unbelief and asking Jesus to save us (Romans 10:13; John 3:18). Then we pray without ceasing as we live out each day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God often requires that we walk to the edge of all the light we have and then take one giant step into the darkness. This requires a great deal of faith in God’s faithfulness. Only as we obey God’s direction we will see the reasons for His commands.

As we learn the Bible and follow the truths within each page, we will no longer stumble around in the dark. God’s Word provides a light for our path and a lamp for our feet (Psalm 119:105). God leads us in a level path because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11). God tries us and knows our ways (Psalm 139:23). The Word also searches our heart and reveals the hidden things we try to keep secret (Proverbs 20:27). As we relinquish each of our fears and sins to God, then His Spirit rises up within us and fills us with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

God teaches us to live with confidence in Him as He leads us by His Spirit. We walk in perfect peace and fulfillment (Isaiah 30:15). We no longer need to worry about what we will eat or drink, where we will live or how we will pay our bills (Matthew 6:25-33). We take His yoke upon us and learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). His yoke helps us to carry our burdens and prevents us from wandering off in the wrong direction. We silence the foolishness of unbelievers by living a righteous life (1 Peter 2:15).

Prayer:

Father God, the secret of having faith is living in Your will. Faith is not some explosive power that we wield in order to lavish our self with worldly goods. Instead, it is the ability to obey Your desire for our life. Faith does not move Your hand, but it moves us to obey You. We live in gratitude as you reveal Your will to us moment by moment throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Renew our thoughts. Remind us to trust in You with our whole heart, and to seek You before we even get out of bed in the morning (Romans 12:2: Proverbs 3:5-6). Faith indeed moves mountains; however, we must first make sure that You want it moved (Philippians 2:13).

Thought for the Day:

Regardless of where we work, where we live or how much income we make, we can all follow God’s Spirit moment by moment throughout the day.

Life Changing Experience

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

The gospel in a nutshell contains only a few words, but they are powerful and life changing. Through them, we see our sin, repent and surrender our life to Christ. We simply ask in faith for Jesus to justify us as our Savior. It is so effortless; yet, so profound. This uncomplicated act opens the door for God’s welcoming grace to flood our soul, and to begin the sanctifying process of holiness.

There is no penance to perform, no searching journey to take around the world and no monumental feat to accomplish. Salvation is not accomplished by works, which we can do, it is a free gift for us from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we ask Him to save us, Jesus instantaneously breathes His Spirit into our dead spirit (John 3:6) and we are "born again" (John 3:7). He makes us a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Old things pass away and everything about us gradually is made new. Then He calls us to diligently seek Him with all of our heart, so He can teach us all things (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

So often, we mistakenly think that once our salvation is secure, we must start to impress God with our goodness. We work to deserve His love. We take copious notes on Biblical imperatives and we use them to create a set of rules to live by. Paul watched the Galatians do this very same thing, and he called them foolish (Galatians 3:1-3). All God wants is our praise. We trust Him with our life and we do not rely on our own devices (Proverbs 3:5-6). As we abide in His presence, and as we allow His Holy Spirit to direct our steps, we will bear much fruit and further God’s Kingdom in the earth (John 15:5).

Paul exhorted his spiritual son Timothy to trust in the grace of Christ (2 Timothy 2:1). Grace saves us and keeps us in its grasp (Colossians 2:6) as the Holy Spirit equips us with everything we need to live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12). Grace is unmerited favor from God that makes us victorious over every temptation and strengthens us through every trial. With this grace operating in our life, we learn contentment sitting at Jesus’ feet (Philippians 4:12).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to live in Your grace with a life of wisdom, honor, holiness and victory. Our soul hungers and thirsts for more of You (Psalm 42:2, 63:1, 84:2, 143:6). Keep us ever faithful to You, and remind us to show our gratitude for everything You do in us, through us and for us. You are gracious to us, Lord God Almighty, and we are eternally grateful.

Thought for the Day:

We did not earn our salvation, and we do not need to earn God’s love.