Born Again!

"Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." -Acts 2:38-39 NASB

I just finished reading Billy Graham's book How to Be Born Again. I bought a compilation of his bestselling books Angels, How to Be Born Again and The Holy Spirit at a used book store for $7-and-change. My walk with Jesus began the first time I called upon His Holy Name in complete sincerity and surrender. I remember the day and the exact spot where I was kneeling on the floor. This was my first real experience of Christ and His saving power. I had finally turned to Him (or He turned Me).

I attended parochial school from first grade through my sophomore year in college. I took religion and theology classes nearly every semester over this entire period of time. Our family attended church services every week. In spite of all my exposure to His Life and Word I NEVER CALLED UPON HIS NAME AND TRULY BELIEVED.

Ungrateful, selfish, prideful, spiteful, vengeful, jealous, envious, rebellious, disrespectful, disobedient, irreverent, boastful, hateful, deceitful, hypocritical, double-minded, duplicitous, angry, blasphemous, immoral, unfaithful, unbelieving, cowardly, lazy, judgemental - all these describe what I was and did not mind being. I especially judged people for what they had said, written or done. The great hypocrisy was that I thought even worse things than what I judged people for saying, writing or doing. I was "clean on the outside", but soiled and rotten on the inside.

When I was born again, Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit showed me that He knows everything we do, say and think before we even do, say or think it. He knows all our thoughts and motives. He knows what is in our hearts. You cannot lie to Him because He knows everything already. Through the working and conviction of the Holy Spirit Jesus reproves us, and instructs us, and molds us into His image after our spiritual rebirth. This is an ongoing process. Each believer's experience is unique because each of us is different. Only Jesus Christ knows how to bring us back into the fold because only He truly knows our hearts. We cannot save ourselves. Only through His supernatural love, strength, divine mercy and grace can we be saved.

Reach out to Him through prayer. He hears you.

I love you.

-Daddy

"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. -Revelation 3:19-20 NASB

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:3-8 NASB

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." -1 Timothy 1:12-16 NASB

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. -Romans 1:18-32 NASB

"For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." -Romans 11:32 NIV

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER" And this is the word which was preached to you. - 1 Peter 1:17-25 NASB