| Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-24; Proverbs 14:20-21
“Jesus replied, ‘I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'” (John 3:3)
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)
God took all of the risk and all of the work for salvation. He draws us to Himself, He convicts us of our sin and lost state, all we have to do is believe in Jesus and by faith receive what He has done for us, and we become saved, born again if you will. Then once we are born again the Holy Spirit takes on the responsibility of leading and guiding us through life. Since you cannot see the kingdom of heaven without being born again, per Jesus, then it’s kind of a no-brainer.
“When you say believe in Jesus and receive His sacrifice, what exactly does that mean? Can I just say a prayer and move on in life?” When you are truly born again you don’t want to move on in life, you want to get to know your Savior in a deeper way. Most of us start out good but then encounter some struggles because of how we are accustomed to coping with life’s challenges. When we fail, the enemy of our souls’ swoops in quickly to condemn us. He tries to make us feel as though there has been no change in us. Our minds kick in and if we aren’t careful, we’ll reason ourselves right out of our God experience.
Once you have received Jesus, stand strong, keep moving forward. When you fall, get back up. You are saved, you aren’t perfect, probably never will be, however, you are in a constant state of change, and it will become apparent over time. God is good. He is not here to send us to hell, He’s here to give us an opportunity to be spared from that course. If you hear a belittling, condemning voice in your ear command it to go because it isn’t God. God is for you! He wants you to succeed. We’re going to make it through this life with joy, love and peace – I’ll see you on the other side!
PRAYER:
Lord, I surrender to You. I pray to be born again. I ask You to change my heart, be real to me. Save me, sanctify me and change the desires of my heart. Make me more like You. I pray for a revelation of what salvation truly means and what it entails. Forgive me for any sin in my life and any shortcomings You see. Help me to keep my mind focused on You. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. |
