Message Library

Born Again

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 2:17

When we accept Christ as our Savior we are born anew of God when the Holy Spirit enters us. How significant is it to us that we are born of God and that the Holy Spirit gives us life? The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you–they are full of the Spirit and life. (John 6:63) Without the Spirit we are spiritually dead in our sins, but with the Spirit we are alive in Christ. Knowing that we are born of God, and that God lives in us, should change us forever.

We will recognize the powerful presence of the Spirit within us when we live by the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (Romans 8:5). The priority of our thoughts, whether worldly or spiritual, will determine if we realize that we are born of God and that the Spirit lives in us. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) Where your thoughts are determines the direction of your heart, either worldly or spiritual. A worldly directed heart will struggle to know the presence of the Holy Spirit, but the spiritual heart is continuously thankful of being born again through Christ on the cross, and lives in the Spirit.

How does God change us, so that our desire is to think and speak about the things of God more than the things of the world? By seeing the world through the eyes of God, allowing ourselves to be directed by the Spirit, and being spiritually oriented in all of our discussions. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). Whatever the topic of our conversations, they should be through the Spirit in the same way that Jesus spoke the words of the Father. This is having our mind set on what the Spirit desires.

Having our minds set on the Spirit requires being still inside and being connected to God. This makes communing with God as natural as thinking. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10) If we are still inside we can take the time to control our words through the Spirit.

As we move closer to the Lord, the more our thinking is one with God through the Spirit, the more we will recognize the Spirit’s presence within us. The Spirit will dominate our thoughts and words as our hearts change from being worldly to being Godly. Recognizing that we are born again of the Spirit and that we are getting closer to our Lord is an ongoing process of spiritual growth and is the most exciting thing in life.

Today recognize that you are born of God, born of Spirit, and live as a new creation in Christ. When people see you let them see a Christ-like person. We are ambassadors for Christ every second of our lives. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Depend on the Spirit for your thoughts and words today, and show God’s love and wisdom in your life.

Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to realize that I am born of the Spirit and that Christ lives in me and I live in him. Guide my thinking and my words to be through the Spirit. Thank you for making me a new creation in your family and for molding my mind and heart to that of your Son. In Jesus name, Amen