The Born Again Experience

Before I was born again I leaned into my feelings instead of turning to Jesus Christ, it got me into trouble, even making things worse.

After I became born again my trials didn't go away but I didn't bring more trouble on myself, I was at peace without companionship and godly love from another human being.

After I became born again my perspective changed about my trials giving me the strength and resolve to trust Christ through them. The joy of the Lord remained through the trials and contact with wicked people who wanted to deter me from following Christ.

Make no mistake, when you have become a new creation and no longer think the way you used to think be sure that the devil will double down on the hatred against you. He will attempt to cause people to accuse you of past forgiven sins. He will attempt to discourage you from moving forward hoping you will become lame and broken over sins that no longer exist and that God has done away with.

In the garden, the devil convinced Eve that God had withheld the truth from her and that she need not listen to Him.

After becoming born again the devil will attempt to use feelings to convince you that your sins of the past were never forgiven, that they were too big to ever be forgiven.

When the devil does this quote scripture in his face, tell him that the thief on the cross knew he was wicked but defended Christ and was saved, even without any works to help himself, He was on His way that very day to paradise with Christ.

No sin is too big to be forgiven when we confess it and desire to be cleansed by Christ. Anyone who attempts to make you feel "less than" or "guilty" over past forgiven sins is being used of the devil and must be disregarded as an enemy. Sadly some of these people will be in the church, they are pretenders and haters without love and without compassion toward you because they have never been born again.

If you want to maintain your peace and joy you must remove the haters from your life, perhaps after you speak the gospel to them and leave their own fate with them.

Never worry about defending yourself, simply agree that you were a sinner and praise God for His forgiveness and cleansing. Leave it at that, no excuses, no justification, no groveling over what God has cleansed permanently. Using Scripture is always good,

Luke 7:47 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”

The greater our sins were the more grateful to God for His forgiveness. We know that we deserved death, but the one who thinks their sins were not so big, are still worthy of death.

Until we have a proper perspective of our sinful nature we cannot be humbled enough to come with a contrite heart. That is a crushed heart over our sinfulness, the only way God will forgive and cleanse us from sin is through our crushed heart.

We must have a lowly view of ourselves to be saved. The more a person "prides" themselves on themselves the less likely they are to become born again.

The Lion of Judah

Recently I have enjoyed short videos about the lions and the man who trains them, Oleg in Crimea.

One of the things that impress me is that Oleg uses kindness and mild threats to train the lions. He loves them, and interacts with them in very friendly and kind ways but also shows leadership over them with a slipper.

He slaps them on the nose with the slipper from his foot when they are only slightly showing disobedience. From a young age, the lions learned that the slipper meant power and the one behind the slipper was the one with the power.

I can't help but think of "The Lion of Judah" when I see these lions. The lions are powerful and fearful but also loving and affectionate toward the one they love, that is Oleg. The lions will accept and love anyone who is with Oleg.

It often amazes me when I can look into God's creation and see the lessons there for us.

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

When we trust in Christ, "The Lion of Judah" which is Jesus Christ, lives in us we know we can know His desires for us and enjoy loving Him as He loves us.

When Christ comes to dwell in us we have continual peace and hope in all circumstances. If we learn to ignore the feelings manipulated by the devil we can have victory over every difficult matter. We need not allow our feelings to drive us to sin as is the hope of the devil in his manipulations.

When Christ lives in us He loves us so much that He will not allow us to continue in sin that will destroy us and our witness of Him.

Our greatest strength is Christ and His Truth. When we focus on truth the feelings dissipate and have no control over us.

I remember many years ago in high school when the psychologists were teaching us to lean into our feelings, pay attention to them and operate according to them. This teaching was devilish and the opposite of what God teaches. If someone says to you; "follow your heart" you know you are speaking to a worldly person who does not understand the ways of God. In short, it is very bad advice to follow our own hearts, we are to follow the Mind of Christ.

Romans 8:4-6 "…4 so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,"

Feelings are responses to stimuli, they do not contain truth, often leading us away from rational and reasonable responses to life. Feelings should never take priority over facts, they lie to us, they tell us things are good when they are sinful and they tell us things are bad when they are good and righteous.

Anything we hear in the modern churches today ought to be vetted through the Bible and prayer. Much of what is going on in the modern apostate church is the opposite of what Christ teaches in His Word. Those who do not question what is being taught are lazy and foolish.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

"21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good,"

Just what it says; examine everything all the time and remain staunch in what is true. In order to do this we must be willing to be rejected, ignored and even mocked. Jesus Christ was murdered and so were the apostles for their resolve to remain faithful to the truth. Christ can give joy when we have to be rejected for standing strong in Christ.

James 1:2-18 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Hallelujah!!!!