Stressed, frustrated or depressed? Do you want relief from life’s daily pressures? Are you tempted to throw up your hands and cry, “What’s the use?” We juggle more in our normal day than previous generations did in a week! Yet, with all of this “progress”, we have not seen any of the peace promised us. Jesus Christ offers to bring real peace into our lives, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 NKJ).
But, it's hard to have hope if you are struggling to pay your bills, if your children are not talking to you, if you're fighting with your spouse, or if you're competing to keep your job. That's why Jesus declared, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJ). He's concerned with every aspect of your life, so you can rest assured that God will provide for all of your needs when you make Jesus the Lord of your life.
However, that doesn't mean you are automatically born again, nor will God force you to be. You have the God-given right to choose your own destiny. It's not enough to have an emotional experience or to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins. Even though the price is already paid, you must receive Jesus and His sacrifice by faith personally, as an act of your will. "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10 NKJ).
God's Love. It Is Your Choice.
What others say about you and even what you feel do not change the truth that you are a new person. As far as God is concerned, your past life is done, buried and gone. From this point forward, you must learn to live like other born-again believers, who "...walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJ).
But, it's hard to have hope if you are struggling to pay your bills, if your children are not talking to you, if you're fighting with your spouse, or if you're competing to keep your job. That's why Jesus declared, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJ). He's concerned with every aspect of your life, so you can rest assured that God will provide for all of your needs when you make Jesus the Lord of your life.The Abundant Life
Having the abundant life Jesus came to give is much more than making Heaven your destination when you die. It brings great benefits in this life, too. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." That means your old lifestyle - your old ways of thinking and talking, your old priorities and habits - will give way to your new nature, so your marriage, relationships, and future can become new.
Sound impossible? Jesus said, “…With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27 NKJ). One of the most comforting aspects of being born again is knowing that, as you progress in your new life with God, all of your needs and desires are supplied. "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19 NKJ). Notice that "all" leaves nothing out. Jesus came to give you life that is full and meaningful. That is why He said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJ).
If you live your life ignoring God or His guidance, then things will not turn our well. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25 NKJ). The only way to a fresh start and a new life is being born again. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3 NKJ).
The good news is that you are the reason God sent Jesus into this world. God wants to give you a new full life, not to count your sin against you. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17 LB).
No matter what you've done or how unworthy you may feel, you can go to Jesus and He'll accept you. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 NKJ). Jesus Christ paid our debt of sin for us. “He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26 NKJ).
It's Your Choice
However, that doesn't mean you are automatically born again, nor will God force you to be. You have the God-given right to choose your own destiny. It's not enough to have an emotional experience or to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins. Even though the price is already paid, you must receive Jesus and His sacrifice by faith personally, as an act of your will. "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10 NKJ).Your heart’s belief and mouth’s confession give God permission to create the miracle of the new birth. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJ).
If your choice is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord, you will no longer be separated from God. You'll have established a personal relationship with Him. He'll become your Father and you'll become His child. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12 NKJ).
A New Life
At the moment you pray to express your faith in Jesus Christ, you are a new person spiritually - born again - in the sight of God. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJ)! From that point on, you become a child of God, and are given His nature. It is no different than you having the nature of your physical earthly parents.
To better grasp what this new birth means, it will help you understand your composition. According to the Bible, you are made up of three parts. The real you is spirit. You live in a physical body, and you have a soul. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7 cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJ).
To be clear, when you are born again, you are born again spiritually, not physically, at the new birth. That is what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see 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 marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’" (John 3:3,6,7 NKJ).
God's Love. It Is Your Choice.The Bible says Jesus "was tempted in all ways like we are, but without sin (Hebrews 4:15 NKJ). For this reason, Jesus is the only One who can bring us to God as Father. The Bible says, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 NKJ). Jesus Himself said that He is the only way to know God as your Father. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJ).
By Personal Invitation
Realize that you are not reading this by chance. This is your opportunity to enter into a personal relationship with God. If you are unsure about where you stand with God, you can forever settle that issue right now. Take a moment to pray this suggested prayer. Say the words aloud from your heart and you'll be born again!
"Dear God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to take away my sin so that I might be forgiven and have right standing with You. I accept Jesus now as my Lord and Savior, and I turn from my past life to a renewed life with You in Christ.
You said in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I would be saved. I have just made this confession, and I believe that I am now saved. Thank You for Your gift of salvation, in Jesus' name. Amen."
Faith Over Feelings!
Thank God for receiving you and making you His child. "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14 NKJ). Notice that this verse is in the past tense, meaning that this is now an established truth! As a born-again believer, you must learn to see yourself as God sees you.
What others say about you and even what you feel do not change the truth that you are a new person. As far as God is concerned, your past life is done, buried and gone. From this point forward, you must learn to live like other born-again believers, who "...walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJ).You will most likely be tested and tempted to feel or think that you are not really born-again. This is a part of the process of you becoming spiritually mature. "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:3-4 NKJ).
We are excited for you and rejoice with you in your new start. You have established a personal relationship with God, and we would like to send you a free gift to help you in your new spiritual walk. Send us your name and mailing address by filling out the form and clicking "Send it!" below so we can send you your gift without obligation!
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