Born again

Dear friends,

it’s my birthday today, but I don’t really count it as my true birthday, it is the day I was physically born, but not the day I have come alive… in fact, I don’t even really believe that I will be 50 today, I feel so much younger, because my life as a new born Christian only began a little more than 3 years ago and there is yet so much I have to learn… perhaps those of you who are born again will know what I mean and will know why…?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not boasting!
There is nothing I did to deserve this, nothing within my power let me come to this point!
I am grateful and I am giving GOD ALL the glory for this day, for my LIFE, for being alive today!
For being born again!

Ephesians 2: 1-10
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

 

I am curious what being born again means to you?

When I look at my life before I found JESUS, it was such a hot mess… not only when the satanic attacks started, but also before that… I am not exaggerating when I say I lived in sin.
And yet, my life wasn’t extremely different from your normal average person’s life.
I was married, had my own business, after an attempt to build a career in companies, I did have some success, did climb the ladder in the hierarchy, but it didn’t satisfy me and I knew there must be more to life than just play these business games and get a higher position after a few years and earn a little more… it seemed so ridiculous and pointless to me to sit in all these meetings and I didn’t have a sense of achievement at all when I came home at night after work.
Plus, my team gave me a really hard time in my last job, 4 of the 5 HR managers I was supposed to lead had applied for my job and were doing whatever was in their powers to make me fail, to pass me by, to make me look stupid, I had no allies, one of them was even my boss’ ex and she didn’t give a you know what about what I said… it was when I realized that I needed more skills in order to deal with this horde… so I learned all these coaching and communication tools and means and it payed, they were beginning to cooperate with me… but of course, all my new skills soon let me be bored in this job and I decided to start my own thing-  believing that I would be free, my own boss, being able to do what I want, earn my money “my way”… well, those of you who own their own business know that’s not quite the way it works…

I am only giving you this brief excerpt of my career before I got saved, because I think it is a very common one.

So many people get caught up in the wheel of success and striving and selling more and more of their souls in order to belong, to be accepted, to get approved of, to be the one who will receive the promotion… and losing more and more of themselves, their purpose, their passion, their vigor for life…

And I think this is supposed to be that way, we are supposed to get to a point where we decide as grown ups what we want to do with our lives – or perhaps it is OUR FATHER giving us crossroads and the chance to change paths over and over again, until we find the road to HIM…?

If we take the other road, the one where the enemy lures with his lies, we will have to wait until the next crossing.

That’s what I did – without even knowing it.

But I had so many false guides in me…

My world was built upon what the enemy told me to believe:
that I could do everything I wanted to do, that I was powerful, strong, smart, independent… that my clients were healed by what I did… that I could “manifest” all the success I wanted… that there would be more and more bliss, more and more power, more and more fulfillment, more and more abundance….
He really had me running after the carrots hanging in front of my face.
And I did what I was supposed to do:
try more and more methods and go deeper and deeper into the occult and further and further away from GOD – not knowingly, because what they tell you is that you are getting closer and closer to “god”, just that their god is not the REAL GOD, OUR FATHER, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB, THE FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST, THE GOD OF ISRAEL.
I didn’t know that and I know that many people don’t know until this day that they are truly serving the devil when they are involved in the New Age Movement, doing energy healing or any other alternative healing methods, even therapy (!!) or if you want to go as far and be as extreme in your beliefs as I am, you may even go with me all the way and consider most of the doctors diviners as well, because most of them do not acknowledge that GOD is the only one who will decide if someone lives or dies and they truly believe that they have this power themselves.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
Some of them learn this over the course of their careers and become humble to the greatest power in the universe: GOD.

Anyway, what I was doing wasn’t pleasing to GOD’s eyes and HE let me know.

He allowed the enemy to what I call “bomb my entire life apart”, HE let me experience the consequences of the doors I had opened to the enemy and to his evil spirits, HE let them torture me and almost kill me – only almost though, because HE had other plans for me, but HE truly wanted me to understand first!

He chastened me.

Out of love.

Hebrews 12: 6-11
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

When HE chastens us, HE will never, ever let us perish though.

And what I can say from my own experience of going through this chastening, purification and cleansing and sanctification process for a few years now, it does make you a “new creation”.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

If you had seen me back then, you would not believe it’s me!

I smoked, I swore like a sailor, I had so much lust in me… greed and pride, too… hatred, envy, unbelief, openness to idols, everything really – I was a sinner – in fact, I still do sin today, but I know when I do and I repent as soon as I realize what I have done!
Nothing is more important to me than to please MY HEAVENLY FATHER and I do what I can to live my life so that it will find favour in HIS sight.

And I am grateful that THE LORD has surely driven these features out of me, I was going through hell, was humiliated, poor, helpless, hopeless… I have truly, truly learned my lesson and nowadays I am happily and completely depending on HIM for everything, nowadays do I know deeply and profoundly that I am absolutely NOTHING without HIM!

I wasn’t even really alive before HE came and lived in me…

I was empty, without direction – I had no hope.

Until I gave my life to JESUS.

Which is the only way to BE, to LIVE.

There IS no other way.

I didn’t know this and I don’t believe anyone can truly know until they give their life to HIM.

What I can tell you though – IF you need any more reasons to come to CHRIST:

there is something you will have, regardless of your circumstances, something which is the greatest treasure anyone could ever have, which is not only that you have an eternal friend, who loves you unconditionally and never, ever leaves you, not only that you have a ticket to paradise, but what you will always have in your heart is THE PEACE OF CHRIST, the peace which surpasses all understanding – and this is the most precious, in fact priceless treasure on EARTH, none of the enemy’s cheap thrills can compare to it, believe me, I have had both, I KNOW!

Well, because of GOD’s grace and mercy and because HE is a good and forgiving GOD, I can have joy today, after all I have been through… and I am giving HIM thanks for another amazing year in HIM and with HIM.
Happy birthday to me  – THANK YOU, JESUS, THANK YOU for your everlasting love, for my salvation, for healing, for wisdom, for truth and for my new life in YOU!

What’s the best thing for you, my friend, about being born again?

Do you agree that everything changed since CHRIST came into your life???

I hope and pray that this will heal, inspire and bless you and that THE LORD will bless you richly in all areas of your life, that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and give you peace. In JESUS’ name I pray. AMEN.