Saturday, June 8, 2024

Have You Experienced a Spiritual Birthday?

Prayer – Lord, I praise You for spiritual birth—an awakening—that is the beginning of spiritual life. I once was blind, but now I see. I was “dead” but now I am alive. Alive in You, Christ. 

God doesn't cast a shifting shadow.
He never changes.



So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
James 1:16-18 NLT

 

Meditate. Consider God’s creation and how He values you.

 

Birth. We all celebrate our birthdays. Do you celebrate your spiritual birthday? I really don’t know what day to consider my spiritual birthday…but I do know that it was 55 years ago. I went to a Bible Study and discovered that this Jesus that I had known for literally all of my life would live in me—in my heart—if I accepted Him as my Savior—and He was coming back to take us all to His home in Heaven. I knew that He was coming back again—but as a Savior, not as a baby again. Accepting Him was a personal thing. I didn’t speak to anyone at the Bible Study—but I went back to my dorm room, prayed and thought about it. Then I got down on my knees—actually on my knees—and asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins, although I thought of myself as a pretty good person…not sinless, just good. Wow! A huge weight lifted off my shoulders. My sinful nature was taken away. I felt pounds lighter, really! So, that was my “spiritual rebirth” just like Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” meaning a spiritual awakening. An awesome experience, but beware. The valley doldrums can happen right after the mountain top experience. Continue to rejoice always in the Lord.

 

The Lord God never changes—just as James tells us. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. There are other verses in the Old and New Testaments that tell us God is always the same.

But LORD, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. Lamentations 5:19 NLT

But you (Lord God) are always the same; you will live forever. Psalm 102:27 NLT

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT

God created us be His prized possession and to live forever, too. Our bodies will be changed someday to be like the resurrected Christ Jesus. We will live forever—with God, if we believe in Jesus as our Savior. I’m glad I choose to make that decision long ago to believe in Jesus. Have you made that decision? The choice is yours.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:11-15 NLT

 

Happy Birthday Val!

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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