THE NEW BIRTH PROCESS IS NOT VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. IT IS A

*PROCESS* THOUGH THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH. AND,

THAT’S OK…

I REMEMBER BEFORE I WAS BORN AGAIN OF WATER AND SPIRIT—IT WAS A

LENGTHY AND HARD PROCESS—AS I DIDN’T COMPREHEND WHAT BEING

“BORN AGAIN” ACTUALLY MEANT.

WHAT IT MEANS, IS THAT GOD DEPOSITS HIS SPIRIT INSIDE OF YOU AND

COMES TO LIVE INSIDE YOU. BEFORE THIS HAPPENS, OFTEN TIMES, WE JUST

CRAVE AFTER OUR OWN PERSONAL DESIRES. GOD CALLS THESE DESIRES

“SIN”. I CAN TOTALLY RELATE TO THE “ADDICT’S DILEMMA” BECAUSE I WAS

PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORLD’S WORST ADDICTS.

IN FACT, WHEN I WAS CAUGHT UP IN MY ADDICTION, *ALL* I WANTED WAS

MORE OF MY “DRUG OF CHOICE”. MY DRUG OF CHOICE WAS MY “SIN OF

CHOICE”. I WAS ADDICTED TO DRUGS—ALONG WITH MANY OTHER THINGS.

IT’S EMBARRASSING TO REVEAL THIS TO THOSE I LOVE, BUT I DEEM IT NECESSARY TO

ILLUSTRATE MY POINT.

MY POINT IS, JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING—WELL,

THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF IT. SIN IS FUN AND

PLEASURABLE—NO ONE WILL DENY THAT…BUT, IT DOES RESULT IN DEATH.

NOT JUST A PHYSICAL DEATH—BUT MOREOVER, A SPIRITUAL DEATH.

I SHOULD KNOW—AS I WAS SPIRITUALLY DEAD MOST OF MY LIFE…AND THEN,

I GOT THE TRUTH ABOUT BECOMING BORN AGAIN, AND GOT BAPTIZED IN THE

NAME OF GOD FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF MY SINS—AND, HE, GOD HIMSELF,

KEPT HIS PROMISE—HE GAVE ME THE GIFT OF HIS SPIRIT AND, VOILA—

WITHIN A MATTER OF MONTHS, A CATACLYSMIC CHANGE WAS MANIFESTED IN

MY LIFE!!

YOU SEE, WE ARE INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES—IT’S *NOT* A FAIR

FIGHT—BUT, GOD IS JUST AND HE DOES ALL THINGS WELL.

SPEAKING OF DOING ALL THINGS WELL, HERE’S THE DEAL: IF YOU HAVE LIVED

A PRETTY CLEAN LIFE, THE BORN AGAIN PROCESS WON’T BE AS

COMPLICATED AS MINE WAS. SEE, I WAS ONE OF THE WORLD’S WORST

SINNERS—BUT GOD HAS A PRETTY AWESOME WAY OF TURNING ASHES TO

BEAUTY.

A GENTLE REMINDER: BEING BORN AGAIN DOESN’T MEAN YOU STILL WON’T:

STRUGGLE WITH SIN…

IT JUST MEANS YOU OBTAIN VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL

AND YOU WIN! AND, YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR ETERNAL SECURITY AND

GOD GIVES YOU THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING AS WELL AS JOY AND A RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT FREES YOU FROM GUILT AND SHAME!

IN SUMMARY, TO BE BORN AGAIN YOU NEED TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF GOD FOR

THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF GOD’S SPIRIT.