4 Things I wish I Knew when I got Born Again



 
What do you do when you wake up one day and realize that you if you had known better at the beginning, maybe your life will not be the way it is now? This happened to me and today I have chosen to help someone not to repeat the same mistake I did. I got born again in 2009.  During that time I had no idea what being saved meant. I did not even know that I was supposed to grow. It took me quite a while to know this.  Now that I know, let me share those five things with you:

(Unless otherwise stated, all scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version)

1.      Prayer

Prayer is essential for spiritual growth. This is the process of communicating with our creator, God. There is a particular format that Jesus taught us to follow in Matthew 6:9-13 which says:

                “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. {For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’}

I did not know how to pray, I could close my eyes and say God thank you. In the church that I used to fellowship in during that time, I could see people praying for over one hour.  I wondered how they did that. Today I can gladly do the same and even more. How did I get there? By praying.  The only way to know how to pray it to actually pray..even if today you can just say ‘Thank you God, ‘ tomorrow you will go a step further and pray ‘Thank you God today for the gift of life.’ The next prayer will be longer than the one done the previous day. That is the only way.
 Its good to also note that God listens and answers sincere prayers. Prayers made from the bottom of our hearts.  Prayers made without any doubt: trusting and believing that what you have prayed for will be answered as stated in Mark 11:24 ‘Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

2.      Reading and studying the Word of God

You cannot grow spiritually unless you read and study the word of God. You have to set aside a few hours of your day to actually pray and read the Bible. This is the surest way that God speaks to us. John 1:1 says that; ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ How then will He speak to us if we don’t meet Him in His Word? I find the New Testament easier for beginners, especially the four gospels, and then you can move on to the other parts.
There is a one-year and two-year Bible reading plan.  Click the link below to access the plans:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/

3.      Spiritual Mentor

All great men and women of God had mentors. A mentor is a person who guides you, teaches you, corrects you; in short they are our role models. Jesus taught the disciples who later because Apostles, Prophets. They were the first to advance the gospel after His ascension to heaven. Elisha was mentored by Elijah. For Ruth to become a woman of substance and fall in the lineage of our Saviour Jesus Christ according to Matthew 1:1-16, she was directed by Naomi; her mother-in-law (Read the story of Naomi and Ruth in the book of Ruth). Moses mentored Joshua, The Apostle Paul did guide Timothy as we see in 1 Timothy 1:2. Allow me to mention few of them.
Our role as the people who are being taught is to stay in obedience. Philipians 4:9 shows us the Apostle Paul telling the people of Philippi to practice the things that they have learnt, seen and received from him and the God of peace will be with them.

4.      Commitment

Growing spiritually requires a lot of commitment. Praying, studying the word, following the advice of the mentor all require a great sacrifice. We have to be ready to deny ourselves for us to get there.  Jesus used to pray before dawn, that means, He woke up early. He also used to pray very late in the night, which means that He stayed up late. Mind you, a deep connection with God requires a conducive environment, without movements and distractions.
Do not go to church on the worship day alone; most of us Christians do this on a Sunday.  Whenever there is a session, kindly attend. You never know; God’s word send at that particular moment could save your life or give you insights on how to get through a circumstance in life.
Begin from where you are today and observe what God will do in your life!  I started applying the above in November 2014, and now I am an Evangelist.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

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