(Comments by Joan Boney)
When we are born again, born of the Spirit of God, we are given the Holy Spirit to live inside us and guide us in things of God and our names are added to God's book of life.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
When we are born of the Spirit of God, it is God who reveals Himself to us.
Example:
On August 5, 1975, the Holy Spirit said to me: "Joan ... you know those mistakes you've been making all these years? Those weren't mistakes. Those were sins."
SINS? I thought they were mistakes.
With those words from the Holy Spirit, I was born again.
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My mother was born again when I read Deuteronomy 18:9-19 to her.
She had always followed horoscopes. When I was a child we would go to town and she would buy the monthly horoscope magazine and read my daily horoscope to me.
But this is what the Bible says:
9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
After I was born again, I read these scriptures to my mother.
After I finished reading, she thought about this for a few minutes, then she said: "Well ... I guess we'd better not do that anymore."
With that my mother was born again by the power of God's Spirit to convince her of her sins.
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When we hear the word of God and repent and turn to God we are born again by HIS Spirit.
Then we follow God instead of following this world.
We are recreated over and over during our lifetimes. Every time we do the word of God we are recreated into the image of Christ.
As long as we are on this earth we keep following the Word of God.
But if we turn from the Word of God and go back to the way of this world, Jesus will remove our name from the book of life.
Revelation 3:5 Jesus says: He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before MY Father, and before his angels.
I Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
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