John 5:24-25 Jesus says:
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
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From the day I was born in 1937, I lived as other humans lived, pursuing my own will and my own ambitions, alive yet dead.
But when God spoke to me on August 5, 1975, I heard HIS word to me and was given life and given a new heart and a new Spirit, made dead to this world but alive in Christ.
Ezekiel 36 God says:
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put MY spirit within you, and cause you to walk in MY statutes, and ye shall keep MY judgments, and do them.
This is what it is to be "born again."
Changed by God.
We don't give ourselves that new heart and new Spirit by learning. To try to do this of our own selves is to become like the scribes and Pharisees who killed Jesus the Word as they tried to be religious by their much learning.
Only God can give us that new heart and new spirit and cause us to become alive to HIS word.
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An example of being born again and changed by God "instantly", is the apostle Paul.
Acts 9
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?
5 And he said, Who art THOU, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
(Instantly Paul was changed.)
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?
(Paul didn't return to the high priest to explain. Paul just followed Jesus, The Word, doing that which The Word said to do.)
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In WHOM we have redemption through HIS blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by HIM were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by HIM, and for HIM:
God spoke to Paul suddenly ... and instantly Paul was changed.
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We are born again instantly, changed by God, and then after that, God continues to teach us by HIS Spirit which is in us as we read the Bible.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in MY name, HE shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:13 Howbeit when HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth: for HE shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever HE shall hear (from God), that shall HE speak: and HE will shew you things to come.
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After God speaks to us, we believe That Word, and are changed into new creatures. Now we have God's heart in us and we desire things of God and people of God. God changes us by HIS own will. And we are then changed. Born again by that Word given to us by God by HIS Spirit.
I Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Romans 9
15 For HE saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew MY power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath HE mercy on whom HE will have mercy, and whom HE will HE hardeneth.
Those who have been changed by God know what it is to be born again. For they know how changed God has caused them to be for now they have God's heart and God's Spirit while before they loved this world and now they love the Word of God.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew MY power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath HE mercy on whom HE will have mercy, and whom HE will HE hardeneth.
Those who have been changed by God know what it is to be born again. For they know how changed God has caused them to be for now they have God's heart and God's Spirit while before they loved this world and now they love the Word of God.
Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought ME not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after ME.
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John 3 Jesus says:
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Colossians 1
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In WHOM we have redemption through HIS blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by HIM were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by HIM, and for HIM:
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