💥 God makes us alive to HIM and raises us from the disobedience of this world.

 

Ephesians 2

1 And you hath HE quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for HIS great love wherewith HE loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

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In 1975, God spoke to me and said, "Joan ... you know all those mistakes you've been making all these years?  Those weren't mistakes.  Those were sins."

"Sins?"  I was very shocked.

With this word, God caused me to be born again.

I simply believed that word God spoke to me and I was changed instantly, born again.  I did no works to make that change.  It was simply change done in me by God.

God gave me a new heart and a new Spirit by HIS own will and plan for me.

Ezekiel 36

23 And I will sanctify MY great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

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.

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After God spoke to me, I found I no longer wanted to be with those people I had been with.  Now I wanted to go to church and be with the people of God!  Now I wanted to read the Bible.  I wanted to know what God thought about various things.  And God began teaching me by HIS Spirit as I read the Bible.  And I began doing things that the scriptures said to do.

God raises us and causes us to be a new creature.

We know how different we are after God has spoken to us.  And we know we didn't save ourselves by our own works.  God saved us by speaking to us and changing us.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

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God does this for us ... All we do is believe what God says.

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