Born again

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."– John 3:3

"Dear Dr. Sala," writes a listener, "I’m 26 years old, and at this point in my life, I have such an empty feeling. I’m a member of a Baptist Church (which I haven’t been [to] for at least a month). I’m trying to reach for something but I don’t know what! I’m spiritually weak. Is there a time in our lives when we become stumped–you don’t know which way to go? If you are able to answer these questions, please reply."

A second letter struck a kindred note as a friend wrote, "I have asked God to save me, but my faith is very weak when I get worried. Then it is as if I don’t believe in God. I am afraid my faith is so small God has not saved me. With this little faith, can God save me? As long as I have problems, I can‘t believe. Please help me!"

Perhaps you can relate to the heart-cries of those two friends. Way down in your heart you would like to believe, but so many things have happened, you have begun to wonder if something is wrong with you, or if it will work for you at all. Hold on, friend. This section is just for you.

Only God knows how many folks live with doubts in their heart. Questions abound such as, "Is my faith strong enough?" "Why doesn’t God speak to me as He does to other people?" And the bottom line is that the doubts and questions rob people of their peace and assurance of salvation. But how much do you have to know to have the assurance that you are on good terms with God?

First, once and for all settle some issues like the following: Would God lie to me? Will He keep His Word? Did he really mean what He said when the prophets of old recorded His Word? Long ago Moses wrote, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19).

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul says, "If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). The question then is, "As you know how, did you believe in your heart and verbally confess Christ as your Savior?" If you did, then God will honor His Word. Simply put, you can know that you are His child. John wrote, "He who has the Son has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life" (1 John 5:12).

But how do you explain the doubts and questions? Sometimes we depend on feelings rather than the facts from God’s Word. Our emotions are an unstable barometer of reality and we can‘t depend on them. Sometimes Satan does use doubts and questions to convince us that it may work for others but not for us. At other times we ask, "How could I really be God’s child and have the problems that I have?" We fail to understand that God promises to take us through the deep waters, not always deliver us from them. You can know that you are born again and you can have that knowledge today.

Resource reading: Romans 10:1-13

Guidelines for Finding Your Way is available in bookstores nationwide. For more information, write to Guidelines Philippines, Box 4000, 1284 Makati City or e-mail [email protected]. Visit our website www.guidelines.org.