Born Again (3)

In the first article about the new life we ​​know that a person can only be called a Christian or a follower of Jesus when he/ she has received water baptism and Spirit baptism or also known as "New Life".

Water baptism is performed by a pastor, where the meaning of baptism is a sign that we have been sealed or declared to belong to the kingdom of heaven.

Meanwhile, the Spirit baptism is carried out by the Lord Jesus himself as a sign that we are officially appointed to be His followers.

Spirit baptism can only be felt by the person experiencing it, while other people cannot know it, but other people can see a change in that person's life.

The most obvious change is that the person changes the pattern of his life, from a life that is worldly (fleshly) to a life that is closer to God (increasingly spiritual).

In the beginning, like a new born baby, God will spoil the person who is born again. Many miracles were experienced or performed by God. Prayers offered were quickly answered. God gave a beautiful vision of the person's future. (Remember Joseph)

As the baby grows, the next step God makes is to prepare us to be His servants. For that we have to enter the wilderness era, which is a very difficult time made by God to improve our character, so that we leave all our flesh and also to purify our motivation in relating to God.

We can see in the Bible about God's servants that God has prepared in the wilderness for life, for example, Moses, he had to run away and be a cattle herders for 40 years.

Joseph had to suffer as a slave, until finally reigning as the second man in Egypt. David is anointed to be king, but instead, Saul chases him and wants to kill him.

The characteristics of being in the wilderness are, experience an increasingly difficult we will life, the more trials or tests we have to face. Problems come and go in life. 

We seek God but He never answers, as if we were left alone. The prayers that were offered were also not answered.

This makes us frustrated, even sometimes we will be angry to God, because what we face is contrary to the promises that God gave us when we were just baptized in the Spirit. Sometimes we run of God but God will draw us back to Him.

 Psalm 139: 7

"Where can I go from Your spirit, where can I run from Your presence?"

Actually, when we were in the wilderness, God never left us, He remained faithful to guard us, only He deliberately left us alone, to see our hearts, do we still seek HIM?

The wilderness is the process by which God destroys a person's flesh, so that in the end there will be someone who lives by the Spirit.

The purpose and objective of this training is so that people who have born again will give up all their habits of the flesh and willing to live according to the Spirit. For example: let’s say we have a temper tantrum, then God will make events that will actually make us angry

When we get angry God will remind us, so that gradually we can control our emotions. If we have an arrogant attitude, likes to put others down, then God will humble us to the bottom, so that we can be humble.

Those are some of the examples God does when we face the wilderness. God will educate us according to each of us.

Our motivation will also change, if previously we were looking for God only to get His blessings, then we are now looking for God because of our desire to always be close to Him, because we now realize that HE IS THE CREATOR, who created us with the intention of serving Him, and only near Him we can only enjoy peace.

The Bible says: Hebrews 12: 6 - NT

"For the Lord chastens everyone He loves, and scourges everyone whom He accepts to be His son."

and the following verse says:

Hebrews 12:10 - NT

"Our parents in the world teach us only for a limited time, according to what they feel good. But God teaches us for our own good, so that we may become holy together with Him"

The ultimate goal of traveling in the wilderness is so that we can become polished gemstones, can become precious utensil before God.

If you are currently in the wilderness of life, obey God, so that the wild desert can end and you can enjoy the promised land.

 Deuteronomy 8: 2

“Remember the Lord your God has led you for forty years on a long journey through the wilderness. The Lord intended this journey to test you, so that He could see what is in your heart and whether you will keep His commandments "

Jesus love you and whole your family

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