The Lord Jesus said that we need to be born again. In John 3:3, it says: “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Apostle Peter taught that we were born again by the incorruptible word of God: 1 Peter 1:23 “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” So, according to the Scriptures, we now have a new nature. We no longer live according to the dictates of the flesh. Our new nature and DNA comes from God’s Holy Spirit. Galations 5:25 says: “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives”. Paul gave us a snapshot of the difference between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Galations 5: 19-26 (NLT) says: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” It’s very clear and simple. The above verses clearly outline whether or not you are following the Spirit’s leading, or still allowing the old nature to control you. The more time you spend with God’s word and His Holy Spirit, the more the fruits of the Spirit will shine through you! We have a Spanish saying that translated to English is: “Tell me who you spend the majority of your time with, and I’ll tell you who you are”!
Hearing is such a wonderful, precious and much needed gift from God. Most people take it for granted. Yet, for those who lose their hearing, they will tell you just how precious it is. However, there is something just as important. It’s the way one hears. I can hear someone say something, and I will interpret it one way. Yet, another person can hear the exact same thing, and they will hear it another way. So the filter in our brains choose the way they want to hear something. Then there is the other very important thing to hearing, and that it whether one chooses to hear and listen to what is being said. Revelation 2:7 says: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” In other words, people can hear something, yet refuse to listen. And in refusing to listen, they will not benefit from God’s wisdom and truth, and unfortunately they will land in ruin. We see this all the time. People know the danger of drugs, yet they continue to take drugs. People know that smoking will give you various life-threatening illnesses, yet they continue to smoke. Jesus said this about those who refuse to listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to this generation: “This is the reason I speak to the crowds in parables: because while [having the power of] seeing they do not see, and while[having the power of] hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand and grasp[spiritual things]. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will hear and keep on hearing, but never understand; And you will look and keep on looking, but never comprehend.” (Matthew 13:13:14 (AMP)). Today, the Lord reminds us, His Holy Spirit is speaking to us and giving us guidance. Let us not refuse or reject His voice and instructions. His words and life. Choose wisely today!
