“I’m born again, and I’ve received the Holy Spirit, but I find myself doing the wrong things as a result of negative thoughts in my mind,” a young man said to me. I could understand his dilemma; this is an experience some believers have at some point in their Christian walk.
When you were born into this world, you certainly didn’t start walking immediately, did you? You had to first learn to sit and crawl. Then you began to totter around, until you eventually started walking with some firmness in your steps. Each of these phases of development took some time. Even though you were fully human at birth, you couldn’t do many things humans do until you became mature enough.
It’s the same way with the Christian life. When you’re born again, you’re like a baby, and you must “grow up” spiritually before you can exhibit certain attributes of your new nature. And this takes time. Until you gave your heart to Christ, your body had been trained to yield to your human senses, and your spirit had been subject to their control.
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for the revelation of your Word in my spirit. I give myself fully to its influence. Your Word is gaining dominion over my body, senses and spirit, and I’m living to your glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
