James 1:18 Of HIS own will begat HE us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of HIS creatures.
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(Comments by Joan Boney:)
My mother always loved reading horoscopes.
Before I was born again, I gave her a set of horoscope drinking mugs to please her.
After I was born again, I visited her in the town where she lived and when I opened her kitchen cabinet, I noticed those horoscope mugs. I took a paper bag and began removing the mugs and putting them into the paper bag.
My mother was watching me and when she realized what I was about to do, she became slightly agitated and said, "Stop. What are you doing? I want to keep those. You gave them to me."
I paid no attention at all and I continued removing the mugs and putting them into the garbage bag.
I took the mugs to the garbage dumpster, broke the mugs so no one else could use them and threw them into the dumpster.
I returned to my mother's house and went to my bedroom and got my Bible and returned to the living room where my mother was sitting and I opened the Bible and read aloud the following scripture to my mother.
Deuteronomy 18
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
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My mother sat there quietly for a few seconds after I finished reading these scriptures. Then she said, "Well ... I guess we'd better not do that any more."
(With that she was born again, changed by God into a new creature.)
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.
After I returned to Dallas, my uncle wrote to me and said, "Your mother's changed! She's really changed!"
Ezekiel 36 (God says)
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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When Pam Padgett was in High School one of her classmates was killed on a motorcycle.
Pam had never before considered that someone her age could die.
As she thought about this, she realized that her only hope was God and that none of the rituals taught in the Catholic church could save her. Only by God could she be saved. (The Word of truth.) And if she died at that second, she would go to hell.
Pam was terrified. And she cried out to God. "Please help me. If there is any way I can be saved, please save me."
After praying Pam realized there was something of God, in her.
A few years later, she was reading the Bible and saw a scripture and knew this is what was in her.
I Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
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In 1975, I was reading a book about sin. 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 thought they were mistakes.
(With that Word of truth, God caused me to be born again.)
I went forward at church when I was 15 and was baptized ... but nothing changed in my life. I continued to pursue my own ambitions. I don't ever remember thinking about God or the Bible.
But after receiving this word from God, I was very different. Now I wanted to read the Bible. I wanted to hear about God. I no longer wanted to be with the worldly people I had been with before this word came to me. And all I wanted to talk about was God.
After this happened, I said to my best friend, "Oh by the way Donna, I don't think I've been a Christian until now." She was very excited and said, "Joanie ... come back here. What did you just say? I repeated, "I don't think I've been a Christian until now. God spoke to me and now I think I am a Christian although I thought I was a Christian before, I don't think I was until now."
God speaks to us and even calls us by name, and that changes everything immediately.
Then we are "dead" to the world and alive to God, that we may serve God instead of serving our own selves and devils.
After God spoke to me, I was baptized a second time. As the minister lowered me into the water, I heard, "This is like being buried with Christ." As I came out of the water, I heard, "This is like being raised with Christ."
Colossians 3
4 When Christ, WHO is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with HIM in glory.
Born again: Dead to this world. Alive to God. God opens our eyes by giving us the Word of truth and this Word causes us to be a new creature.
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