Jesus, when I was born as a human, I may have had all the equipment that an adult has. But, it wasn’t just that my physical body was smaller, it was also a matter of maturing and being trained. My brain had to grow in its abilities; my body had to grow in size; and my mind and heart had to be filled with the necessary knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and experience. Help me realize that this is true of my new, born again spirit.

Jesus, a baby, with a completely normal body, has a lifetime in front of them to learn how to use all those things God gave them. Teach me that even though I am older, more mature, and more experienced as a human, I MUST accept the fact that I am a new, born again baby as a child of God. If I don’t treat my spirit as being new and has just been born again, I will expect things from it that aren’t possible.

Even though there is nothing wrong with a completely normal, healthy new born, they can hardly do anything that an adult is able to do. Help me understand that, that is the way my new, born again spirit is. Teach me that it is normal for me to enter into this new life and not be able to function like an adult child of God; I need time, help, care, and training.

Teach me that there are other issues beyond me that I must learn about. What about the world around me? As a new, born again child of God I not only have to learn about what I am capable of as a Christian, I have to learn how to live inside the world’s rules, laws, requirements, and provisions around me as a Christian. I have been living in this world as a human; now I must learn how to live here as a child of God.

Jesus, show me that just like a human child doesn’t just have to learn how to use their body, they have to learn how to cope with the laws, rules, and characteristics of society and the physical world. It is NORMAL for me to make a lot of mistakes; it is NORMAL for me to need a lot of training; it is NORMAL for me to need a lot of care; and, it is NORMAL for me to question and test all the rules, laws, and characteristics of society and the physical world. BUT, if I am going to succeed as a Christian, I am going to have to learn the right things, practice the right things, and do the right things. If I have learned, practice, and do ANY wrong things, whether it is accidental or on purpose, I WILL suffer the consequences.

Jesus, teach me that as a human, I will be able to use all the advancements, skills, growth, maturity, training, and experiences that have been given me. Everything I have taken advantage of as a human will help me advance as a child of God. BUT, some of the things I know, practice, and believe will be used for teaching me what NOT to believe, what NOT to know, and what NOT to do. Use them to help me see why THEY are things that will hurt me. Replace them with all the right things to know, practice, believe, and do. Show me that these new replacement things from You will automatically make my life wonderful.

Jesus, just like an infant, baby, or child has to start out with the basics, You are about to take me into two spiritual exercises; they will be needed for the rest of my life. Just like a child may not like those things their parents and the physical laws of this earth require of them, if they are going to succeed in human life, they must accept them, practice them, and get good at them, so must I accept Your laws and principles, practice them, and get good at them.

Jesus, help me see that here are the two things I now have the power to do as my beginning steps inside Christianity:

1. I MUST TELL OTHERS THAT YOU ARE MY LORD.


2. I MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD RAISED YOU FROM THE DEAD.

Jesus, help me see that these two things are STILL Romans 10:9-10; and, they are STILL the same “breathing” assignment I had at the moment of being born again. Just like breathing is vital to me from the moment of birth until I die, so is breathing in the spirit realm constantly vital. However, until I am “breathing” on my own, You will keep me alive through Your breath. But, help me not be like some Christians; when they find out that You will do the breathing FOR them, they quit trying to learn how to do it themselves. Help me accept the fact that there is a time limit for this relationship with You. You will eventually stop doing it FOR me and require that I do it WITH You.

Jesus, just like breathing and eating aren’t the only things a baby MUST do, the same is true of me as a Christian. Even though these are the two priorities for keeping me alive, there are other vital things that must be attended to as well. Just like a new born baby has a respiratory system for breathing, a circulatory system for blood flow, an excretory system for getting rid of unusable food and liquids, a nervous system for sending messages through the brain and body, and many other systems, so does my spirit have similar systems. Teach me that some of my spiritual systems will function automatically and others will require input.

Jesus, make it clear to me that like in my body, many of my spiritual systems work automatically. BUT, like in my body, many parts will need attending to. Just like I can’t breath or eat anything and I can’t just expose my body to everything, show me that there are things killing me physically and spiritually that God has clearly identified. Teach me that they are like the labels on the containers in a grocery store. If I ignore the labels and think that just because they are in the grocery store I can eat them, I will get hurt and maybe killed. Just because God gave me a free will doesn’t mean I can do anything I want and not get hurt or killed. Just because God put all these things on the planet doesn’t mean I can use them however I want.

Teach me that studying the Bible is a vital part for spiritual food. And, teach me that it also lists off and explains what I can and must not expose myself to. The world tells me to follow my heart; it tells me that if it feels good then it is okay; it encourages me to look to myself for all my strengths, confidence, hopes, and dreams. You teach me to look to God and the Bible for my power and guidance. You are right! If I follow the world’s advice, I will end up falling into traps, getting hooked on bait, running into dead end streets, and being misled by things that aren’t the truth. If I follow God, I will always get the truth, experience love, be treated with grace and mercy, and become a part of His family and Kingdom; and, I will live forever!