When we are born again, the Lord enters us, to dwell in us by His Spirit.  His Spirit wakes us up out of the stupor that Satan has over us, so we may recognize how we are under the bondage of sin and why we need a Savior!

Only by the Spirit of the Living God can a man see what is true because the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.  We are either under the sway of the wicked one, who is ruler over the world(ly), or, we are under the Lord Jesus Christ, through His cross.  There is no middle ground.   We are in the dark until the light of Christ enters our hearts to give us a new heart. We must be born again to SEE the kingdom of God. 

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

When we are born again, we are awakened to sin.  Before we did not recognize sin that we loved and practiced.  When the Holy Spirit comes in us, we no longer look at our lusts and sins in the same way because the Lord opens our eyes to see them for what they are which is an offense to Him and what caused Jesus to be hung on the cross.

As a born-again believer in Christ, we will hold the desires of the Lord in us.  He hates sin, and so we will too.  To hate something we must acknowledge it exists.

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.  1 John 5:18-20

 Satan’s work is to keep us indifferent, beholden and in love with our sins. His desire is also to keep the message of the cross as a story we merely believe. He does not want it to be a life we are to live. 

Convincing someone that something they love to do, feel, or think is a sin is difficult. Alternatively, the same is convincing one that the fear that dictates how they live and make decisions is a sin.

Sin lies to us and convinces us all is well. Sin causes us to fear.  Sin has power over us by our own choice.  While the Lord says, I will take sin away and all its power it has upon you!  I will show you that you need not be in bondage to it any longer! 

Jesus announced who He was and came to do, what was prophesied hundreds of years before in Isaiah 61 – and is relevant for us today,  saying: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  Luke 4:18-19

(Pre-Christ) most of us, don’t realize we are bound, oppressed let alone held captive – to sin – so we naturally don’t think we need a Savior.  This blindness only indicates our need.

Satan’s gifts he gives are things such as addictions, lusts, obsessions, wealth, fame etc. They will produce in us anxiety, fear, and self-hatred. We will experience rejection, shame, and selfishness. These gifts bring about hatred, bitterness, and wars. We will also feel jealousy, envy, strife, and so forth. Our only hope is to be freed from this snare, through repentance:

if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Tim 2:25-26.

We won’t know what this kind of freedom is and means – until we have been set free from what we have been bound by.  This is where faith comes in.  Jesus says that we must believe Him, in what He says and why He has come to die.  Only when we believe, and are willing to follow Him, are we able to see and experience the truth for ourselves.

Since Jesus has dealt with the sins of mankind upon the cross, when we believe in Him, we agree with Him on the subject of sin and cast our sins upon His cross too. In doing so, we turn from practicing and serving sin and begin serving the Lord.  The good news is sin will no longer have its power over us to control us as it once has – when we turn from them to follow Jesus because He has set us free! Not only this but Jesus gives us a new heart that will not love to sin any longer.  This is the miracle of new life and what being born again consists of. 

In no way does this mean we are perfect.  We are forgiven and set free. Now we may live the life God has created us to live. We can enjoy His fellowship.  We will be at peace with God. We will be at peace with ourselves. We will no longer be under the power of sin. We will no longer face condemnation and judgment for it.   However, this new life brings us the reality of a war we now have within.  War not with men but with our flesh (lusts).  Jesus has defeated the flesh so we can too.  As we walk in this new life, we strive to abide in the Word. We strive to abide in Christ’s love and can overcome this world and our flesh.  

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4

The evidence that the Holy Spirit of God is who leads us, will be proven by the fruit He produces in us:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Gal 5:22-25.

Many say they believe in Jesus Christ and are sincere in this confession. This does not make us accepted in the Kingdom of God. It is only when we have been born from above and given a new heart. How we know we have been born again is we will recognize we have a will that is pulled through our flesh and carnal – human mind – that is against God. This is the war we will battle until we die. Many who profess Christ do not understand that war. They do not know anything about it. This strongly indicates they are not born again.

Romans 8

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.