Born Of The Spirit

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”  ~John 3:7-9

Have you ever just sat down and watched the wind blowing through the trees? I did the other day and it really was quite amazing. I knew, from a long ago science class in high school, the wind was air rushing to fill some low pressure area, but as I watched I realized I couldn't see or hear the wind blowing through the trees. What I could see and hear was the effects of the wind blowing through the trees. Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus, no one knows where the wind comes from or where it is going; it does as it pleases. So does the Spirit of God.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  ~Ezekiel 36:26,27

We cannot hear or see the Spirit of God; we cannot see His coming, or His going. What we do see is the influence He has on the believer. The child of God radiates the effects of God's Spirit in his or her life and those effects are evident to those around them. The Holy Spirit produces effects that are easily recognizable...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  ~Galatians 5:22,23

We cannot control the wind. Some like to think they can, but I assure you they cannot. Neither can we control God's Spirit and once again there are those who try. I have seen them on TV, false prophets and lying teachers, going around putting on as if they are dispensing the Holy Spirit of God at the wave of their hand, or the blowing of their breath. God's Spirit cannot be controlled! The people attending these services clamor after the so-called preacher for some experience rather than going to God in repentance and faith. The source and the end of the Spirit's journey is God's business not ours.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  ~Romans 8:16

Has the Spirit of God regenerated your heart and given witness to your new birth? The knowledge that we are born again comes from no one else but the Father. No one can give us this revelation and no one can take it away. The work of God's Spirit is to seal and secure the saving work of God and keep us till that day.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  ~Ephesians 1:13,14