John 1:12-13

Steve Holloway

Being a Christian is similar to being a baby. In fact the Bible says:

"To all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believe in His name, He gave the right become children of God (Become Christians)...born of God". John 1:12-13.

Psychologists say that labour is more stressful for the baby than the mother. The womb is a place of warmth and security. You can hear the constant thumping of your mother's heart beat and the muffled sound of her voice. As you grow it becomes a bit of a squeeze and then one day, without a word of warning you get this pressure bearing down on you forcing you through a hole significantly smaller than your head into a cold, bright, clinical world with odd faces looking at you and people pulling and prodding you.

Giving your life to Jesus is being born again. For some it can be quite traumatic. Our sinful, Godless lives can give us a false sense of security and being born into reality, can be confusing and traumatic.

On the other hand you may not feel anything other than happiness and joy or perhaps you feel the same as before.

There are a number of other striking similarities between newborn babies and new Christians. All babies breathe, eat, grow, cry and create a stink!!

Breath

The very first act of the newborn is to take a deep breath. Before now the amniotic fluid in the womb has supplied their limited needs. Now they need to fill their lungs with oxygen.

The Bible is split into two sections. The first was written in Hebrew and the second in Greek. They use the same two words for breath, air and wind as they do for God's Spirit.

When you were born again you took your first deep breath and were filled with the Holy Spirit. You need to keep breathing. Keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. Read on to find out more about how to do this.

Remember when you are starved of oxygen your ability to think, act and move properly is affected and eventually you slip into a coma. KEEP BREATHING.

Cry

After that first big breath comes the first sound, normally a howling scream. It may sound painful and even primitive; nevertheless these sounds are basic communication. Maybe it's saying, "I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm bored". All screaming tends to sound the same but as time goes on the parents learn to distinguish between each cry and then give the baby what it needs.

Praying is nothing more than communicating with God. Don't worry that you may not know what to say and never think there's some special way of praying...there isn't!! Just tell him how you feel.