God provides a common good for everyone, but only those who walk in harmony with him can access the full array of his aid.
Walking in harmony with God requires us to be spiritually reborn, to commune with him regularly, and to live according to his principles and precepts as best we can.
Spiritual Rebirth
Spiritual rebirth occurs when we confess our sins to God, acknowledge Jesus’s death on the cross as the sole atonement for our sinfulness, and trust him for our eternal salvation.
An intellectual belief in God does not constitute spiritual rebirth, because even the demons acknowledge his existence.
A life of good works does not qualify us for heaven, nor does membership in a churchgoing family, because God’s grace cannot be earned.
Water baptism symbolizes our spiritual rebirth, but the ritual itself does not save us.
Only those who surrender their lives to God and trust Jesus as their personal Savior are spiritually reborn.
The Prayer
If you are unsure about your spiritual rebirth, here is a simple prayer that will resolve the matter once and for all. Your words may vary, but the themes below are important. Your humility, remorse, and trust are essential.
Jesus, I want a personal relationship with you. I am a sinner, and you are God. I accept your death on the cross as payment for all my sins—past, present, and future. Please come into my heart, grant me eternal life, and help me walk in harmony with you. Thank you for loving me all this time. I look forward to seeing you face to face in heaven. I pray in your name. Amen.
The Promise
God promises aid and communion in this life and heaven in the next to anyone who trusts Jesus as their personal Savior. He cannot lie because he is perfect.
Therefore, those who sincerely and contritely offer a prayer such as this are assured of God’s help and fellowship on earth and of eternal life in heaven.
After we are spiritually reborn, God deems us forever righteous, regardless of our subsequent behavior. He calls us saints, his children, his friends, his heirs, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
If you pray a prayer like this, record the date and place for future reference, tell someone you have been spiritually reborn, and get baptized.
Next Steps
After our spiritual rebirth, walking in harmony with God means regularly communing with him and doing our best to keep our relationships with him and others aligned with his principles and precepts.
Communion With God
Spend time alone with God each day in prayer and Bible study. Memorize the verses that are meaningful to you.
Praise God for his excellence. Thank him for the beauty and goodness around you. Submit your requests to him with deference. Let him hold your needs and fears.
Trust that God always cares for you and has your best interests at heart. Refrain from worry.
Worship God corporately in church.
Divine Alignment
Honor God in your behavior. Surrender yourself to him. Grant him authority to change your heart, mind, and habits as he sees fit.
Exercise self-control. Do what pleases God. Stop doing what displeases him.
Avoid and resist temptation as best you can. When you fail morally, confess your transgressions to God and repent.
Confession means agreeing with God that what we did or failed to do was wrong.
Repentance occurs when we express gratitude for his forgiveness, turn away from our sinful behavior, and take proactive steps to restore and guard our obedience.
Seek and follow God’s will in all significant decisions. Allow him to reorient your life around his plans and priorities.
Dedicate your time, talent, and resources to his service. Use the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit gives you to advance the Gospel.
Interpersonal Alignment
Honor God in your interactions and relationships with others, both within and beyond your family.
Accept them as they are, warts and all, without judgment. Treat them as you wish to be treated.
Help them as needed. Forgive them if they hurt you. Strive to live in peace with everyone.
Be honest. Be content as you strive to achieve. Do not covet what others have. Give cheerfully and generously to those in need.
Minister unselfishly to others on God’s behalf in times, places, and ways that are individually appropriate for them.
If you have a spouse, be faithful to them. Uplift them with your praise. Spoil them with your attention. Make allowances for their weaknesses.
(This does not require you to remain in an unsafe relationship.)
If you have young children, be kind to them. Encourage and protect them. Honor them with quality time. Do the things they enjoy.
Instill in them a reverence for God through your example. Help them discover their divine destiny.
If you have adult children, recognize their uniqueness. Respect their differences from you and from each other.
Share your wisdom with them without criticism. Let God deal with their shortcomings.
Honor your parents as well as you can. If you are young, obey them. (This does not require you to endure abuse.)
If you are older, forgive their parenting mistakes, accept their eccentricities, accommodate their frailties, and thank them for the good things they did.
Subject to civil and moral laws, submit to those in authority over you without resentment.
No Quid Pro Quo
Walking in harmony with God does not obligate him to reward us with physical health or material abundance. If it did, every missionary would die old and rich.
Instead, walking in harmony with God positions us to experience true contentment in this life and eternal bliss in the next.
The Holy Spirit
God knows we cannot walk in harmony with him by our own efforts alone.
Our sinful nature makes it difficult to consistently align our lives with his principles and precepts.
To remedy this situation, God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, indwells every reborn believer, sealing their heavenly destiny.
Subject to our surrender, the Holy Spirit strengthens our resolve, intensifies our noble desires, reinforces our self-discipline, and empowers us as needed.
He manifests in us the divine attributes that enable us to live contentedly in a troubled world. The Bible calls this manifestation the fruit of the Spirit.
As we study Scripture, the Holy Spirit illuminates the truths that apply to our lives. Amid affliction, he provides guidance, direction, comfort, strength, and hope.
When we cannot pray, he intercedes with God the Father on our behalf.
Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit for spiritual fortitude as he walked in harmony with God on earth. If he did, we certainly must as well.
Fairness Of Salvation
God’s salvation plan is universally equitable.
He offers everyone the same opportunity to live eternally with him in heaven, including those who live and die without ever hearing about Jesus or having access to a Bible.
He also makes special allowances for those who are unable to understand the concept of spiritual rebirth.
Click here to read more about the fairness of salvation.
