When did you realize that you were born again?

I was fifteen and we moved to this little house across the street from a church there. We had before went to church on holidays, but never much in between. I got to go to every single Vacation Bible School when I was little and had this Children's Bible I loved though. Just planted a lot of seed and it started taking root at this little church. I think it was when I finally understood my need for Jesus and His grace/mercy. I prayed by my bedside at home and am truly grateful what God has done in my life since that point. His Word changed my life.

I didn't realize I was born again until someone explained what it was. So I think I was born again a long time ago when I fasted for 3 days and had a darkness leave my soul. Then I had a spiritual awakening. And that was probably being born again. But I only slowly learned what good was and it's been a long road since. About 25 years.

Mayflower said:

His Word changed my life.

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Amen!

devin553344 said:

I didn't realize I was born again until someone explained what it was. So I think I was born again a long time ago when I fasted for 3 days and had a darkness leave my soul. Then I had a spiritual awakening. And that was probably being born again. But I only slowly learned what good was and it's been a long road since. About 25 years.

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This is where it comes from. Basically it is when you come to know Jesus Christ.

John 3:1-17

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a”

4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘Youb must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.c 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.d

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlye Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Mayflower said:

This is where it comes from. Basically it is when you come to know Jesus Christ.

John 3:1-17

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a”

4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘Youb must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.c 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.d

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlye Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

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@Mayflower Pivotal passage there about the new birth....

Mayflower said:

This is where it comes from. Basically it is when you come to know Jesus Christ.

John 3:1-17

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a”

4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘Youb must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.c 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.d

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlye Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

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Great scripture passages. Gives me hope!

It was 7 years ago. I felt something in me I couldn't explain, but when I look back I realize what that was now. All of my thoughts were positive and every negative thought or feeling was filtered out. This is how I can describe the Holy Spirit. Before that, I had a time where I accepted Jesus Christ in my life while I was in a down point in my life.

What do you guys determine as being "born again"? Because I always knew it as baptism.

I was about 6-7 maybe, and I asked to be, despite a fear of water/swimming. (This was a big lake in Utah, I think.) It was probably explained to me a lot as a kid because I don't think I ever had a real awakening about it. Was just understood.

Mayflower said:

Basically it is when you come to know Jesus Christ.

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Oh wait I got the answer wrong.. LOL I guess some Pentecostal understanding stuck with me.

UM

Yeah, I don't know. It wasn't really my decision. It was a He loved me first kind of thing and then I just kept continually messing up and he was patient with me, so I guess it isn't a sudden thing, just a visitation of "God exists and knows everything about me and has been watching me my entire life" thing.

I was afraid to do normal things for a while, like clean myself up, and it took me a long time to chill out.

Just being honest

Edit: oh now I realize why I was having an Adam and Eve shame thing going on

Need to clarify now, I realize, I know that is not flowery or graceful sounding, and it doesn't seem that great, and it was actually a rough road for years.

But it is good because it was God's love and mercy to save a woman who didn't really love Him enough to give up her sin and figured God didn't care. Nothing in me, everything in Him.

God did care. That's the point. Just grace over time.

The answer is in his goodness.

MatthewG said:

Testimonies are extremely useful to one degree or another mainly the fact of having the born again experience in which you have come to the realization and reality of the truth of how you have been saved to the Kingdom of heaven by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are new spiritual desires that where never there before in your life and it went beyond the realm of the psychical needs and your heart changes to feeding for spiritual things becoming hungry for God.

If you would like to share your born again experience story whether it is long or short, please feel free to share here in the fellowship forum.

Thank you,
Matthew G.

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I can't remember being taught about being born again when I was a kid. Looking back, my born again experience would be when I was about 20 years old. That is when the Lord introduced himself to me, you might say.