Before we continue on to consider the methods for maintaining a day-by-day relationship with God, let’s spend a few minutes looking at the prerequisites for a meaningful devotional life. A person does not begin to eat and breathe for himself until he has been born. It’s the same with spiritual life. Some people have tried to begin a daily relationship with Christ and found that they were nothing but bored, in spite of all of their efforts.

In many cases, the reason is simple: in order to begin to eat and breathe and exercise for yourself, you must have already been born! That’s a basic lesson in human growth and development, isn’t it? Before you can find meaning in the time for fellowship and communion with God, you must have been born again.

The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Jesus said in John 3:3,

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see [or understand] the kingdom of God.”

We could spend a lot of time reading texts that prove to us our condition as sinners by birth. The Bible tells us that our hearts are evil, that we are by nature the children of wrath, that we go astray as soon as we are born. But there is really only one text necessary—which we just noticed. If we need to be born again in order to see God’s kingdom, then there must have been something wrong with our first birth.

The problem with our first birth is that we were born separated from God (see Psalms 51:5 and 58:3). One of the first problems with being born separated from God is that we are born self-centered, and that is the root of all the problems that follow.

What then is the new birth, or conversion? Many people have thought it was a complete and immediate change of life and lifestyle. They have made a decision to follow Christ, perhaps gone forward in an altar call, or signed a commitment card, and then expected instant and permanent victory. To their dismay, they have discovered the morning after the night before that some of the same temptations and struggles and problems were still present—and they therefore concluded that they weren’t really converted, after all.

Let’s try for a definition of conversion, or the new birth. It is, first of all, the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. It is not something you can accomplish for yourself. It is not something that can be accomplished for you by another human being. It is the work of the Spirit of God.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that fact! When my son was in high school, he had not yet been converted. It seemed to me it was about time for the miracle of the new birth to happen in his life! So one day I began to try to hurry things along and make it happen. We sat down together, and I began to apply the ecclesiastical pressure.

Finally, with tears in his eyes, he said, “Dad, it happened to you. Maybe someday it will happen to me.” And that was the end of the conversation.

The next morning, when we met at breakfast, he looked one way, and I looked another. It’s too bad that I didn’t remember sooner what Jesus said in John 6:63,

“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.”

The power for the new birth comes from above, not from within. And no one can convert another. Those who become the sons of God do not reach that condition by the will of man, but by the will of God (see John 1:12, 13). After my failure to convert my boy, I did what I should have done in the first place—less talking and more praying. The time came when those prayers were answered. But it happened according to God’s timetable, not my own.

So let’s nail it down right to begin with that CONVERSION IS A SUPERNATURAL WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The second hallmark of genuine conversion is that it produces a change of attitude toward God. You’ve heard of the prodigal son. He was converted when he finally came to the end of his own resources—in the pigpen. Suddenly his father’s house looked good to him. And he said,

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee” (Luke 15:18).

His attitude toward his father had changed.

The prodigal son was still in the pigpen when it happened. And even though he didn’t stay in the pigpen very long, he had a long way yet to go to reach his father’s house and full restoration. But something vital had happened. He was no longer in rebellion against his father, so CONVERSION IS A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD.

Another vital change takes place at the point of conversion, and it is described in Ephesians 4:22-24 as the renewing of the mind. Paul tells us in Romans 8:7,

“The carnal mind is enmity against God.”

Until our minds are renewed by the Spirit of God, we are lacking the equipment for maintaining a relationship with God and appreciating the value of spiritual things. But when the Holy Spirit has done His work, we will have received A NEW CAPACITY FOR KNOWING GOD.

As we maintain a day-by-day relationship and fellowship with God—which begins at the point of conversion and is designed to continue throughout eternity—we find that we are led to a new life. At times the process will seem frustratingly slow. But Christian growth involves a process, which Jesus compared to growth in nature:

“First the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:38).

Suppose you are brought to the realization that you have not yet been converted. What can you do? You cannot convert yourself. No other person can do the work for you. Must you then simply sit and wait, hoping that someday the miracle will happen in your life? No, there is something you can do.

When my younger daughter was about four years old, she got into the habit of having me lie down beside her until she fell asleep at night. Some evenings it was a welcome break. But often I had other appointments, and found myself hoping she would go to sleep quickly. I would lie there for a few minutes and then peek out of the corner of my eye, and she would be looking all around the room.

I would say, “Close your eyes.” I couldn’t make her go to sleep. I knew she couldn’t make herself go to sleep. But I also knew that if she would at least close her eyes, it would sure help!

It is possible to try so hard to go to sleep that you wake yourself up. But if you really want to go to sleep, there are certain things you can do. You can put your back against a mattress. You can turn down the radio. You can turn out the light. And you can close your eyes. Placing yourself in the atmosphere where sleep comes most easily can hasten the process considerably.

If you are not converted, but you have an interest in the things of heaven, there is something you can do. You can place yourself in the atmosphere where God can best work. You can take every opportunity to go where the gospel is being preached. You can deliberately take time to read about Him. You can invite Him to take control of your life—to lead you as quickly as possible to Himself.

God will honor that desire, for even the desire comes from Him. He

“is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

It is a law, then, that before spiritual life can begin, spiritual birth must take place. This is called conversion, or the new birth. It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit which produces a change of attitude toward God and creates a new capacity for knowing and loving God, leading to a life of willing obedience.