If you have any questions about any of these teachings, you may  contact Brother Don Ragsdale at the following address: don@skywatchmin.org

The Scriptures states that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, one must be "born again" . For the person convicted by the Spirit of God to accept Jesus Christ as Lord, has to undergo a supernatural experience if they make the "confession of faith" in their heart.

As the Lord Jesus himself said, one needs to count the cost of following Him. Narrow is the road that leads to eternal life with the Lord, and not many will allow their lives to be so supernaturally changed. To reign in Heaven at the side of Lord Jesus Christ makes one to be a King and Priest unto God. The true disciples of Christ are very important in Heaven, as we will have a work to do. It is for this reason we are to undergo the training in this life preparing us for our Heavenly role.

Now let us look at the "born again" process to see what happens to a person when they embrace the Lordship of Jesus.

In order to see the change, we must first see our present state of being, so that the reason for the change is understood. There are three steps we are going into detail to show what was , what is, and what is to come in each life that is surrendered unto the Lord.

The human being is a creature called man. He is warm blooded. His life lies in the blood that flows throughout his body. Man has the body he walks and lives in. He has a soul. The soul makes up his character and guides his mind to think, feel, reason, and make decisions based upon the desires and the determinations of his heart. He has a spirit. His spirit is influenced by the powers, rulers, authorities, and wickedness of the heavenlies. His soul came from the darkness. He is controlled by the supreme authority of this world, the devil. He is influenced to act and perform various professions, tasks, and jobs as these powers deem him to do so. 

As long as he obeys these powers, he lives in some form of harmony with the world and its systems, bending to the rise and falls of governments, to the various diseases and sicknesses, to the so called natural disasters, etc. He accepts all of this as apart of living in this world.

He has family and friends. He likes, loves, dislike, and hate different people for different reasons. He lives in his traditions, cultural's, and customs of his society in the agreement that this is the way it should be. He lives in some form of a religion that controls the society in which he is apart. Each society has its own form of religion and beliefs, keeping each separated from the others. Each religion is taught theirs is the truth and all others are darkness. 

This is the man, in simple form, on the surface without the involvement of the spiritual realm being realized. The things of the spiritual realm is kept from him and fear is given him to keep him from inquiring what is beyond the natural boundary of the physical world. Movies are made to reveal such terror and fear that man loses his desire to look into the spiritual aspects that continuously impresses and controls his thought patterns and decisions. The god of this world and his forces continuously guards the way and prevents man from seeing the hidden forces that are at work in his life. 

Accidents happens, diseases occurs, sickness prevails, famine runs rampart, wars continues, all of these are given as natural events of mans life and his dealings with himself. Nothing is given to imply all of these things are the work of the darkness that is at play in the world. Everything is accounted for to prove they are natural and common events.

This is man's lot to live here and then to die at the will of curses, diseases, sicknesses, and accidents. And man is taught to accept such. All religions points to this being the case and the way things are to be. 

The Lord God Almighty created man in His Image to be His companion. The Lord God wanted to fellowship with His creation that He made in His Likeness. To such an extent, He gave man even the right to choose to be God's companion or to live without God. God's plan was to prove to the rulers and authorities of the heavenlies that His wisdom in creating man was true, and that man would be His companion out of choice and love instead of being forced into doing so.

The first man, Adam, disobeyed God. Upon this act of disobedience, the Spirit of the Lord departed from man immediately. Man became a physical being with a blood full of the curse of disobedience, which brings diseases, sicknesses, and other forms of darkness. The powers of the devil was given authority over mankind, to do as he willed. Man begin dying, proving that he no longer had dominion over God's creation. Man became subject to every device of darkness at work on the earth.

The fallen angels, or demons, ruled the world completely. Each land had a prince of darkness assigned to it. The cultural and society of that land was based upon that prince of the air over it. And the religion of that land was formed to worship the god of the world, through that prince of the air.

Lord God Almighty put into action His plan to reconcile man to Himself. He brought one man, called Abram, who worshiped idols of the land of Ur, out from the darkness. He chose him to become a nation  that would bring salvation unto those He would call out from the darkness. He called Abram a new name, Abraham, which means the father of  nations. Abraham obeyed God, leaving the idol worship behind, dare believing God to be God. 

God spoke to Abraham that through his son Isaac salvation would come. Then Jacob was born unto Isaac and God called Jacob, Israel. And through Israel, called Jews, the Savior of the world would come forth. God called Israel His Chosen People, and declared that Salvation would come through them.

Lord God Almighty sent His Word into the world to become flesh and walk among His Chosen People. His people refused to accept Him as the Messiah and crucified Him on a Cross. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. He performed many miracles, wonders and signs, proving that He is the Christ. Upon death on the Cross, he showed His Great Love by forgiving the people for what they had done. He was taken to the place of punishment for those who disobeyed God. But, having been without sin and without disobedience, death could not hold Him, and He rose from the dead on the third day.

He defeated death and became Lord of the living and of the dead. Such honor was given unto Him, that Lord God Almighty sat Him at His Right Side and made all things subject unto His Lordship.

Then, God Almighty began bringing people from the darkness and giving them to the Lord Jesus Christ, who He had Anointed as High Priest, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. To those who came into the Kingdom of Heaven, through faith in Jesus Christ, they became Kings and Priests unto the Lord God Almighty, to rule and reign Heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. And, more important in the life on earth, all authority over the powers of the darkness was given to those Believers who followed the Father's will.

The nature of man could not believe God nor could follow after Lord Jesus. To those who would believe the message, a supernatural event would have to occur first, the Holy Spirit would overshadow the darkness, convicting the person of the sin of not believing in Jesus as Savior; convicting the person that Jesus sits at the Father's Right Hand; and convicting the person that the world has been judged, found guilty, and destined to perish. The person had the right to accept the conviction and repent and be reconciled unto God, or reject the conviction and remained condemned.

If the person embraced the Truth, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, believing in his heart that God had raised Him from the dead, then death would occur instantly in the Believer. During that instant of death, the old person died. The curses that had lived in his blood died as well. All diseases and sicknesses died. All his old ways, likes, dislikes, loves, and hatreds died. All his character, cultural, traditions, customs, and religions died. All his relationships died, his heritage, race and people died to him. Death, being instant, yet being absolutely final, came upon him. And the greatest of sin, disobedience unto God, was forgiven. 

For in his death, the Blood of Jesus, the very Life of Christ, is placed in him to raise him up from the death to be a new creation, a supernatural man no longer part of the world or its kingdoms, but belonging to a new Kingdom that is not a part of this world or its many kingdoms.

The death of the old brought life of the new. The Holy Spirit came and placed His seed of Life in the Believer, and the person is restored unto God as was Adam before the disobedience. But not to rule this world again. For this world is defiled and is judged to be burned. The new man or Christian, is to be a witness of the Kingdom of Heaven, while he lives in this life. He is dead to all things, accept to the Will of the Father for his life. He lives to please the Father, to bring glory unto HIM through Jesus Christ. 

The Christian no longer is controlled by feelings, moods, thoughts of the world, success in life, social standings, religious affairs or anything a part of this world. He fully realizes he is an Ambassador of the Kingdom of God, and nothing else. He cannot compromise his Ambassadorship, at all cost he remains faithful to his assignment in this life.

The fruits of the Spirit lives in him to be given to those whom the Father desires. He loves those who the Father says, goes where the Father says, does what the Father says. He has given his rights over to the Lord to make those decisions for him. He loves to worship and praise the Lord at all times. He loves to become involved in the healing of the sick. He loves to be involved in setting the people free from the control of the darkness.

He understands the spiritual world, its forces, and plans. And he stands, in the Name of Jesus, against all these forces with victory always with him. He walks this world as light in the midst of darkness, having no fear what man or powers can do to him. For he knows nothing happens to him but by the Father's will, and he totally trust the Father's will for his life. To live or to die, he still is the Lords. And with that, he is content.

To be a Christian is to undergo the above experiences. A total change of your heart comes into existence. You are no longer THE SAME. You are ruled by forgiveness and love with a devotion unto the Lord God for saving your life from the darkness. You are to stand against the forces of evil that rule  the world, realizing your prayers are mighty and powerful, greater than any power of darkness. 

You study the Scriptures: seeking the Spirit's understanding of the Word of Life for your life. You realize that you are to become the Word of the Lord that is made real to you by the Spirit. You know you are to be fashioned into that instrument the Lord needs for this hour in HIS Kingdom. You know you are destined to perform a good work as He works through you to do His Will. 

Your new life is a life of prayer and fasting, subjecting all things of your life to the Spirit's approval. You learn to discard those hindrances to your faith, without remorse, determined to please the Father at all cost.

This is the process of the "born again" Christian. Each has to undergo these events, in various degrees, depending on each individual willingness to conform. Every one must take up their cross and follow the Lord, if they are going to be His disciples. 

First, one must hold to the teachings of the Lord, which is found in the Bible revealed by the Spirit of the Lord. Secondly, this brings the person into discipleship. Thirdly, becoming the disciple of the Word of God reveals the Truth of all things. And, finally, the Truth will set the person free from the world and its life.

Let this process begin in your life. If you are a Christian by confession, and have not allowed these acts to be a part of your life, go back to the beginning and start over. Be determined to forego the old  ways and embrace the change. Remember, true Christianity is revealed by a true change in one's  heart, a change that is conformed to the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. The fruit of the tree reveals its kind.

If you are not a Christian, and have been under the conviction to consider such a relationship, you can see here what will happen to your life when you embrace the Savior of your soul.  Come, let Him rule and reign over your life forevermore!

In Jesus's Name,