Jentezen Franklin Daily Devotional (August 9, 2025) How You Know You're Born Again.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
You do not have to live in fear of eternity. You do not have to wonder if you are truly saved. When you have been born again, there is a change so real, so deep, that it reshapes your desires and redirects your life.
You were born with a nature that leans away from God. You might have tried to improve, go to church, make resolutions, or clean up your act. But the truth is, no amount of effort can override a nature that is not yet transformed. Without Christ, you will always drift back toward sin. You may have a few good days, but eventually, you fall into the same patterns. That is because change on the outside does not fix what is broken on the inside.
When Jesus said you must be born again, He meant that your spirit must be made new. The Holy Spirit breathes life into your dead nature. Suddenly, you do not just try to do right. You want to do right. You may still mess up, but something inside you pushes you back toward repentance. You are not at peace when you disobey. Conviction rises up. The Holy Spirit urges you to forgive, to turn around, to live holy.
That is how you know that God has changed your heart. You are not perfect, but you are different. You sin, but you do not settle in it. You fail, but you run back to Jesus. You feel the tension between the flesh and the Spirit, but your heart leans toward God. And when you mess up, something inside says, “Get right.”
This is what it means to be born again. Your “want to” changes.
You want to please God. You want to serve Him. You want to be holy. That desire is proof of your new life.
You do not need to fear Hell. You do not need to fear standing before God. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. His perfect love casts out fear. You are saved. You are secure. You belong to Him. So today, let the fear go. Trust the One who changed your nature. And walk in the freedom of knowing you have been born again.
