John 3:1-4: There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do You mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “He that comes to God must believe that He is (exists), and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” In John 3, you read about a Pharisee named Nicodemus who was a ruler over the Jews. There was something different about this Pharisee that set him apart. He sought out Jesus—even though it was under the cloak of darkness. I suppose he came to Jesus at night so that the other men wouldn’t know that he was curious to find out more about this Jesus.

It takes more than a suspicion or a curiosity to get to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. When you approach Him, you must believe that He is, indeed, who He says He is. Obviously, Nicodemus saw something in Jesus that other religious leaders didn’t, and this drew him to Jesus. He saw the mighty works of Jesus and listened to the powerful messages that Jesus taught; he also recognized that Jesus was able to teach with great authority. This gave Nicodemus enough evidence that he was willing to admit that God was with Jesus, but He didn’t say that Jesus was God.

So when Jesus was asked by this Pharisee about His authority, He wanted to lead him to a faith relationship with Him. He told Nicodemus that he must be born again if he wanted to see the kingdom of God. It’s at this point that we see curiosity could only take him so far in his dialogue with Jesus. Once Jesus spoke to him in a spiritual context, this leader began to be bewildered. You see, Nicodemus was thinking naturally, and Jesus was speaking spiritually. This leader wanted to know how Jesus acquired His authority. The natural man can’t receive the spiritual truths of God, and this is why we are required to come to God by faith. If we truly believe in Jesus as the only begotten Son of the living God, then the Father will give us understanding of spiritual truths.

Even though Jesus offered Nicodemus an opportunity, through faith, to see with spiritual eyes, he chose to hear and see only with his natural ability. As a believer, you will have many occasions to misunderstand your heavenly Father; it will be in those times that you will be tempted to ask Him, why? We have the right to ask the Father why, as long as we do so in faith and trust. If we do it in doubt, where we’re questioning His character and His authority as God, then we cross over into tempting the Lord. We’re required to remain humble in the sight of the Lord, and He will give us spiritual understanding in exchange.

So the next time something happens in your life and it begins to challenge your belief in the Lord and in His goodness, know that this will require trust from you. When you’re faced with a hard season, a tough decision, or a tragedy that tests your confidence in God’s character, know that it is a temptation of the devil. Before you can get clear understanding, you must first be willing to submit to the Lordship of the Father and trust Him, then you will have the power to resist the devil’s temptation to oppose the Father; then Satan will have to flee from you. You will know Satan has left you when you don’t have negative thoughts or feelings about God, or feel pushed with the need to question His will for your life. Without faith, we can’t please Him, but with faith, we can know Him personally. He is faithful.  —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US