Spiritual Awakening

“Spiritual awakening” is a term that is commonly used in both religious and secular society to describe the experience a person has when they come to a new “realization, ”particularly in relation to their concept of who they are or in "self." It’s a generic term, often used describe a religious type of experience, but it can mean a variety of things to a variety of people.  In religious circles it is arbitrary as to what exactly that "spirit" is, presumably it is something that is good, but it remains to be arbitray and defined best by the doctrines of the particular religious group. 

The concept of “enlightenment” is often used interchangeably with “spiritual awakening.” In new age religions both terms refer to acquiring wisdom or even a new understanding about the spiritual world or worlds as well as self.  Sometimes such definitions are intertwined with the Christian concept of being “born again,” making it all somewhat confusing.

Nicodemus wondered about this concept because Jesus called it being "born again." He asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” In the Christian sense, a "spiritual awakening" refers to this odd idea of a man being "born again."  Nicodemus had  the wisdom to ask Jesus his question.

Being "born again" is not just being spiritual.  There are a lot of so called "spiritual" one can be immersed in, but not every spirit is from God.  Jesus said that a man must be born of water and of the Spirit.... in order to enter the kingdom of God.

Some think they can enter the heavenly kingdom and spiritual realms belonging to God without going through the proper door. Jesus made it clear... he is the door.  No one comes to the Father except through him.  In fact, one must be "born again."

For some people, having what they call a "spiritual awakening" means realizing that they are not merely human, but that they are in fact God.  To say the least, this is very different thing from realizing you are not and He is.  In such theology, self is God.  It is a bad theology because eventually, in the passage of time, they will, like those angels who left their first habitation, (Jude 1: 6.) Rejecting true light from true light, remaining in those occult places where truth could remain hidden and unknown, refusing to enter through the door, or to walk in the light as he is in the light,  they will leave this world to find themselves exposed when the truth of God is revealed, for it is appointed once for man to die, and then the judgment.... and so we consider how it was that Jesus verily said, "You must be born again."

In some religions, enlightenment, or attaining enlightenment, carries the idea of being filled with “light” and spiritual wisdom.  Many begin with the concept that man is divinity, only this divinity is something he has simply forgotten or not evolved into complete understanding such things yet.  They hold the understanding that each individual, cloaked in humanity, sees a distortion of who he is until a spiritual awakening where he comes to the realization in his mind of how great he really is and practices the belief that he can attain anything, even acquire anything he so desires, using his own will to make it happen make his or her own reality.  This is how he discovers true self, or discovers that he is God. But Christian enlightenment is different.

Christian enlightenment begins with the concept that man is mortal and has disobeyed God and justly deserves this punishment for sin, and the concept that mankind has even been justly removed from that place where man was once created to be and live, Eden. This mortal man, one who actually recognizes he is not God, understands that he needs God and is willing to subject his will to God's and be instructed by God and God's Holy Spirit, is he who can be enlightened, not with the light that is darkness, but with the true light... God.

The truely enlightened individual repents of evil, subjects himself to God.  This is the one who is spiritually awakened...or born again.  This is the one who is a new creation... and this because he has repented of sin and believes, through the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, (aka Holy Spirit) on the One God sent, Jesus Christ. (John 6:29)