From Our Prayer Ministry
BORN FROM ABOVE
Born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. I Peter 1:23 NKJV
It does not matter if you have done no harm and do not live in any willful sin. You must go further yet, or you cannot be saved. Even if you also do all the good you can and have improved all opportunities of doing good, yet this does not alter the case. Still, you must be born again.
Without this, nothing will do any good to your poor, sinful, polluted soul.
You may faithfully go to church and observe the sacraments, say ever so many prayers in private; hear ever so many good sermons; read ever so many good books. Still, "you must be born again."
None of these things--nor anything else under heaven--will stand in the place of the new birth to keep you from hell, unless you are born again.
If you have not already experienced this inward work of God, let this be your continual prayer: "Lord, add this to all Your blessings--let me be born again. Deny me not this: Let me be 'born from above.' Take away whatever seems good to You--reputation, fortune, friends, health only give me this, to be born of the Spirit, to be received among the children of God. Let me be born of the incorruptible seed by the Word of God. And then let me daily 'grow in grace and in the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!"
Taken: from "HOW TO PRAY" The Best of John Wesley on Prayer p.82
May the Lord bless this to each of our hearts!