devotion column:Erasmus Makarimayi WHAT brings people to a born again state is confession by their own mouth. What’s believed and spoken yields results. What’s uttered comes from the heart. It’s therefore critical to have the right stuff in the heart. This is influenced by what is heard as well as seen. What we hear depends on what we tune our ears to. Equally what we visualise is propelled by what we focus our eyes on. Voices that we allow to speak into our lives will ultimately determine our course of life. A believer should also make a wise choice on what she/he subjects her/his eyes to. Who we associate with eventually affects our beliefs. If our circle is made up of mindsets of negativity and pessimism, we are bound to struggle. Let’s closely look at the following verses. Romans 10:8-10: “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” As a believer or even if you are not saved yet, you have to fall in love with this portion of the Bible. By it you will be saved and brought into victorious Christian living. You will not struggle with depression, guilt or any self-defeating dogma. To be saved you need the word of faith. This word is brought into your heart by preaching and will steer you to speak it. With your mouth you will confess Jesus as Lord. If you believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. The effect of this is to make you believe you’re righteous in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 declares: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The mouth speaks the righteousness believed in your heart and you’re saved. You are, therefore, born again; new creation and saint. After hearing the word of faith, believing it and confessing it, you’re created in Christ. Our faith to salvation is brought about by hearing the Word of God as free gift of God as written in Ephesians 2:8-9, Amplied, '(8) For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ 's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; [9] Not because of works [not the fulfilment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]' Furthermore Romans 10:17 points: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” So we commit to hear the Gospel of Christ which is the Grace of God. If we’re saved by hearing the word of faith then we live by hearing the word of faith. Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith t