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 Have you seen much change since you’ve accepted Christ in your life? Change from who you use to be, to who you are now, in Christ? Change of old ways, and on to new? Have you given God your life so He can give you His? Have you been to the Cross, to the throne, or even at the feet of Jesus?
We all may have Christ and accepted Him as our Wonderful Saving Friend, but do you move in that much? I’m not talking about good works, or serving, but deep down change, giving up of self; growing and being refined; replacing your self with Christ living in and through you. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 5:20). In Mark 2:22, Jesus uses an analogy of new wine being put into, and busting, old wineskins; it just won’t work. Just like our old lives won’t work. We need new ones in Christ!
God came to not only save and forgive, but to give us life to the fullest, abundantly, in Him! Acting like Him, sounding like Him, and thinking like Him. We need to constantly and consistently be replacing our junk, “recycling it”, so to speak, with God’s attributes, and to be Christ- minded. Ephesians 4:22-24 says “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by it’s deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on a new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
We need to be able and willing to humbly admit our inconsistencies, and all that does not line up with Christ’s character. Once we can make the first move in seeing that something is junky, whether in words we use, or our thoughts or actions, by crying out for God to help and to take our junk, then He can come in and start replacing our fallen selves, with Himself. His ever perfect, present ways will start abiding in us, and start taking over our lives.
But we must take our will, what we want, and align it with His. To notice when something we do is NOT what Christ would do. I have to chose and make a mental break in the two-way track, (one’s my way, one’s His), and apply His will and ways to my life. Not just monthly or even weekly, but daily, even moment-ly.
I will so badly want to react to a situation that is fleshy, or “Gina’s way”. I’ll want to believe what I want to believe, talk the way I want to talk, etc. Or I’ll start to believe what someone has said to me after they’ve put me down. But the moment I stop and realize that, and switch tracks, I replace me with God. He will start sculpting our junk into beautiful pieces of art. Each day we need to come before the Lord on purpose to do this. That is when He is able to work with us; when we totally surrender to Him, and His perfect ways.
God wants and longs for us to come into relationship with Him first and foremost, but also to change, and be transformed to new life while in that relationship. Not to stay the way we were before we knew Him, or first gave our lives over to Him, and accepted Him as Lord and Savior, but to continually be on our knees, giving each part of ourselves to Him. Admitting that something we’ve said or done isn’t Holy and for Him to forgive us, and refine us. To take what’s ugly, junky and impure and replace it with His holiness, purity and steadfast love. When we come before Him with our sins, His mercy and grace will cover us. It is perfect, it will be enough. So don’t be shy, or proud, or embarrassed. There is no condemnation in our Lord Jesus.
We need to accept and receive what He has freely given us! We need to accept and receive it in our minds, hearts, and spirit. He is giving us a new, cleansed life and then a constant, renewing of our mind, and heart! And full of Grace! God’s Word says He changes the desires of our hearts. And that is the coolest thing I discovered when I first started reading the Bible! It is a given that your heart will be hungry and you’ll want to look like Jesus if you accepted His wonderful grace in your life and He is your loving Savior.
Are you ready to go to Him continually to His throne, and replace your fleshy thoughts, actions and words with His? Go, go go, what are you waiting for? The choice is yours. Tell Him, ask Him, go. He wants to hear from you. The God I serve will redeem, and deliver!
poem by Gina Norman
e-mail her at ginapsalm119@hotmail.com |
