When we experience our new birth in Jesus Christ through repentance, baptism in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, we become a new creation in Him! Every sinful thing about our past is gone. Sins are made white as snow by the precious blood of the Lamb of God who died on the cross for our sins. We begin our journey of learning who we are in Christ Jesus. God forgives our sins and He forgets our sins because He is God! Our problem is we are human and God does not erase our memories or our emotions through salvation.
After the excitement of Holy Ghost ‘twitterpation’, we start thinking about our past. The past could be full of abuse, rejection, family dysfunction and heartache. This is where the devil (the sly old fox – the lord of the dunghill) starts whispering in our mind. This is what we hear, “You are not a new creation in God. You are the same unlovable, unwanted, abused sinner you have always been. This salvation experience changes nothing in your life. You will never amount to anything. If others know your life secrets, you will never be accepted!” These are lies from Satan, the father of all lies! The battle that you are fighting now is in your mind.Satan’s purpose on this earth is to kill, steal and destroy everyone that has God in his/her heart. He wants you to continue to believe his lies because he knows it will paralyze your potential in God.
In my 21 years of counseling, I keep challenging everyone with this question, “What is God’s truth?” God’s truth is that you are now a new creation through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ! The word new means unused, without fault, brand new! If you refuse to accept this truth, then you are negating the love of God! Who are you to declare God’s redemption is null and void? If you do, you are accepting Satan’s lies! Is that what you want to do?
God, who created this world and everything in it, came in a robe of flesh to die for your sins! This is God’s truth! GOD IS LOVE! God made a way to adopt us as His own! He does not love us based on our performance or our life’s history. He loved us before the foundation of the world! “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 8: 1 & 2 NLT). This is God’s truth!! If you are holding on to condemnation, it’s from a false guilt. If you are in Christ Jesus, you are a new creation! All of your sins are under the precious blood! Your identity is in the truth that you are now God’s child. You are His royal priesthood, a holy nation and His special treasure who brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light! This is God’s truth! Now whom are you going to believe? Satan or God?
Your purpose as a child of God is to glorify God in your body – (I Cor. 6). We are to do everything we do heartily as unto the Lord to glorify Him. We all minister to the people in our lives through our words and conduct. We choose daily whether we will believe God’s truths or repeat the dastardly lies of Satan over and over in our minds. God, the Counselor, gives us a simple truth how to change: Romans 12: 1 & 2 NLT – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” I explain the above by challenging people to be Holy Ghost controlled. Glorify God in your body. The scripture says, “This is truly the way to worship Him!” True worship is how we live our lives before God and others daily.
How can we be transformed? The answer is by renewing our minds through God’s Word! When we change the way we think with God’s truth, we will become a new person in our thinking that will change our feelings and actions. The King James says, “We will be transformed by renewing our mind.” We must renew our mind with God’s truth, not Satan’s lies about our past! Everyone must decide to not define self by the events and emotions from the past. If you do, you are allowing Satan’s lies to define you. Why? You are in Christ Jesus now. Your past sins are washed white as snow. God wants you to accept His forgiveness and allow it to change your emotions because it is truth! You have the power within you – God in you the hope of glory – to know your true identity is in Christ.
God is our creator and our Savior! He created us and gives us the choice of His salvation. Once we experience salvation, we belong to Him and must live our lives to give Him glory! It’s by His righteousness that now lives in us through His Spirit that identifies us as His children! My identity in Christ gives me purpose in life to bring Him glory and honor! Yes, it’s all in Him!!!
© Carol Clemans – August 2013 – www.carolclemans.org – carol@carolclemans.org