Fresh and New

If you have asked to receive the free gift of salvation from Jesus, repented of your sins and surrendered your life to His rule, you will become reborn. Brand new. All the old junk in your past is gone, dead and buried with Christ.

This is the simple gospel.

Believing it… that seems to become a little more complex.

Why do so many of us struggle with the truth of newness? I believe it’s because we have lived with ourselves all our lives. We know every evil deed done, even those committed deep within the shadows of solitude. Every wicked thought that passes across our cerebral cortex. Every struggle, temptation, defeat and downfall. We know them all and rarely are they forgotten.

Partly because of the remarkable creation that is our brain, which can retain a million or even a billion accounts of information, but a more probable explanation is the devil’s bone, thin finger on the rolodex of our gray matter. Constantly flipping through the past and selecting just the right imagery at just the right time. He and his demons are skilled at their job.

So, when we hear in the scriptures the blood of Christ cleanses us completely and we are transformed into a whole, new being, it’s a little hard to grasp and believe. If you read my post entitled “A Story of Freedom”, you will recall this statement:

“I did not dream or imagine any other way of life, for once you have behaved a certain way for so long, it becomes your truth. And if that is your truth, why would you possibly long for change? You will not change what you do not recognize as ill-fitting and therefore; you will continue on wearing a version of yourself that is three sizes too big or worse, three sizes too small.”

When I say I understand the struggle to grasp the concept of becoming a regenerated creature, I truly understand. I believed so many lies about myself for so long, it was the only truth I knew. But, this is not what God wants for His children at all. He came to give us life, life more abundant! (John 10:10) So, I offer a few words of encouragement to aid in your transformational journey.

One of the first steps to gain victory over the toxic thoughts that flood our head, is to change them. The word of God has the power to renew, rewire and regenerate our brains. I speak not metaphorically, but literally. This is a proven, scientific fact.

Every thought we have creates what is called a synopsis. The more we think about something, the thicker that synopsis pathway in our brain becomes. So, if you are constantly focused on all your past sins and failures, the wiring of your brain will quickly and easily remain fixated on the negative, because that is what you are “feeding”.

What happens when we begin to have a new thought? A brand new pathway is born, literally in our mind. Each new thought, births a new synopsis. Let’s say the new thought is the following scripture:

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14a)

You read this verse each morning when you wake up and again right before crawling between the sheets of your bed. The new pathway in your brain just started, begins to grow larger and stronger. You literally begin to develop a new truth you did not have before.

What happens to one of the old pathways? Well… what happens when you stop feeding something? It starves, shrinks and eventually dies. The literal same thing happens within your brain. When you begin to focus on the genuine truth of the Word of God and stop thinking so much about old, past errors, that pathway begins to literally shrivel and weaken, while the new one increases in size and strength.

So, when Paul wrote about being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” in Romans chapter 12, it is a spiritual fact and a literal, physiological fact happening within your brain. (Go ahead, give it a google and learn how the brain functions. It truly is a miraculous organ.)

What are you struggling with? Anxiety? Self-worth? Anger? Lust? Greed? Whatever it may be, find some verses that tell you the truth to counteract the lies, write them down and read them every day. Two or three times each day! You will be amazed how over time you will have less negative thoughts.

God is so good! How amazing is that? You can wash your mind with the power of the Word and make it shiny and new!

Poke

Poke

Poke

That’s what the enemy does to us. It’s maddening. The constant reminders of our old self, haunting us in our dreams. The memories that seem to come out of nowhere. A simple smell can trigger the darkest of flashbacks. His resources can be limitless at times.

We have authority over it all though. Did you know this? If not, you can add these scriptures to your daily reading for mind renewal.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Take captive every thought.

Demolish strongholds.

How?

“Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)

Our strength to resist, fight and destroy the darkness, comes from the Light. Tap into the power of the Holy Spirit within you. Call upon the name of the Lord! Stand firm, knowing Who fights for you.

“Submit yourselves, therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

If you have given your life to Christ, you should be submitted to His authority. (*notice I said should. If you struggle with total surrender, this is an area you must work through, in order to have total victory over your flesh and Satan.) That takes care of part 1.

Part 2 (resist the devil) comes into play when we tell the devil to stick it!

When those lying thoughts invade, tell him to shut up! Immediately! Do not wait, nor delay. Shut down all false accusations against you. You don’t have to listen to that- you’re a child of the King. You only listen to what the Master says.

Then begin to meditate on truth. I promise you, the more you practice renewing your mind with scripture, the bolder you will be about standing up to the lying serpent. Once you truly understand Whose you are, ain’t no defeated, kicked out of Heaven, destined to eternal damnation, janky, washed up, ex-angel gonna tell me nothin’! (Wow.. sorry- the inner Jesus gangster side of me came out a little)

The more you read the Word, the more you will believe it.

The more you kick the devil out of your head, the faster he flees -AND the longer it takes for him to come back the next time.

Rinse and repeat!

Christ died, so we could live our lives in total freedom now. We don’t have to wait for glory to experience that part of His goodness. Yes, there is some work involved on our part to crucify this flesh, but the best things in life come through hard work and determination.

I pray you are able to fully believe to the core of who you are, you have been forgiven, made right with the Father and given newness of life! I pray the devil is defeated daily within your mind and you begin to experience a confidence you never knew was possible. Not a cocky, boastful arrogance, but the assurance of knowing where your identity is found. Trust me, you walk different, talk different and respond different when you fully grasp who you are in Christ Jesus.

So, throw those shoulders back, run scripture through your gray matter and sing out-

Who the Son sets free

Oh is free indeed

I’m a child of God

Yes I am!