Believe #4: Better than Ever!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5L17, NKJV)

Have you ever heard the whispers of your past life uttering words of discouragement in an attempt to dissuade you from living the life Christ has provided for you? Whispers that would tell you you're still an addict or an alcoholic. Whispers that would tell you you're still a thief, a drug dealer, a murderer perhaps. Whispers that tell you that no matter what happens you're always going to be the same old lying, cheating, conniving person you've always been. Have any of you heard whispers like this that constantly remind you of who you were, and that in turn prevent you from becoming who Christ has said you are?

Well today I want to assure you, through the word of God, that those whispers are, as one of my fellow elders and closest friends would say, "Lies from the pit of hell." Another of my fellow elders here always tells the men of our congregation, "You are not your crime!" Today I tell everyone reading this post, "You are not your past!" In fact, we are so much better than we could ever imagine, but you have to believe this. I told you when we started this series of posts that belief in the scriptures was going to be of the utmost importance; this is true because in order for this scripture to have an effect of our lives, we are going to have to believe it over anything the enemy whispers in our ears.

I remember my first understanding of this scripture. It was only a surface level understanding and I was like "Oh yeah, cool, I'm a different person with a new life and my old one is gone." You combine this understanding with a less than ironclad belief and it's easy to understand why it was so easy for those whispers of the enemy to throw me off track. But, once I looked into this scripture a little more and once my faith became stronger it took on a whole new meaning, one that changed my life.

This new creation Paul is talking about describes something that is created at a new level of excellence. He's talking about an upgrade, a newer and better model of what once was. When we were saved, God didn't just clean up the old us. Not, the old us was crucified with Christ and we were reborn. We were given new hearts; we were given a new spirit. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. (Eze 36:26-27, NKJV)

This new us was given an opportunity that the old us never had. Now we have the ability to live righteously, in a manner pleasing to God while also being able to shun evil and to ignore those whispers that all too easily send us right back where we came from. We are new creations, old things have passed away and all things have become new, which is not a future thing but a right now thing. The new creation we have become, thanks to Christ's work on the cross and the Holy Spirit who now dwells within us, has the power to disregard all the things against God's will for our lives which we used to think about, desire, love and value. We now have the ability to look forward, focused on Christ, on what he has commanded for our lives, and to live for his purpose instead of our own.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I assure you that today, as Christians, we are better than we have ever been. Gone are the people filled with lust, pride, anger, and hatred. Gone are the coveters and idolaters. Gone are those who were once made to believe that they were worthless, less than, and dumb. Gone are those who accepted and endured sexual, physical, mental and emotional abuse because they thought that's all they were worthy of. Gone is every derogatory name you've been called, every insult you've had hurled at you, and every belittlement you've suffered.

What stands before the world now are saints, children of the Most High God. A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV) But, you have to believe that you are these things. The Word of God has to be so real to you that everything else you hear doesn't even register. If today we can believe what the Word of God is telling us, then today we can become, in full, the new creations God has said we are. Today we can be better than ever and never again be who ir what we once were.

Prayer for today: Gracious God, we thank you that you have made each of us a new creation in Christ. Increase our faith and help us to leave the old creation behind. In Christ's name. Amen.