Paul had an interesting view of himself. He thought of himself as a man who had died and awakened to a new life in Christ. He considered himself a dead man, yet still breathing. Dead men do not get offended at people. Dead men do not scream back when they are screamed at. Dead men can be poked, kicked, mocked and spit upon, and they still do not respond. The devil and his followers have no weapons left when Christians do not respond in fear or anger to their evil threats and actions!
Psalm 91:16 tells us, “with long life, will I satisfy him [or her], and show them My salvation.” With long life, God will satisfy us! We are new creations in Christ who have been redeemed from the curse and all that comes with it (Gal. 3:13). Genetics and family history no longer dictate our destiny—we have access to a different DNA, the NEW spiritual DNA that we have inherited from the bloodline of Jesus!
Is a life of faith a hard, troubling walk of sorrows? Are we to just hold on and wait for it to be better on the other side? NO! John wrote, “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4 NKJV). We are to be walking in Kingdom life and demonstrating the power of God here on the earth!
We are given a truth that cries out to the ages for all who are broken, defeated, bound, weak, sad, lost, sick and fearful. What is that truth? It is the discovery of a NEW BEGINNING. God is not trying to repair what sin and satan have broken; He starts you off as a NEW CREATION—a brand new being!
The day you hear and receive Jesus as your Lord, life takes on a wonderful, new meaning! You discover that you are unique—deeply loved and of great value—and He lovingly works with you and in you to discover that uniqueness. As you enter this brand-new year, realize what a privilege life in Christ really is—each day an adventure, each breath a privilege!
If your life feels like a twisting highway full of potholes with no guardrails, remember that your vehicle has two types of glass. The smallest ones are for looking behind you, and the big windshield is for looking forward. Keep your eyes focused through that one and you’ll successfully pass through whatever road you’re traveling!
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see your weaknesses, your inadequacies, your imperfections? Or, do you see what God sees? He sees you IN CHRIST—holy, blameless, free from accusation and accepted as a dearly loved child! He sees you as complete and more than a conqueror, because the conqueror lives IN YOU!
Believe in yourself! You can’t be truly effective in the world until you gain an understanding of how much God loves and values you. Look in the mirror and tell the person you see that in God’s eyes you are a winner and an overcomer. Not because of any abilities or skills on your part, but because when you accepted Christ, He came to live in you and brought all of His love and ability with Him!
The most influential voice in your life is the one on the inside of you. It either affirms that you can do great things in life, or it whines that you’re in one way or another a victim of circumstance. It continually echoes whatever has been fed into your life, which is why it’s so important to feed on the truth of God’s Word!
When you made Jesus Lord of your life, He came to live inside you, taking away your sins, sicknesses and failures, and replaced it all with HIS life. What does that mean? You’re forgiven! You’re healed! He restored the dominion and authority to you in the earth that had been lost to the devil! Now you have the ability to live your life through Him—a powerful, victorious life that sets other captives free and brings glory to God!
