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!

It’s an exciting time of year—a time of decorations, baking, lights, and of course, Christmas gifts! There is another very special aspect of this season—it’s when the angels said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men!” The greatest miracle gift of all is Jesus. May He be at the very center of your Christmas!

God does not condemn us! God gives us access to His righteousness, His freedom, His Zoe kind of life for our world and everyone in our world. He erased the certificate of debt which listed all the rules we failed to follow with its decrees that were against us—destroying it and nailing it to the cross! “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies” (Zephaniah 3:15).

In Psalm 23 we discover that Jehovah Rohi, God our Shepherd, leads us beside the still waters and causes us to lie down in green pastures, because He is our GOOD shepherd and is always with us and guiding us. He delights in doing us good! (Jeremiah 32:41)

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!

God has deposited a vision in every heart to reach the world. When Jesus enters your life, a compassion for the rest of the world enters with Him. If you’re not feeling it, then it’s time to renew your mind to who God’s Word says you are and how much He loves you. The feelings will follow!

The world has forgotten what God looks like. Religion has hidden Him behind walls and ceremonies and shrouded His Word in mystery with their dead traditions. By comparison, Jesus came saying, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (John 14:7).  Jesus offers us a relationship with the Father like the one He had!

Have you seen the cross of Jesus Christ? Have you recognized the fatal blow it delivered to the devil’s authority over you? Are you experiencing the resurrection power of God now available to you in forgiveness, deliverance, health and every area of your life?

You should never be too busy to say goodbye to your old self with its past habits, thought patterns, and mistakes of yesterday, and hello to all you have been given in your resurrected life in Christ. “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10 HCSB).