“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18 HCSB). How do we become more like Christ? As we see Him here in this life through God’s Word, we are transformed into His image in our spirit, soul and body.  There is no, “If you do, then I will” in this verse. It doesn’t say we qualify if we are good enough, if we pray enough or if we give enough. He has qualified us by His sacrifice, His blood, and His victory over Satan. The key is to allow Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds!

What you focus on is what will impact your life. When Peter overcame the fear-filled boat by looking at Jesus and acting on His word, Peter walked on water. For a moment he was the happiest man alive—until he diverted his focus back to the wind and waves, and fear regained its dominance over him. Keeping your focus on God’s Word renews your mind and transforms you from faithless to fearless! (Romans 12:1-2)

Jesus paid every penalty and removed every judgement that was against us. He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. By the stripes He received on the whipping post, we were healed! “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.” (Zephaniah 3:15)

When King Nebuchadnezzar observed the three Hebrew children in the flames of the fire he threw them into for not bowing to his image, he was shocked to see a fourth man walking in the flames with them (Daniel 3:25). Regardless of the kind of fire you may be in—whether it’s a fire of some type of sickness or disease, or a struggle in your finances—there is another identity in your midst! The Lord Jesus Christ is with you in the midst of every struggle, abiding IN you, operating THROUGH you and working FOR you each and every day! “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil” (Zephaniah 3:15).

Don’t waste your precious gift of speech by declaring that you’re in agreement with evil, failure, depression, sickness, or fear. Regardless of how bad circumstances may look in the natural, you aren’t required to participate in them. Why? Because you are redeemed and are now in Christ, and the curse has no claim on you anymore! Spend some time in your bible and allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind to the truth!

When you were born again, you instantly became holy and blameless in God’s sight, because He sees you in Christ! In God’s eyes, your past is removed and your sins are forgotten as if they never happened. You have been released from all condemnation and shame, because Jesus bore it all for you. Don’t take anything back from the devil that Jesus paid with His life to remove!

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!

You are a new creation IN CHRIST! What does that look like in your daily life? You can expect miracles! You can confidently expect the best and believe the best! You can love and have compassion on others without hesitation, because you have been given God’s love poured out into your heart! All of this means you can make a difference in your world, no matter how big or small!

Psalm 105:37 tells us that God brought the tribes of Israel out of Egypt with silver and gold, and there were none feeble among them. We have been born again through the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, and are now of His tribe, the tribe of Judah! We, too, have been brought out of slavery, and provision has been made that there should be none feeble among us either!

The devil tries to rob us of our inheritance in Christ, trying to deceive us with lies and fears. He attempts to turn our attention to our failures, weaknesses and symptoms in areas such as our health—but remember, you are not “trying” to be healed. You are ALREADY healed, because God’s Word declares that Jesus already paid every penalty to set us free. By the stripes of Jesus you already ARE healed! (Isaiah 53:5, 1Peter 2:24)!