The Bible is a mirror, not a book of rules. When you look in a mirror you say, “This is who I am.” When you look at a book of rules you say, “This is who I’m supposed to be.” As you speak out the truth of God’s work in you and His promises to you from His Word, you’re rehearsing what is in the mirror and are being transformed. Your thinking is being changed from the old nature habits of thinking to a life that reflects the truth of who God has created you to be!

When you have an encounter with Jesus Christ and surrender your life to receive Him as your Savior and Lord, it isn’t just an emotional experience. The seed of God is planted in you in the same miraculous way that the seed of God was planted in Mary to produce the Lord Jesus. You have a miracle in you, and now all His purpose and power is able to grow and develop in you!

The same Holy Spirit, with the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead, also indwells you as a believer. What does that mean for you? It means the very light and life of God resides in you—giving His life to your spirit, soul and your body too (Romans 8:11). It means there is no longer anything in you that belongs to the devil. (Colossians 1:13) It means all the authority and power that Jesus walked in on the earth now dwells in you to do the works that He did (John 14:12). What is your part? Enter into the rest of faith and receive it all as a gift of His grace to you. Stay connected to the power source, and you’ll be a walking light bulb everywhere you go!

Jesus said that we will have trouble in this world, but to stay happy! Why? How? He overcame everything that could keep you down, sick, weak, or poor! If you’re born again He lives within you, giving you the strength and wisdom you need to overcome in any situation. “I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 emphasis mine).

We are equipped with the indwelling Spirit of God to focus on solutions, not problems. We are equipped to speak what we want, not what might be currently happening. We are equipped to experience joy in the expectation of answers, rather than the stress of waiting for them!

The second you were born again, the old you was legally taken away and nailed to the cross. The OLD you is DEAD—you now possess the resurrected life of Christ. Sometimes though, our old habits of thinking and responding still need to be rewired. The good news is, your thinking can be transformed into God’s thoughts and responses when you allow Him to help you renew your mind with His Word! (Romans 12:1-2)

If you don’t know God’s vision for you then you’ll be shaped by the vision of others. There are many voices in this world and they all want your attention. But the loudest voice you hear is the voice on the inside of you that speaks what has been fed into your life. It’s the voice that either tells you that you can do amazing things in life, or that you’re doomed to be a victim of circumstance. It directs the trajectory of your life, which is why feeding on God’s Word and His plan for you is the most important thing you can ever do for success in life—both now and in the future!

Don’t fall into the comparison trap! It restricts you and can hold you prisoner in a very small cell. When you stop comparing yourself to others you set yourself free to become truly exceptional!

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect [complete, mature] in love” (1 John 4:18, brackets mine). When we’re fully walking in Christ and understanding the amazing depth of God’s love for us, the fears are gone. All of His peace and joy and love and kindness and goodness are constantly flowing out of us and into our lives. The world doesn’t know this kind of real love, but it’s the life the Father meant us to live, and the Gospel we’re supposed to be preaching!

People spend half their life trying to feel worthy to be God’s representative, then the other half wondering if they’re doing it right. Jesus isn’t calling you to do something beyond you, because you aren’t doing it in your own ability, you’re doing it in HIS. HE qualifies you and equips you by putting HIS Spirit IN you!