“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
For years, I struggled with the realities of my past. I knew there were things God had called me to, but I wondered how someone “like me” could ever do such things. How could a woman who struggled with depression, extreme fear, insecurity, and obscurity in many ways ever be qualified? For years, I dodged great opportunities for fear of being exposed or people getting to know that I wasn’t so perfect after all. The shame of my old life was practically robbing me of the blessings God had in store for me.
Then one day…God reminded me of a truth that’s so evident throughout the Bible.
God doesn’t call those who are perfect, He uses those who are willing.
In fact, as I search the Old Testament, story after story reflects this truth. David, the adulterer, would later be called a man after God’s own heart. Abraham, a man who had been caught in lies, would be called a “friend of God.” Saul, one who had killed Christians, would be used to write half of the New Testament. Sarah, the one who laughed at God’s promise, would be used to birth nations. Time and time again, God shows throughout His word that He can use anyone. In fact, it would seem He got even more glory from using the ones everyone else believed were “disqualified.”
What God reveals in His word is a concept that every Christian should embrace. When we accept God into our lives, He gives us the opportunity to have a new life. Those parts of our past that were embarrassing and shameful can become used for God to minister to others.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
This verse speaks to the beauty of new life that comes from Christ. Often, many accept Jesus into their heart as they are afraid of Hell, or what will happen after they die. Yet, they neglect the beauty that God wants to do while they are still alive. The truth is, Christ didn’t just die on the cross to secure our fate after death. He came to give us a life that can be full now and glorify Him.
I have come that they may have life and have it in all its fullness. John 10:10
The enemy, however, comes to do the exact opposite. His job is to steal, kill, and destroy you physically and emotionally. He knows if He can keep you trapped in your past, he can talk you out of pursuing God’s promises over your life. In this way, we stay continually “stuck” and wandering through life with no clear direction. The new life God wants to give us is voided by our previous errors. Is there a greater tragedy than a Christian who fails to live the life God ordained for them?
Today, my prayer is that you embrace your new identity in Christ. In fact, in the Bible, God not only made people “new” on the inside. He even physically changed their name. This is so important because we can spend a lifetime caught in the “name” we once saw as our identity. Yet, all the while, the Lord calls you daughter, friend, empowered, loved, strong, and triumphant over sin. Our job is to embrace the new and to make a choice to no longer hold on to the former ways and titles that once formed our identity.
I believe that when you learn to truly believe what God says about you, your life will never be the same. My challenge for you this week is to find three things that the Lord says about you in His word!
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