Tag: NewCreation

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Forget Password?

Am I the only one who has trouble remembering some of my passwords?

In the last few days I have accessed some sites that I haven’t used in a year. Since I got my new computer over the summer those passwords aren’t a part of the memory on this unit. I have a little place that I record my passwords because of situations like this however, I have found out that I don’t ALWAYS record a new one.

Getting locked out is frustrating and time consuming. I find myself asking the question, “what do I have of any value that would make someone want to steal my identity anyway?”.

Then it came to me this morning – my identity has already been stolen and it was with my permission.

“Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” II Corinthians 5:17-20 MSG

We’ve been created new – a new life emerges – we have a fresh start where all our sins are forgiven. New identity!

When God looks at us through Christ He sees someone who is clean, perfect, His child and friend! The Father has set up a new account for us, we have open access!

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

But, what about the password? What if we forget it? Simple!

“On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. 3  Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. 4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. 5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.” Psalm 100 MSG

The password is easy – it’s our expression of gratitude! Open before us is our new identity, we sign in with grateful hearts and are given the right to His love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and help.

I will never forget that password – THANK YOU!

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Clean Air

For the last few days Dave has been talking to me about filters for our truck; fuel filters, oil filters, air filters.  I’ve learned a lot and have also spent time on the internet looking for the best prices on the best filters.

So, what do filters have to do with you and me?

Dave explained to me that these newer vehicles give you a reading that tells you how much “life” is left in your current filters and when that is exhausted the systems of our truck will work less efficiently and when some of them are used up the truck could stop running. Yikes!

But that really isn’t so uncommon. Several months ago while I was vacuuming, my vacuum just quit. I went to the shed and got my old vacuum and finished the job. I asked Dave to look at the one that quit on me.  He asked me to show him the filters. Oh, my goodness, they were completely clogged. Without the proper air flow, clean air, my vacuum was overheating and shut down.

Aren’t we the same way?

With all the fires we’ve had, the air quality was pretty poor, and it made it hard to breathe. There are advisories that tell us not to do anything outside that is strenuous because of it. During pollen season, many of us have to deal with runny noses and shortness of breath.

Spiritually, we operate the same way.  Adam was just a clump of dust until God breathed the breath of life into him.

“ The Lord God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.” Genesis 2:7 CEV

Jesus spent forty days with his disciples after his resurrection before He ascended to heaven, and He did something very similar to what the Father did in the garden. He breathed on his disciples, a breath of life, imparting to them the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

“After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22 CEV

The winds of life get dirty. They blow pollutants into the air we breathe – anger, jealousy, discontentment, wrong thinking. We need to keep our filters clean so we can operate at full capacity – no overheating or restricted operation.

“ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Colossians 3:8-10 NIV

When we’re having trouble breathing clean air it may be time to have the Holy Spirit clean our filters so that we can operate at the maximum capacity that God created for us.

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Be Focused & Aim High

On a number of occasions Dave and I have gone out to the desert to do some target practice. He is the skilled marksman, I am not. I have heard him say, on several occasions, “Kris, you need to focus and aim higher”.

That’s always good advice!

“You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. 3 Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 ERV

Focus. Aim High.

When we follow Christ we are given a new life. This life is higher than anything we could acheive on our own. We are empowered by the Spirit of God who lives within us. Our goal is not to look down on ourselves or others; it is to look up to the One who is our example.

In yesterday’s blog we looked at some of the man-made rules of religion, those that are always telling us the things we can’t do. But when we look to Christ, when we raise our aim and focus on Him, we gain a greater perspective.

  • Jesus loved the Father and His neighbor.
  • Jesus was forgiving and kind.
  • Jesus helped those who were in need.
  • Jesus elevated the outcasts and downtrodden.
  • Jesus sacrficed His own comfort to minister to others.
  • Jesus always spoke the truth.
  • Jesus always saw the best in others.

Who better to focus on than the One who gave His all for us!

Do I miss the mark? Absolutely!

There are days when my thoughts, and my actions, are self-serving. Sometimes I repent immediately and there are other times I wallow in my selfishness for a while. It’s then I hear that still small voice in my heart telling me “lift your gaze, look up, you’re missing the mark”.

“But now put these things out of your life: anger, losing your temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and saying shameful things. 9 Don’t lie to each other. You have taken off those old clothes—the person you once were and the bad things you did then. 10 Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. 11 In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you.” Colossians 3:8-11 ERV

Focus. Aim High.

We’ve been given a new life; every day we should become more like Him. Christ is all that matters and He lives in us!

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Spring Cleaning

The last two days I have been busy cleaning baseboards. Yes, baseboards!

I have a thing about baseboards. When we check into a hotel and everything looks fresh and clean I look at baseboards. When I have company coming and I’ve changed the sheets and cleaned the floors I look at the baseboards.

Normally, I get around to doing them twice a year but in the past few years I have stretched that out to every eighteen months with spot cleaning of different rooms as I deem necessary.

There’s a life lesson to be gained here.

There’s only one good way to clean baseboards. It requires a basin of warm, soapy water, several soft clean rags and a small scrub brush. It must be done on hands and knees. They can’t be thoroughly cleaned without being on floor level and since I’m there it’s also a good time to wash the tile floors by hand.

Now, for the life lesson.

There isn’t much else I can do while scrubbing them than think. It’s a good time to take personal inventory; a time to examine heart motives, physical activities, prejudices & irritations, hurts and fears. Removing the dust and spots from the baseboards is also a great time to clean some of life’s dusty corners.

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

“Put out of your life these things also: anger, bad temper, bad feelings toward others, talk that hurts people, speaking against God, and dirty talk. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have put out of your life your old ways.” Colossians 3:8-9 NLV

The Lord and I had a good talk about some things I had let build up; things I had ignored. Spring cleaning is good for our homes but even better for our soul.

“…Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT

Invite the Holy Spirit to help you with those hard to reach areas in your life. Get some Spring cleaning done. I can tell you from personal experience you’ll be glad you did!

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Hidden Treasure

Since the first of the year I have been sharing little nuggets with you from my recent book, “Like A Diamond”. My goal was to share with you the plan that the Lord has for all of us who follow Him and some of the many blessings we have when we are in Christ.

He wants us to shine brilliantly with His love and power for all the world to see.

“Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So, we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

These truths from God’s Word have been a part of my life for almost four decades. I have come to love the Lord in a deeper way than I ever dreamed possible. His Word is my daily bread and my wisest counsel.

I remember the days that I was a diamond in the rough. With loving precision the Lord has made me new, given me a purpose, and exquisitely designed my life. He made me to be radiant for His glory.

Dave and I knew the Lord brought us together and our marriage has been centered on Him. We were like all young couples with a desire to be successful and have nice things. Our tries at success proved disastrous and left us in debt, looking for a way out. We had no idea God wanted to handle our problems and had already provided all the answers we needed.

We were struggling; we loved the Lord but we didn’t know anything about the precious promises of His word for all daily lives. Our upbringing had left us with the impression that life here on earth was a constant struggle until we got to heaven and THEN it would be “worth it all” until one day we heard a pastor teaching on living victoriously in this life.

We began studying the Bible to find help and hope for our every day life.

The Lord has blessed us with joy, strength, peace, wisdom and purpose. We are in good health, filled with peace and the Lord continually provides. The truths I’ve shared are not wishful thinking – we have lived this transforming life. We know we can totally trust the Lord in every circumstance. He has brought us through some really rough times.

I promised the Lord years ago that I would be diligent to share with other Christians who were feeling helpless and defeated the truths of God’s word. I had been ignorant and defeated in spiritual things for so long that I just had to share what the Father has taught me. So that’s what I do each morning through this blog.

Only God’s Word has the power to change lives. Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God. The more we hear it the more we grow. It is my prayer that you will discover the truth of God’s Word and fully realize what God has done for you. God desires to work a miracle in each of us.

“God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

Let’s live here and now for God’s glory!

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Brand New

For the next couple of days we’ll be looking at the “new creation” that God has designed us to be. I have been asked a number of times “How can God love me and want to have a relationship with me after all I’ve done?”. The answer is simple. God sees us as new. He has chosen to forget our past and has given us a brand new life.

The Apostle Paul knew this was a hard truth to comprehend so he made it the central message in his writings. We are brand new – part of the body of Christ – and even if we are the skin on the bottom of the little toe we are still part of the body and that gives us relationship and authority…

“Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:21-23 NLT

The head is the authority, the decision making or ruling part of the body. The power manifested through the decisions made by the head are valid for the whole body. Jesus took authority over principalities and powers and placed them under His feet. He defeated them when he died and rose again. If we are in the body, His body, then those powers are placed under our feet.

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So, he is first in everything.19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:18-20 NLT

Christ, as the head, rules or directs the members of the body. The head makes the decisions that protect and provide for its wellbeing. Wisdom, spiritual insight, knowledge, and understanding come from the head.

“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” Ephesians 1:17-19 MSG

Take time to look at the example of Jesus’ life on earth.

How did He act; what did He do? It was all done through His body. The attributes that made Jesus, who He was, are available to us. He had victory over sin, sickness, emotional distress, and spiritual attacks. He moved in total obedience to God’s word; as His body we should be striving for this same commitment of pleasing the Father.

Our life in Christ is not about us doing something good enough to measure up, it’s about us allowing Him to lead, guide and gives us the strength! Christ invested His life to make us Brand New!

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Come On In!

In the kingdoms of the world very few people are allowed access to the throne room. But in God’s kingdom we are welcomed – invited in without hestitation.

The book of Psalms has so many verses which emphasize the blessings of the righteous man. Now, as I read them, no longer is my thought “I wish that could be for me” but it is “Praise God, that’s mine!” Our righteousness is part of our inheritance, we are joint heirs.

Let us look at a few of these verses in Psalms that hold promises for the righteous man. I will leave a few here for you to read and then at the end of this chapter there will be a list of other verses that you will want to read.

“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12 NKJ

“Less is more and more is less. One righteous will outclass fifty wicked, For the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are God-strong.” Psalm 37:16-17 MSG

“Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly* abandoned or their children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25 NLT *righteous

David was now an old man and he said that in all his years he had never seen God desert those that He called righteous. Praise God, He has voluntarily made provision for our righteousness!

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Psalm 92:12

The palm tree is resilient and can grow even in the hottest climates with very little water. They become tall and beautiful shade trees. The cedar tree is a sign of strength and endurance. By comparison the righteous man will grow tall and strong because of the Lord’s blessing upon him.

“Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” James 5:16-18 MSG

In this verse we find that we are to confess our faults to one another. Faults are shortcomings or situations in our lives that need to be corrected and by the prayer of a righteous man they will be rectified.

The prayers of a righteous man are tremendously effective in obtaining answers from the Lord. Why would his prayers be more effective than an unrighteous man? I am glad you asked.

The righteous man is in a place of authority; he believes God’s Word and put it to work in his life. Verse seventeen of this chapter shows us the power in a righteous man’s prayer. It says Elijah prayed and it did not rain for three and a half years, then he prayed again, and it rained. Now that is a powerful prayer. The prayer of a righteous man is strong.

Righteous means we have been placed in right standing with God. This realization should never create an attitude of arrogance, but it should bring a sense of worthiness and confidence. We no longer need to crawl on our hands and knees before the Lord feeling we have no right to bother the King of Kings. No, we are entitled to come boldly to the throne.

Enter the throne room. The door is open and the Father is waiting for you!

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