Death to the Old, Christ Makes you New.
Conviction.
Conviction can be really irritating at times, you know? Change is never easy and it hardly ever feels good.
But what happens when your flesh wants you to live one way, but God is calling you deeper.
Lately I’ve felt the conviction, of my past life and the new life Christ has given me, at war. And for awhile, my flesh and past life were winning. I allowed trust issues of the past, to control the way I saw, and treated people.
The sin of my past (Satan) losing the control he once had in my life. Christ isn’t added on to your old life, scripture tells us that our old selfs are literally buried with Christ and we are raised new. He takes it ALL. We don’t expect God to get in on what we’re doing, we have to get in on what he has for us.
For so long, I was led and acted based on my emotions. If I felt a bad emotion about someone or something, I wouldn’t pretend I didn’t. But Christ calls us to be led in Spirit, not by our emotions and thoughts.
Accepting the FULL Life he has gifted me with, and the gifts he has given me. Not just parts of it. Truly walking in who he has called me to be, and who he created me to be. No longer allowing peoples words or actions to dictate how I live my life, and who I think I am. No longer standing in the shadows, but Standing our front and bold in faith with Christ.
Growth, is a process.
Trust has always been something tough for me. Loyalty, a whole other story. Throughout my life, I’ve felt betrayal from people I would have never imagined, lost, alone, and that true friendship is something only in the movies.
People in this world will let you down, but Jesus is there through it all. He sees you, and he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
But Christ wants all of those things. And with the conviction, he showed me how many times in my life I’ve slipped up, and chose a path not of his intention. With how lost I have been, he’s forgiven me and loved me anyway.
Christ calls us to forgive, the same way he did and still does all of us. People are just people, sinners by nature. Our treasure in Life, is the hope and faith we have in Gods Kingdom, Not the things this earth brings us. God places obstacles, pain, stress, hurt, in our path. To strengthen and discipline us, so that we truly understand the freedom and grace Christ is, when he brings us to the other side. Freedom.
I look back at my life the past few years, and always remind myself “God thank you for bringing me out of who I was, and where you have taken me today”. But it’s easy to forget, That his path for you never ends. He continues to have a plan for us, where we were 3 Years ago, will be built off of for so many great things in the future. When we walk with Christ, we move forwad.
As I take off my old eye lenses of sin and pain, and put on my new lenses through Christ. I realize who God created me to be, and who I am walking with Christ, my role in the Kingdom, and who he knows I was destined to be.
We can’t give Christ parts of our life, and expect him to truly work in us. He wants it ALL. Our old lives are dead, we walk with Christ. Now and forever. He calls us to so much greater. A book I’m currently reading says:
“He invaded the reality of our lives and beckons us into a life much larger than our own.”
We’re here to be the hands and feet of Christ, to do our best everyday to do as he did. You might think that’s a huge responsibility, and an impossible task. Well, you’re right. For us, as humans, in our flesh, we can’t do anything that big. But when Christ comes into our lives, and we make the DECISION to give him everything, leave everything, and follow him. We can accomplish the impossible, move mountains in our lives that once seemed out of reach. Things that seem out of reach for us, are very much in reach of The Father. He wants to bring us those things, as we depend and take the step of faith with him.
He knows you can’t do it on your own, he loves you so much, and awaits for you to depend on him.
What areas of your life are you struggling to give over to the Father?
I want to share with you that there will be times that we won’t hear from God, you will feel as if he’s not listening, and get angry with him.
Around this time, you will usually find yourself in the middle of a long ago answered prayer, and in the middle of something far greater than you imagined. See he is always listening, he knows what you need before you even ask. Give it to him, and Allow him to change your life, and give ALL of it to him. Not just parts of your life, as I have done in my life. Allow him to take your heart, eyes, past, sins, judgment, envy, jealousy. Because he calls us to so much more, and so much greater, than to worry about things bound by this earth.
WE as his children are so much bigger and greater than this earth, through Jesus. Because he conquered our sin, and anything this world could possibly throw at you. And through Christ, we have authority and power over it all.
The freedom on the other side, is worth it.
Thank you for all the support and prayers, truly means the world to me. I love you guys. God Bless,
Joe
