Jesus Changes us from the Inside Out
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Have you ever thought about what being a new creation means? Sometimes, we do not feel very new, especially when we battle some of our old desires, wondering if they will ever fade away into history’s past.
For years, I struggled with an addictive sin. Although I knew the Lord and He was my Savior, I still struggled. Yes, the sin I once found pleasure in, became my worst enemy after I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. And while I came to detest my sin, I never understood how to experience the freedom I had in Christ.
Jesus Changes Us from the Inside Out
Today, I realize I am not the only believer who has had to struggle with an addictive sin. Many believers struggle, because they do not know how to be free.
Our freedom began when we received Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet, if we do not understand how He changed us, we will continue to believe our sin is normal and we will remain enslaved to our old evil desires.
The first thing Christ did was change us from the inside-out. He did this by giving us a new heart. He removed our old stony, rebellious heart and replaced it with a heart of flesh. What does this mean to us? A stony heart symbolizes rebelliousness toward God. A stony heart is like a wall. It will not allow God’s truth to penetrate it. Instead, it serves to protect itself from the truths found in God’s Word.
To change us from the inside out, God’s truth has to penetrate our hearts. It has to put to death our old desires and replace them with His. We can break stone, but we cannot mold it or mend it. Thus, God could not let us keep our old stony heart, because breaking and mending is how we grow in Christ. It is how we eventually experience the freedom we have in Him.
So, there is no way God could let our stony heart remain in us. Therefore, He performed radical heart surgery. He took our stony heart out and replaced it with a new heart. A heart He can mend, mold, break and repair. He gave us a heart that seeks after Him and His righteousness; a heart so soft, His truths will easily penetrate it, so we can one-day experience the freedom we already have in Him. For we know it is the truth that sets us free.
Next, He gave us a new Spirit. When we received Adam’s nature, by birth, we received a spirit that was blind to the things of God. It only knew the things of man. It could not understand spiritual things.
Our spirit man within us works like a radio tuner. God designed it so He could communicate with us. However, when Adam sinned, the tuner could no longer find the right channel. It could no longer receive God’s words.
On the other hand, once the new birth takes place in us, God restores our spirit man. It’s reborn, because the Holy Spirit indwells our spirit man. From there, He communicates what God would have us hear, through His Word and through our hearts.
So, as a new creation in Christ, I no longer felt compelled to chase the world. Instead, my new man, the person I am in Christ, sought freedom from the world’s shackles through Christ.
God placed a desire for liberty on my heart. He wanted me free, even if I did not know how to feel free. This was God’s work in me. Not mine. His work and He would complete it in me.
God Still Performs Miracles
Finally, after many years, a miracle took place in my heart. I remember it vividly. I wanted free. I wanted out of my sin. I cried out to the Lord. All I know is I went to bed one night wanting to end my life. I thought it was the only way I could experience freedom. And the next morning God changed my life. He renewed my mind and transformed my heart. For the first time in years, I had control of my mind. My mind, once under Satan’s constant attack, became free. I no longer had any desire for my sin. No more attacks. No more accusations. Until that morning, I never knew what freedom meant. And I rejoiced.
Many believers battle sin. The do not know how to rid themselves of it. Over the next few articles, I will continue to share my journey to freedom and the truths God showed me that changed my life forever. Hopefully, you can use these truths in your life or share them with someone who is struggling with sin.
If you would like to know more, you can download our “Crucified With Him” study. It’s free. This study includes our disciple training workbook and teacher’s manual. It’s simple to understand and easy to follow. Most of all, it has helped many find freedom in Christ. All you have to do is click on “Discipleship School,” located on our website: http://godfirerevival.org. After registering, you can log in and download the study.
Prayer: Father, I have been struggling with things in me I do not like. I pray you will open my eyes and let me see the liberty that is already in me, so I may experience the freedom I have n Christ.
Amen!