Skip to main content

Newsletter of Hope - Identity in Christ Jesus


 Identity in Christ Jesus


Over this last month or so the Lord has been opening up my understanding of who I am in Him.  


For a long time my identity has been in my past, has been how other people treated me, how I have seen myself.  The abuse that I went through as a child had been my identity, the rejection I had felt had been my identity, the failures in life had been my identity, fear had been my identity, peoples opinions of me had been my identity.


It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.


I know this scripture and have quoted it many times, but I am just getting that understanding of what it really means.  


I don’t have to associate myself with my old self, the one born with a sinful nature, before I knew Christ Jesus.  I don’t have to believe those thoughts that are old, from the old me, or from the devil who likes to remind me of my former self.


It says in 

Ephesians 4:22  to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt throughout deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.


There is freedom in this. To forget what is in my past, the old me, the old me that was abused, crushed and broken.  But now to move forward, as a child of God, loved, accepted, made on purpose, with a purpose.


Philippians 3:13-14  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.


Colossians 3:1-3 

If then you have been raised with Christ, see the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.


We all have a story of things that have happened to us, some worse than others.  I want to tell you that you can have freedom.  Freedom from those hurts, freedom. 


If you have made Jesus your Lord and Saviour, born again, then you can put off your old self and put on the new, in Christ Jesus.  For whoever the Lord sets free is free indeed.


This has been a big revelation to me.  I am keen to learn more about me in Christ Jesus.  Who I am, His plan for me.  I am keen to learn more about Jesus, who He is. The old has passed away and the new has come.


I want to encourage you, don't give up.  Forgive those who have hurt you, just as God forgave you through Christ Jesus, put off the things of the past, the old you, put on the new you, renew your mind in the Word of God, and see a change, see a new you in Christ Jesus, hidden in Him.


Ephesians 5:1  Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.


Many blessings,

Denise


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newsletter of Hope - Run to Jesus

Run to Jesus I have been looking at two plants in my garden.  One I just planted has multiplied, increased and is flourishing.  Another plant that I have is not doing so well, the leaves of that plant have been eaten and destroyed by bugs, all that is left are the stems, it is barren and struggling to stay alive. The plant that is flourishing is getting what it needs to live and multiply, what it carries and what is within it resists the bugs.  This plant also can feed livestock, it also has qualities to help with healing of our bodies and has many other uses.  This plant reseeds itself and it creates new plants every year. It also has good deep roots established and not easily removed.  You can take flowers or leaves off this plant and it still stands strong and continues to grow. When we are in a relationship with Jesus, reading His Word, knowing our authority, knowing who we are in Christ, our identity, then we are like the plant that is flourishing.  We...
1 comment
Read more

Newsletter of Hope - Staying Focused

  STAYING FOCUSED  I was away 6 days just recently in Scotland.  We went over to attend a Seminar.  When we arrived we decided to walk to the building that the meetings would be held in to give us a guide to how long it would take us to walk in the mornings to arrive on time and also to check out the area and buy some food for meals for our stay at the apartment that we were staying in. The walk involved walking through a forest park that was close to were we were staying. It was a beautiful place.  On the way a beautiful dog came our way off the lead, my attention went to this dog and how lovely its eyes were.  The next thing I know I am on the ground.  I had went down a hole in the ground and went over on my ankle.  My knee on the left was bleeding and bruised and my right foot ankle was sore.   My initial THOUGHTS were ‘Oh no, I’m going to have to go to the hospital and get this checked out, I saw me walking with crutches etc and the da...
Post a Comment
Read more

Newsletter of Hope - Obedience - what does that look like?

  Obedience - what does that look like? Obedience means - compliance with a command.  Obedience may be voluntary or involuntary.  Voluntary obedience alone can be acceptable to God. Abstaining from what is prohibited.  These are a few things that I came across when looking up what Obedience means. Over this last while Holy Spirit has been working with me on my obedience to Him. Obeying His promptings as He shows me and not putting other things first.   When I was out posting the last Newsletter through the doors of my street, I looked down an alleyway and saw a person sitting on the ground.  Instantly, I thought to go and chat to this person to see if they were okay.  Instead of doing that I finished posting the last 3 Newsletters through the doors as that was the last three houses I had to do to finish the job.  When I walked back to the lane that person was gone.  This really caused me to see that I put finishing that job first before b...
Post a Comment
Read more