What IF I had the power to be free from anger? Nailed it. What IF I could be free from sexual addiction? Nailed it. What IF I wasn’t responsible for my daughter achieving her dreams? Nailed it. What IF I didn’t have to say yes when I really mean no? Nailed it. What IF I was unstuck? Nailed it.
I don’t have adequate words for the power of this truth. You see friend we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, “old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) This is not a pleasant metaphor or a sweet fairy tale. This is true. So how is it that my destructive, gossip filled mouth has suddenly become new? Great question, lets consult God:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)
We are alive, literally, in Christ. The “old” you has been crucified when you accepted Christ. Therefore Becca (that is me) is nailed to the cross and Jesus (that is Christ) lives in me. Wait, what!? Becca’s dead? Yes, she is. Can I get an ‘amen’ because she was pretty foul!
When you belong to the King, you no longer live for yourself. Your desires, your wants, your needs, your hopes, your habits no longer reign. He does. Beloved, you hold the hammer. Crucify those stinky IFs. Nail them to the cross. Hold a ceremonial funeral every morning if you must to remember not to pick up the dead woman/man and carry her/him around with you. You’re not that person anymore. You don’t respond the same, you don’t think the same and you are no longer of this world. You’re transformed from the inside out.
I’d like to note that this truth is not dependent on your emotions. I hear so many people that say, “I don’t feel any different.” This statement reveals a very toxic hidden IF that many Christians whisper to themselves. It goes something like this, “well if I didn’t have some mountain top emotional conversion then maybe it didn’t really work for me. Maybe I’m not really saved,” Here’s the big lie, emotion=truth. WRONG! Here’s the big truth, choose Jesus=salvation. You don’t have to have a warm fuzzy feeling to make a choice. This doesn’t mean that warm fuzzy feelings are bad, but they do not define our relationship to God. Check out Romans 6: 1-6 and comment on what God is showing you!
