New!

New!

Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 TPT

There is something about the natural birth and the spiritual birth. Both are important; one cannot happen without the other, but it is important to sort out the one that is eternally relevant. All human beings, born of women, have experienced the natural birth; and all beings, born of women, are also invited to partake of the spiritual birth. The natural birth comes before the other, and has its rules, regulations and code of conduct. The spiritual birth then follows after, with its own regulations, rules and code of conduct also.

The invitation is to ALL men, no matter what the past or the present looks like. We are all invited to partake in the new life that God promises to ALL who come to Him and seek shelter IN Him. Check this out: enfolded INTO Christ. It is NOT about hearing, listening to or knowing about Him. These are all important, but the fundamental principle that must be in place is that I am IN Him. This is about location, essence, inspiration, guidance, and so on. Men are content 'doing' church; holding to a form of godliness, keeping to a particular set of activities and engagements. However, these have been proven not to be enough; Cornelius was a good man; had a good reputation among the people of his time, but something was still missing. Peter was sent by God to inform him of what was missing, and he, along with all his household, was saved. 

You don't get in by accident; it is the result of a conscious decision to submit to and accept the Lordship of Jesus over your life. You don't stumble your way into it, or 'robotic' your way around it; it is the combined result of your faith in Jesus, and your confession of Him as Lord, Saviour and Master. Jesus does not force Himself on any man; we come to Him by the exercise of our freewill, and we live and die by the decisions that will take. God has played His part by giving us His Son as the perfect sacrifice for the defects of the natural birth, so that by accepting the free gift, we can take hold of the benefits and blessings of the spiritual birth.

And there will be evidence of that new birth; it cannot be hidden or denied. That is why the words NEW is used. There has to be a major difference between the old and the new. Men may not see the difference, because sometimes you have been a good person doing good things, but the work is first an inner work before it becomes an outer witness. It is as if God builds a new man, which is actually what it is; God takes all the mess of my past and present, and fashions out something new, not out of the natural man, but from that which is of Him. His own nature is breathed into me, so that even though it is still me that you see, the work that has been done inside me will be made manifest.

So, when you take stock, can you see the evidence of that inner work done by God in and out of you? Note: the old order has to VANISH, not just be suppressed. It is not a negotiation with the old man; it is a total destruction of the connection with the old man. Whatever God commands, He gives grace to do. God's life in me has to birth something new. Nothing of the old man can birth the kind of life that God intends. It is not a negotiation between the old and the new; it is a complete break with the past and a new and fresh start. It is a life that is sustained by God to the end of time, and will lead to eternal life. So, do you have that kind of life that God promises? Is that the kind of life you have now? If it is, you will know; if it is not, you will also know. Don't let today end without being sure of where you are headed. His time of favour is here.