Journal Entry ~ 08/23/17

If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation; old things are passing away; all things are becoming new.  2 Corinthians 5:17

So, what does it mean to be a new creation in Christ?  When you surrendered your life and accepted Christ as your Savior, when you believed He died for you and embraced Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you were transformed and given a new life in Christ.  It was in that moment that you changed.  The “old things are passing away,” meaning the way you used to think and act, the passion you once pursued, the things that used to motivate your behavior, those things are falling away and being replaced by new thoughts and desires.  It should be noticeable by those in your life that you have different priorities and values, that different things interest and motivate your behavior, and that you are increasingly growing in the fruits of the Spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Sometimes this transformation happens quickly, and fairly easily. God reveals to you a stronghold or sin in your life and the Spirit immediately convicts you to change your thinking or your actions. Because you are made new, you see things from a different perspective, your priorities change, and your desire to glorify God triumphs over the sin and you change. But sometimes, it's not that easy.  Sometimes, our strongholds are deeply rooted through generational or experiential sin from living in a broken world, and they don't pass away as easily. Often, we don't even see them or understand them, it's just the way we operate. God wants to transform these strongholds as well, He wants every part of our heart to be made new, but He first has to reveal to us the extent of our stronghold, and that can often only be done under the pressure of a deep trial. We see things differently when we're in a trial, there is thinking that bubbles to the surface under pressure that simply doesn't come up under normal circumstances.

A cancer diagnosis changes your perspective and your thinking. My mind and my prayers have gone places they simply would not have gone without this being my reality. Sin and strongholds have been revealed to me at an alarming rate in the past week - some of my sin issues are suddenly so easy to let go of because I have been given a different perspective on life, and some are hanging on, but I see them now in a way that I have never seen or understood before, and I'm working on them with Him. He wants to transform every part of us, and He's not going to stop because it's hard. He loves us too much to let it go. I'm so thankful that I love a God who is willing to take me to places I never would have gone on my own so that all of me will be made new.  

Press on ~ you are loved💗