Do You Want to Feel New?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ NKJV)

Are you sick and tired of the "old" you? Are you wishing that this verse would miraculously change you into a new person? Are you struggling with how this verse works in your life, with your problems? Let's assume for a moment that you truly know Christ. But you are still stuck in your patterns of your old life. You are probably discouraged because you wonder why this did not work for you. 

The problem is not that this verse isn't true. This verse is truer than any other fact that exists. Just because you doubt it's truth does not change the fact that when you are in Christ you are a new creature. But you are not "moving" into the new house. If you built a new house, you get to move in and not live in the old house anymore. 

I'm sure you are thinking "I would never want to stay in my old, broken-down shack because I have a brand new house." What causes us to live in our "old" houses? 

Well, they are familiar to us. We know how everything works. We don't have to learn anything new. We don't have to change. It takes a lot of faith to believe that this new house will be a better place to live.

Ask yourself the big question...if I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, what is stopping me from moving in to my new living quarters? You have already been given the keys to the house. Our enemy is telling us that it is just easier to stay where we are. That way we don't have to do all the things that are associated with moving...sort through stuff, throw away things, actually take the steps to get familiar with our new surroundings. 

The old neighborhood is always going to look so enticing. That is our security. But the Bible addresses this so well,

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans12:2(NLT)

So if you keep walking around the old neighborhood, you won't look any different. But if you purpose that you will not be conformed to the world, God WILL transform you into a new creature...and you will like the new you! 

What is Your One Thing?

So the Lord is waiting to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is the God who does the right thing, so he will bless everyone who waits for his help. (Isaiah 30:18 ERV)

I think that every woman has this "one thing." It's the one thing that we tell God, "can you just answer this one big thing and I will be happy." We tell him that everybody else has this "one thing" so why can't I? We compare how other people's kids are doing. Are they happier, are they more well-behaved, are they performing better in school, are they running after the Lord? Maybe the "one thing" for some of us is that we have been unable to have kids. 

We compare how other women's husbands rate next to our husband. Are they sweeter, more romantic, stronger, better job, etc? We compare how other women look compared to us. Are they skinnier, better hair, more friends, etc? The "one thing" could certainly be a health issue that God is not intervening with and bringing complete healing.  

The list goes on and on. Then our prayer becomes "Can you fix this one thing, Lord, so I can feel blessed like they are? "

I am no different from any other women in this area. I have my "one thing." God is usually silent on the "one things" that are in my life. He does not explain his reasoning to me. If you asked my mom about this, she would say that I drove her crazy by saying, "Why can't I do this? You have to tell me a reason." She assured me that she did not owe me a reason:):):). 

However, I keep reading that God wants me to WAIT. I hate that word, don't you? So when I read this promise this morning, I realized that God is so wise. He wants me to trust him in his silence. He wants to do things on my inside and not my outside.  He says he will bless me if I WAIT. Because he will do the right thing. Yep, he will do a good thing. And he even helps me when I can't wait.

Romans 8:26-28The Message (MSG)

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

She is energetic and hard-working

Some women mistakenly think that being energetic or strong is a spiritual gift that only some wives possess. We make up excuses to ourselves about why we don't wake up early or why we don't exercise or why we are are too tired to make healthy meals for our family. We point our finger at others and say that if we were in their situation, we could be strong and energetic. 

However, it we are honest with ourselves we discover that this is within our reach. God doesn't put random things in his word to discourage us. He gives us the power to fulfill his word. He gives us the ability to be the kind of wives that our husbands will say,
“There are many good women, but you are the best.” (‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭29‬ ERV)

It's Okay to Be Totally, Incredibly, Overwhelmed Sometimes

“I wish my suffering could be weighed and all my trouble be put on the scales. They would be heavier than all the sand of the sea! That is why my words are so crazy. God All-Powerful has shot me with his arrows. My spirit feels their poison! God’s terrible weapons are lined up against me. (Job 6:2-4 ERV)

I have read through the entire Bible for about 40 years. The seasons of my life are marked by what book I am reading. When it is June 1, then that means I am starting the book of Job. Just like if it is October 1, I begin the New Testament...and in June, I am so excited because I read Psalm and Proverbs. Back to the topic...

Of all the verses, why in the world would I pick these for today? Because right after I read these, I always thank God that he allows us to read about a guy that was crushed...and he lets me hear that it is okay to whine and complain for 40 chapters of the Bible!

To be honest, this morning I do not feel crushed or broken like Job. But when life deals a really hard blow, I know that God does NOT expect me to walk around with a smile on my face and a cheery disposition, acting like nothing is wrong. When Job' s friend gave him wrong information about his suffering, it is okay that Job cried out to them and asked them to just be quiet:).

"I wish you would just be quiet. That would be the wisest thing you could do." (Job 13:5 ERV)

God does not expect us to walk around like robots, mimicking the perfect words to others, telling others that we are "fine." We can grieve. We can lay on the floor and cry. We can sob while we are talking to God and tell him how depressed and hopeless we feel. God does not love us any less and he is not disappointed in our lack of understanding of why we are going throughout this suffering. 

However, what Job did was to continue to cry out to the One who does have all the answers. He knew who holds eternity in His hands. And in the midst of his intense pain, he knew that this life on earth is temporary and that there is an eternity and he cries out...

"I know that there is someone to defend me and that he lives! And in the end, he will stand here on earth and defend me. After I leave my body and my skin has been destroyed, I know I will still see God. I will see him with my own eyes. I myself, not someone else, will see God. And I cannot tell you how excited that makes me feel! (Job 19:25-27 ERV)"