Colossians 3:10, New Living Translation

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

Accepting Christ as your Savior is a big deal. When we accept Christ as Savior, that doesn’t mean we continue to live in our old life. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This means we don’t have to live in our past. We do not have to let our past define who we are or where we are heading because it is part of our old life. We are to embrace our new life with Christ. When does this new life start? It starts from the moment you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9 (NLT) says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Do not let the enemy deceive you into thinking you should be living in your past. Scripture tells us that we are drawn to repentance by God’s love. Here is scripture from Psalm 103:8-13 (NLT) that shows God’s nature and character, His thoughts towards us, “The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”

God, the Father’s feelings towards us are of love and forgiveness, tenderness and compassion. Do not be afraid to take to Him what you need forgiveness for and then let it go. Embrace your new life and where God is taking you!

Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT) says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

This scripture speaks so much to my spirit! It reminds me of what Christ has done for me on the cross. His love for me was completed on the cross so that I could be redeemed and raised to new life with Him. This is not just for me, but for all believers! We are in right standing with our God and Father because of the sacrifice of our Savior and the finished work of the cross. I am raised to new life, as well as all believers in Christ.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:6 (NLT), “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” We are seated with Christ in heavenly places and united with Christ! How beautiful is this?!  

These are the kinds of things we need to keep in mind when our enemy, the Devil, comes prowling and seeking whom he can devour. We are to think of the things of heaven! Scripture tells us in Proverbs 11:27 (NLT), “If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!” Wow! How often do our minds go down a rabbit hole that leaves us feeling depressed or perhaps even throwing a pity party? I don’t speak this out of condemnation, but out of love and encouragement to think about the things of heaven! We are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we are redeemed, we are sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords! We are loved so deeply and bought at such a high price. There isn’t a single person on this earth that can love us in the fullness that our heavenly Father loves us. Think about these things and meditate on the word of God. It is alive and active. It will teach you wisdom and it will protect you. It will help you to guard your heart from the enemy.

Thank God we are hidden with Christ in God. What does this mean? When asking the Holy Spirit to lead me in truth, I felt He reminded me of this scripture: ““I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:1-4, NLT) This scripture tells me that being hidden with Christ in God means being one with Christ and Christ being one with us. When this takes place, the fruit produced in our lives is the evidence to the world of Who we belong to, and we therefore share in his glory.

Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:10 and 14 (NLT) to “And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” A little further down Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,” and to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” These words we are reading in the scriptures can also be found in the nature and character of our Savior. When we spend time with Him, these traits become evident towards us and evident in us as we become more like Him, taking on His nature. The old dies, and the new comes.

We serve a wonderful Savior that does not leave us where we are, but meets us where we are. If we keep our hearts open to Him and continue to pursue Him, transformation will continue to take place. We will be able to stand and resist the enemy when he comes, not in our own strength, but by the power of Jesus Christ that lives in us! Remember, we are to be one with Christ and He is one with us. This transformation is something that will continue to take place until we take our final breath on earth. Every day, we are becoming more and more like Christ. Don’t get discouraged if there is not a dramatic change overnight. We have had years on this earth of experience that has shaped us. In Jesus' perfect timing, we will be complete. Scripture tells us, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6, NLT) As it says in Genesis, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31, NLT)