Empowered

The concept of being a new creation sounds great, but in reality, it can be such a painful process. Stepping into your identity is a lifelong process, and it is one of the most important journeys of your life. There is no magic prayer that I can tell you that will make this happen. Walking as a new creation is about walking hand in hand with God which is completely personal to your relationship with God. Being a new creation is all about leaving the old behind and stepping into the truth God says. However, accepting the truth is easier said than done. The truth doesn’t change based on our reaction to it. The truth is in accordance to reality, not our emotions.

The truth is we are born into a fallen world, and our entire lives are about stepping into the identity Jesus died for us to have. Jesus did not die on the cross so we would play small. It’s like when you were born, there’s this veil clouding your vision from seeing the fullness you were created to live in. So, you take up as little room as possible for fear that you may cross into something you weren’t meant for. I have a newsflash for you: Jesus didn’t die for you to be small. Jesus died, so you would be transformed. In fact, Jesus, along with all of creation, is waiting in eager anticipation for you to be who you were created to be (Romans 8:19). The world is waiting for you to be you.

 There is this concept in psychology called the illusory truth effect which is the tendency to believe information as truth after repeated exposure. This can be about good or bad things. If we are exposed to lies, then we will believe the lies are actually true. That falsified reality will make it harder to believe God when he tells us what is true. If you have believed a lie for a long time such as you’re only good because of what you can do, you’re only valuable if you’re in a relationship, you can only come to God if you aren’t messy, etc., it will feel more uncomfortable to believe the truth. Just because it is more uncomfortable to believe the truth doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it to fight to believe the truth. Jesus told his disciples that the truth would set them free, that still stands today. The truth will release you from the prison the lies so desperately wanted you to believe was real. The truth is your primary identity is that of a child and friend of God. Your identity is sealed, and there is nothing anyone can do to take it away from you. Just think about this: every single thought God has about you is a good thought. That truth can be something you stand on, even if you don’t feel it yet.

 Walking in confidence as a new creation starts with realizing that you are enough as you are. Being you is easy to talk about and hard to live out in a culture that is as image conscious as America. We are so quick to be something else and be identified by something or someone else that we don’t even consider the possibility that the best possible thing we have to offer the world is ourselves. The world actually needs you to be fully who you are, because you are the only one that can speak about the part of God you have inside of yourself. You were made to make manifest the glory of God.
 
Believing truth is another aspect of growing in your confidence in being a child and friend of God. I am the biggest champion for declaring Scripture over yourself. I believe one of the best ways to know what God’s voice sounds like for you personally is to read what he has said in the past. God will not contradict himself. If you know what he has said in the past, you know what he is likely to say now. Another good way to tell if something is the truth is by the simple question: does it bring life? Scripture talks about the inheritance that you get to walk into by just being a child of God. You can’t take away something that you didn’t give to yourself in the first place. God declared you righteous and worthy of his blessing, and you are in no position to talk God out of his blessing.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So, we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” – Ephesians 1:4-6

This scripture is one of my favorites. I love that it shows God’s heart. It talks about how God took pleasure in creating you and that he chose you to be holy. The God of the entire cosmos chose you. He saw your mess, and he chose you anyway. Who are you to tell God differently? You should both walk in humility and with confidence when you hear that. You can’t change God’s mind about you, because you aren’t the one that convinced him you were worthy in the first place. God’s love said you were worth it. Your confidence steams from an almighty God giving you authority you could not otherwise get. God adopted you into his heavenly family, and now, you have the right to everything Jesus had. You are empowered to live by the power of the Spirit inside of you.

Author | Cristina Rosiles