You believe in Jesus and welcomed Him as your Savior. But, how did Jesus change you?
How do you know you’ve been made new?
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17
You met Jesus in a way that’s uniquely yours. Whether you accepted Him years ago or just a few seconds ago, you’ve been made new.
But what changed? You don’t feel or look very different.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It doesn’t mean your doubtful, you just want to understand your purpose, right?
So, what does it mean to be a new creation?
Well, let’s go right to the source … God’s word. A few points of focus may help you understand the essential details surrounding the moment you spoke with your heart and accepted Jesus.
1. Reconciliation
There is no way we could be connected with God unless He chose to reconcile us to Himself.
God created this world perfectly. When sin had overtaken His creation, He chose to bring His children back to Himself through Jesus Christ.
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.
Reconciliation is not to reject us for our mistakes, but to love us and give us a chance for redemption through Him. Without God choosing to bring us back to Him, we wouldn’t have the chance at eternal life through Jesus.
In the same way God graciously gave us Jesus, we give the message of Jesus to one another.
Through our character of joy, love, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, all of these are the fruits that show God’s Spirit of reconciliation.
Kindness toward someone tells them they aren’t rejected but accepted. Especially if that person is someone who’s difficult. I know there’s one person that just popped into your mind … that’s the person He may be calling you to reach.
Without Jesus, it’s just too hard for us. We have gifts that He amplifies, but He is the One that works in us to reach people in ways we can’t.
2. Change
You may have known about Jesus for a long time. Maybe you struggled with really believing He was the Son of God.
But, the moment you said you accept Him as your Savior, you admitted something to yourself and to God.
You confessed with your heart that you are not perfect and make mistakes, but you aren’t justifying them with excuses.
You recognized you have sinned against God. You realized that your forgiveness is possible through Jesus Christ, His Son.
It’s different saying it with your heart, because you can easily go through the motions without having the Holy Spirit in your life otherwise.
For example, confession, going to church, even doing charity … you can do all of that without truly knowing Jesus.
Confessing with your heart is the circumcision Paul talks about in Romans 2. Physical circumcision was an outward expression of devotion to God. But saying it with your heart is a deeper bond with God.
Jesus changes your heart.
What’s in your heart is secret. But, God knows the deepest parts of you.
And that’s what He’s interested in seeing changed.
As a nurse, I can tell you that when a patient is sick, we always treat the symptoms but look for the underlying cause.
Such as, someone may be coughing or feverish, but fixing the root of the problem is what will ultimately make her better.
Changes need to come from the inside out. This is true for your body and your spirit.
Jesus said “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” Luke 5:31-32.
Once you accept Jesus, He lives within you. You have His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide you with your everyday decisions.
You’re a new person, a changed person.
As a result, once you confess with your heart, you start sharing it with the world through the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says you can’t put new wine into old wineskins or they will burst and be spilled. Well, you can’t be the same person you were once you accept Jesus as your Savior. It’s like putting old wine into new wineskin …
You are different.
3. Purpose
When you are a new creation in Jesus, your heart is His tablet, where the gospel message of Jesus Christ is written.
His church is not a building. It’s His people who believe and accept Him. Your body is your temple of worship.
The words written in your heart are from the Holy Spirit of God.
Your greatest witness for Jesus is the fruit you give to other people.
Kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, longsuffering, joy, peace, goodness, self-control, and love are the fruits that show Him you are His disciple.
You can’t sway people into thinking like you. God has a special relationship with every one of His children.
Just like someone couldn’t sway you into truly accepting Jesus with your heart, you can’t do it either.
But, once He lives within you, He will start molding you to do His work.
He is the Potter and you are the clay.
The moment you believe in Jesus the closer you are to being centered on the wheel. He starts working in you to mold you in the wonderful purpose He has for your life in Christ.
He pulls you toward differeing things. He calls you to reach people.
You are His vessel to help as many people as He can.
You’re not conformed to the world anymore, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.
You are free, and know the truth.
Jesus believes in you.
Do not believe the lie that you can’t do what God calls you to do.
In Christ, you can.
God bless you!
Please share in the comments one way Jesus has changed your heart.
He is the Son of God, who came to earth as a sinless sacrifice. He took away the sin of the world by laying down his life for everyone. He was crucified, died, and was resurrected on the third day. Through Him, we have salvation and everlasting life.
Do you remember the first time you heard the good news of Jesus Christ?
Who is the one who told you about Him?
Maybe your first time hearing it is one minute ago when you read the first paragraph of this post.
Or, perhaps it’s been years, and you can barely recall. Either way, I’m so grateful to God that your heart is open.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be savedJohn 3:16-17
Those verses are so powerful that just reading them makes me get chills. When I get chills, I feel the Holy Spirit working in my heart … and I immediately start crying.
Not just a delicate tear trickling down my face, but a full-on messy, sobbing kinda cry.
Then it’s followed by laughter because God is probably like, Oh geez, here she goes!
My seven-year-old son hears me and says, “Mama, are you crying again? It’s ok, mama,” as he gives me a big hug. Of course, then we laugh together.
God bless his heart.
John 3:16 is probably one of the most quoted verses in all of the scripture. Jesus Himself tells us the good news in this verse.
Maybe you don’t remember all the details of when you first heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, but there’s a time in your life when it just stuck with you.
For some reason, you were impacted by it.
The words cut through to your heart and sparked something different inside of you.
You heard stories from the Bible quoted before, but it’s like you were really listening for the first time in your life.
Something spoke to your heart.
Right then and there, you were a different person.
You were finally made aware of a secret you unknowingly searched for your entire life.
Excitement, fear, grief, sadness fought for you right at that moment.
You couldn’t explain what happened to you, but something transformed, and you would never be the same.
No matter where you are in your faith journey with Jesus, you are forever changed once you have the gospel. Even when you try to escape it.
There was a darkness inside you at one point that was suddenly brightened.
You have a light that will always shine.
Knowing the gospel is a gift. Living the gospel is how you share your gift with those who need it, just like the person who shared it with you.
Whatever your darkness looked like, the world loved it.
The world wanted that darkness to last for as long as possible.
It still wants your darkness, that’s why sometimes you feel confused, or like you’re the rope in a tug of war.
Darkness hates the light because the light conquers it.
Once you know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, He comes into your life, and His light is yours.
The truth will never depart from you. It’s inside you, even when you think you’re too broken to be blessed by it anymore. Jesus dwells with you from the moment you accept Him as your personal Savior.
Jesus’s light shines through you…
There is no hiding the truth. When you reveal the truth of Jesus Christ, it’s like putting a flame to a candle in a dark room. It brightens everything in the room, including the one lighting the candle.
Things are visible that once weren’t.
You know the truth about Jesus Christ.
During this holiday season, remember the truth that was shared with you.
Be the light of the world, just like Jesus says you are.
Your light brightens in ways you don’t expect. Kindness toward a stranger … forgiveness toward an enemy … trusting the Lord during a difficult time … these are the ways to share the light that Jesus put inside you.
You have the most incredible gift right inside of you to share with the world.
Your light can change the life of someone you love, or even someone you’ve never met.
You don’t have to check all the boxes you think to be a “good Christian.” You know Jesus, and He lives in you.
He chose you because of who you are, not because of what you do.
Step aside and let Him shine.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?Run in such a way that you may obtain it
What is something you crave and can’t live without?
A need that you have to fulfill. You’re active in searching for it. It gives you chills because your heart is full. The only thing you fear is being without it because it defines your purpose. It makes you feel like a better person.
You were created to have needs that supply you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Humans crave connection. Desire leads to a passion that you must satisfy. Passion drives you to connect with something in a powerful way. It’s an insatiable devotion; you can’t get enough of it.
So, what are you passionate about?
In my own reflection on passion and purpose, I remember a part of the movie Sister Act 2. Have you seen it? Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) was talking to the young girl who wanted to sing but was too afraid because her mother wouldn’t let her.
“If you wake up in the morning and you can’t think of anything but singing first, you’re supposed to be a singer girl.”
So, what is that thing you wake up and think about first?
Recognizing what you are passionate about in your life can help you become very self-aware. It’s hard to stay focused in a world full of distraction. But passion drives your motivation.
As a child, you had an endless supply of free-spirited optimism, but situations in your life caused that to dry up.
I believe that’s why Jesus said to be as little children (Matt 18:3, NKJV). Children aren’t inhibited by the world like you and me. They haven’t learned to distrust people because of hurt and rejection. Their hearts are warm and open, ready to accept God whenever He chooses to reach them.
Their innocence isn’t just because of lack of experience, but because their heart is humble.
God rewards humility
While teaching his disciples, Jesus called over a child to sit with them and said, “whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matt 18:4-5, NKJV).
We’ll get back to humility, but first let’s think about your desires.
What is the one thing that excites you the most?
Be honest. If you can’t be honest with yourself and with God, who will you be able to trust?
It’s ok. You’re not alone in desiring things that may not be the best for you. Maybe you’re hitting a wall and can’t think of anything, and that’s ok too. The purpose of taking a minute to think about your true desires is to reflect on what you are really chasing.
Getting to the root will help you get raw.
Raw is good, but doesn’t always feel like it. Tearing away the layers you’ve built to make you acceptable in the world takes time. Maybe you don’t even realize you’ve created them, which takes even longer to break them down.
Think of a beating heart: Lub dub, lub dub … and so on. At it’s most raw form, the heart beats freely and vigorously.
Nothing inhibits it, it just pumps.
With each pump, it sends life to every cell in the body. That’s what it was created to do … beat.
Over time, something goes wrong. Layers of thick muscle build up around the heart.
The heart keeps beating.
But the layers get thicker and thicker. Eventually, the layers are so thick, the heart can’t beat.
It can’t move like it was designed. Eventually, the blood carrying life to the cells is limited. The heart can’t survive in this condition, and neither can the body.
Peeling the layers helps us to get humble.
There is a purpose that was put inside of us, not by the world, but by our Father and Creator.
Being humble isn’t something we are naturally good at. We want reward for our good work. But the lowly in heart perform for no reward.
Working hard to get rewards is the human way, right?
Our reward for work is getting paid, which is one of the most basic principles we learn as an adult.
Working is one thing, but success is another. You want to be successful, but it’s essential to understand what success means to you … and to God.
Working hard at your job so you can have a nice retirement to enjoy might be your definition of success. If you’re a motivated individual who has many gifts in your work, that’s wonderful.
But what is God pulling you to do?
God cares about your heart, no matter what your bank account says. He’s not concerned with how much you know, or do in the world. He wants your heart to seek after Him and His Son.
Having humility is the key
When you humble yourself before God, something changes.
You view yourself as someone who needs Him. Crying out to Him displays your acceptance of your limitations. It also shows your faith.
Getting on your knees and saying that you need His help is an extremely spiritual experience.
This world will deceive you in thinking you can have all the answers.
Not enough money? No problem, you get a second job or invest.
Need a bigger house? Get a huge loan and pay it back later.
Feeling down in the dumps? Not an issue … take a few pills, and you’re fixed.
The more you look to the world and find answers yourself, the more you believe you can.
You were created by God with a purpose, just like a heart is meant to beat.
He loves you and gave His only Son so you could be reconciled back to Him.
Your body is a temple to Him. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit meets you right in your heart.
If you don’t receive Him, your heart has a void that yearns to be filled.
You’ll search the world to try and fill it, but there’s no replacement for Jesus Christ.
You may not realize it in your everyday motions. That is why humility is necessary. You have to be willing to take a step back and look at yourself with a humble heart. The more you peel the layers, the more you see the purpose.
God wants you to come back to Him. He wants to walk with you in your life, or carry you if you need it.
He is the only One who can truly help you.
If you’re wondering how to do that, start with your desires.
What is the job you would do even if you didn’t get paid?
Feeling broken makes you uncomfortably vulnerable. But it could transform your entire life. As difficult as it is to accept, you are blessed in the brokenness you feel.
Is there something in your life that you can’t seem to get past?
It’s a thorn in your side that continually prods you. Maybe you’re mourning the death of someone you love, which paralyzes your heart from moving forward. Perhaps your struggle is internal, and you continually become your own worst enemy.
You go through a barrage of coping from anger to anguish. You are set on autopilot and pace through your everyday duties, but your heart is hollow. Your passion is gone, and you don’t know your purpose. You believe in God, but question His belief in you. You can’t feel His strength. Faith becomes hidden behind your fear that it will never change.
In life, something will always break you. That something will not honor your timing but operate on its own. The hardest part about your brokenness is accepting it as an opportunity, and trusting God through it.
Do you feel most in need of God when things are going right … or wrong?
If you’re like me, you are on your face praying when things have gone so wrong all you can do is weep. I thank God every day for His blessings in my life. There was a time when I wasn’t so sure of God. I didn’t feel worthy of Jesus because of my terrible mistakes. But, I remember the moments I’ve been crushed even more because they sparked a change that may have never occurred otherwise.
Get alone with Him
Even if you question God’s motives, and are so mad at Him it’s hard to breathe, tell Him. Get alone with Him. When it’s just you and Him, there’s no hiding, no running, no lying … just facing Him and the truth. Confront the raw truth of how you feel about your life. At that moment, you are humbled in a way you don’t expect. Your faith emerges behind the fear you’ve been living with, by merely asking Him why. God knows when you exercise your faith, and most of the time it’s not Him that needs to see it, it’s yourself.
I came across a passage when listening to a Bible study and couldn’t pass it up. God has that exciting way of taking you somewhere you didn’t expect, but needed to experience. The journey led me to a woman in the bible named Hannah. You may know the story but I didn’t, and I want to share it with you. It’s in 1 Samuel chapter 1, NKJV.
The Shattered Woman
Hannah was the wife of a man named Elkanah. He had another wife named Peninnah as well. (I don’t really know how to pronounce them either, so no worries). Peninnah had children with Elkanah, but Hannah couldn’t have children. Every year Elkanah made an offering to the Lord according to the Jewish faith. This offering involved animal sacrifice. When he would give portions of his offering for his family, he would always double Hannah’s amount. He was madly in love with her.
Being that Penninah was also Elkanah’s wife, she was in constant competition with Hannah. Not only did she share in the life of her husband, but she was also able to give him children. Peninnah provoked Hannah, trying to hurt her emotionally 1 Sam 1:6, NKJV. She was a constant threat to her, harassing her year after year. Peninnah was most likely jealous of Hannah because of the love Elkanah had for her. His offering for Hannah was always more than for Penninah. He loved her and blessed her, even in her brokenness.
Hannah felt hopeless
Year after year, she endured the aggravation from Peninnah. The rivalry between them really affected her. Despite her situation, Elkanah loved her, and it didn’t matter to him that she couldn’t have children. But it mattered to Hannah. She wouldn’t eat, but only wept 1 Sam 1:7. Hannah became bitter out of the overwhelming grief she experienced.
Have you ever felt that way?
Tightness in your chest, clenching your jaw, and putting on a fake smile. You feel forced to isolate and unable to move past the negativity. You don’t trust anyone. You’ve been so involved in the cycle of your own despair that you can’t see the way out. Frustration soon turns to apathy.
Bitterness is like a chisel to your spirit. It slowly breaks away the love in your heart until there’s nothing left. Your spirit becomes broken. It’s in desperate need of repair, but there is only One who can truly make you like new.
Hannah’s brokenness brought her to the point of no return.
She finally had enough. She decided to go to the altar during the yearly sacrifice and cry out to God. While there, she wept profusely to Him. She spoke to Him with her heart, not her voice. She prayed so hard the priest Eli thought she was drunk! Her lips moved but no words came out.
“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” 1 Sam 1:11. Hannah called to her Lord. She was pleading with Him to hear her and not forget her. Desperation turned to devotion to God.
She let it go
Hannah “poured out her soul” to Him 1 Sam 1:15. Once she placed all her grief on the Lord, she left it behind. She left her grief at that altar. Her faith in God overpowered any doubt from the life she was in the habit of living. Her spirit connected with Him through her suffering. She surrendered her sorrow to Him and never looked back. She finally ate again and felt restored! Many were blessed from her brokenness.
What changed in Hannah?
Her faith overpowered her fear
God honored her faith. She conceived a son and named him Samuel. When he was weaned from her but still a young boy, she fulfilled her promise to God. Hannah wanted him to live a life with God. She hoped for him to be blessed and covered by God’s grace. They traveled to the altar where she made the promise to God. After all her despair, she still followed through on her promise to devote Samuel to a life with God.
God kept His promise, and so did she
“As long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord” 1 Sam 1:28 Hannah promised. The faith in her heart prevailed over the misery of her situation. God blessed her, and she praised Him by offering Samuel to Him.
God protected Samuel, and he continued to live a holy life as one of God’s chosen. He ministered and judged all of Israel with righteousness. God blessed Hannah and Samuel very much. It all started with Hannah deciding to take up her cross, step out in faith, and give her sorrow to God. She was given a great blessing, but she may not have seen it without her brokenness.
In this world, we always have a choice. We live with the result of our choices, whether they are good or bad. Sometimes you have sorrows that push your faith into a dark place in your heart. You get used to it being there and start trusting things in the world. You may not notice your faith sinking deeper, especially if you aren’t turning to God with your needs. But without a relationship with Him, you become lukewarm in your faith.
Lukewarm is a dangerous territory
When you’re lukewarm, you’re not invigorated by God. You’re not broken by the world, you’re right in the middle. You go through the motions, but you’re neither cold or hot. You may go to church, but just because it’s part of your routine. There’s no craving for God. You keep trying to handle your life on your own without Him. “So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” Rev 3:16 .
God wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit and make an effort for Him. When you feel you don’t need Him, you are on the road to destruction. The worst part is, you may not even notice. This happens more with people who are doing well in their life, believe it or not.
You are blessed in your brokenness
When you come to the point of sheer exhaustion from doing things your own way, your eyes start to see the truth. You face a choice between yourself and God. On your knees, blinded by your own tears, you face a moment of transformation. You are completely vulnerable, which breaks even the most prideful heart. That moment is when you have the opportunity to let God help you. You are not lukewarm, but instead burning with desire for Him because you realize you can’t do it on your own.
He will make a purpose where you didn’t know one existed
Hannah was barren, and she longed for a son. If she wasn’t utterly crushed in her spirit, she might not have prayed so hard to God. Her overwhelming desire for Him shattered her grief. She chose to give it to God instead of carrying her burden any longer. When God answered her prayer and gave her a son, it demonstrated the purpose of her anguish.
Let it go
I hope you feel encouraged to choose as Hannah did. Whatever is breaking your spirit right now, you do not have to handle it alone. Jesus is standing at your door and knocking. You can give it to Him. Let it go. He has a great purpose for your life. In every moment, both joy and despair, there is a purpose. Trials produce patience and help you grow in your spirit. The more you rely on Him, the more you will trust. You won’t go wrong in your faith when you take a chance on Him. You’re blessed in your brokenness because it brings you to a point of surrender. Call on God
What holds you back?
It’s hard to trust, especially when you’ve been burned. You’ve been hurt and you don’t trust anyone. Especially when you take a chance on someone only to find they’ve hurt you just like the others. God isn’t like that. He already chose you because He loves you. His intent is to help you, not hurt you. You can be confident He hears you when you call out to Him.
Here are a few reasons to help you confide in God:
1. Trusting Him is different
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” Psalms 118:8, God says to trust in Him. He isn’t like the people who’ve hurt you. He loves you and already accepted you through His Son Jesus. You only need to believe.
2. He hears you
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles” Psalms 34:17,. You know that He is listening to your cry. When you are alone in your room and reaching out for Him, He hears you. If you don’t get the answer you expect, that doesn’t mean He isn’t listening. We are slaves of instant gratification. We always want things right now. God doesn’t work according to our will, we work according to His, in His time. He hears you, so keep reaching out in faith. He will help you.
3. You can ask Him for help
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14. When you are in a broken state it’s cathartic to let it out. Cry, yell, scream … do whatever you have to do to let it go and give it to God. He hears you and wants to help you. Ask Him for what you need. Maybe you don’t know what you truly need, and that’s ok. Ask Him to help you follow His will and submit. You may be surprised at what happens.
4. He will get you through it
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” Psalms 34:4, NKJV. Faith is not just believing He hears you, but that He can do something about your situation. The more you grow in your faith by trusting Him each day, you will start to see with your heart. You will notice how He helps you in ways that prove only possible by God. Putting your faith in Him frees you of the burden of fear. The fear of rejection, failure, and pain no longer hovers over you because in Jesus you are completely accepted and loved.
Being afraid of things you can’t control in the world don’t plague you once you give it to Him. Truly letting go and watching Him work is a glorious experience. You heal in ways you don’t expect. He knows your heart because you are His child. You will never go wrong turning to God for help.
I hope you trust in God in whatever is troubling you. I pray you hear His voice and find peace. You can be confident in Him. He loves you and accepts you for who you are through His Son Jesus Christ.
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