All Things New

 

The other day Daddy gave me his old dog tags... He had bought when he first got saved. I guess you could say when He first joined the Lord's Army.

I thought they were pretty Awesome..hehe

 

Branded a Christian...

 

One Way-Jesus...Real Peace Salvation...

 

My daddy, was an atheist...He was a long-haired, rock and roll, rebel with a bad temper. He had come from a drunks home, and He was a 18 year old, with plans to make money and live it up with cars, and nice houses. He didn't want God, He claimed He didn't believe there really was one...

 

I've talked about his testimony many times on this blog, But wearing the dog tags around my neck right now remind me truly of what God can do! Dating my Mama wayyyy back then, ☺ He went to a Presbyterian church revival, with a Baptist preacher preaching that night. The man preached on Heaven. My Daddy didn't go down that night, but left scared to death, if there was a Heaven..He wasn't going. After weeks of thinking, the Holy spirit convicting, and my daddy fighting what He knew he needed. He went to see a preacher, to get some answers. In the Preacher's living room, He got his answer, He heard the gospel..and Praise God! that night He received Christ as his Saviour, He was born again, He became a child of the King, and He became a New Creature!

 

God took that hatred away, God cleansed him of sin, He birth him into the family of God!

It really is a miracle, to see someone become new!!! It's unexplainable... As a new Christian Daddy ate up everything, He sat in the bible and book store for hours reading everything he could, He bought everything that made him stand out as a Christian, like the dog tags above. He began to grow..

 

The Gospel has the power to change lives, God's word says it, does it not?

 

If you are in Christ...You have a new man inside!

 

Old things are past away, Our desires, Our goals, Our hearts, lives, drive...everything is different now! If it's not...if there never was a change, or any desire, maybe we should check some things out.

 

The Bible says...

 

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

2Corinthins 13:2

 

If Christ is in you, the old man, the flesh is not your main channel.. I mean the Holy Spirit now lives within you, and you are not your own anymore! For example even if you weren't in drugs,alcohol, and what some may say as living in sin. But you were saved at young age, or you were "a good person", there's still a change, there is still an old man, and new one.. because you still are a sinner in need of grace. And when you receive that, and when you are truly in Christ, trusting in Him, you are a new creature..and you can have victory over your sin, over your flesh, because Christ has won the victory for you! You're desires turn from wanting to please self, to wanting to please God in Heaven, You take on a new identity, you are now a child of God so your whole life now has a new purpose..a God given purpose, to do His will and way.

 

But what happens to the old man, the flesh that you still fight...

We are all still growing, everyday God still shows me things in my life that I need to work on or surrender to Him. A lot of New Christians, make the mistake of thinking that either they have lost their salvation(which Can't happen, sorry but your relationship with Christ is secure forever, nothing you do, or anyone else can do will change what Christ has done for you... You are now in the Father's hand, and No man can pluck you out! "John 10:28" You can not forfeit, give up, or do something to loose what Christ has given you!) Or they give in to the world's pressure, thinking they can not live the Christian life, and tend to blend in, and lay stagnate in their old life or go back to it.

 

The old flesh is still there... and as an old Christian, or a brand spanking new one, we all have to fight the same thing. But you see as a Christian, something(the Holy Spirit) inside you makes you different, makes you want to grow, calls you to step one step at a time away from the world, and one step at a time closer to God. We have to be careful to heed the Holy Spirit's calling, and fight, avoid, run with all we can from the devil and the flesh's calling to go backwards, to do what feels good, to keep away from the things of the Lord.

 

The Devil can't take you to Hell now, but he will try to make your life miserable, and ruin what influence you have for Christ in this dark world..

 

So how do you Heed the Holy Spirit, And Grow closer to God?

• Get into God's Word!!! When I say God's word, I mean find you a King James Bible, no other translation will do. Many Christians will fight, argue, and slander over the KJB... And will try and convince you that any old version will do as long as God uses it for you. How confusing is that? Sitting in church everyone holding a different book, no one really knowing which one is right... No I'm not so stupid that I believe the KJB was handed down from Heaven in the English language. As some love to make us out to be. But I do believe it's God's word! Because for the English speaking people, it is translated, word for word, from the original text that were God's word. Those who translated the King James, were so careful to not make a mistake, they treated every letter every word so careful because it was Gods. Do you think these modern versions were thought out so carefully? Also, versions of the bible such as the ESV, the NIV, and other versions leave out so many verses, words, and whole passages that are extremely important. I could give you a long list of what you're missing if you'd like to know... Once you have God's word, get into it!! Don't neglect, or doubt it, through His word you can grow! Start simply with a chapter in Proverbs everyday, Began reading through John, James, Psalms. Or just at the Beginning... Find commentaries, devotionals, to help you really dive in deep, to help you really study verse to verse. He gave us everything He wants us to know right in His word, and trust me you never stop finding riches in His word.

 

• Get under a Man of God! You can't make it on your own, God has given us men called of Him to lead us, to preach to us, and to help us. We need preaching and teaching. The Bible says..How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! ...So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14&15&17 Faith comes from hearing the word of God, we need to hear the Man of God! The devil will try his very best to keep you away from preaching and teaching of God's word. He knows He can keep you down and discouraged as long as you are away from that. As a new or not so new Christian you will never not need to be fed by a Man of God. If you want to grow closer and closer to God, listen to His man, God will use him to show you things in your life that need to be brought to light. (Also ladies, find a Godly woman to learn from, the bible says in Titus 2, that younger woman are to learn from the older... we need to find a Godly woman to go to, to seek counsel and advice. Just have a willing and teachable spirit, and you'll be surprised what you'll learn)

 

• Stay in Church!!! Another thing the devil will try to keep you from... He hates any church that is teaching the Gospel, and God's word! He'll try his best to keep you at home, or distracted in any way to avoid church. He'll especially keep you away from a church that will make you different! There are so many churches today that are just like the world in every way, you don't have to learn anything, or change at all when you go there. Grace and glory are not seen in those churches if you ask me, because they look no different than a rock concert... I don't see Jesus, I don't see Christ being lifted up, I don't see lives cleaned and washed pure. I see a lot of smoke and lights. Nothing real, nothing lasting. But that's what the devil will try and get you to. Our churches are giving in to the devil, our preachers are leaving or changing to match those feel good, fleshy churches, but there are a few of the Grace-filled, all about Jesus, Gospel centered churches left. That have God's word, and actually preach from it(So you can learn what God wants for you), that Have modesty(so a guy can go to church without blinders on), they have love (they don't treat you like dirt when you walk in the door, because you may look different or smell different,) and they have purpose(they are busy trying to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!) Find a church like that, that doesn't compromise to suit every whim and thought, and will actually lead you closer to God..not just make you feel good where you're at..find one like that, and get in it, and stay in it! Be there every time you possibly can, be around other Christians, that are actually positive and will help you in your Christian walk. Go soul-winning, Go to youth rallies, Go to revivals, be there for Sunday School, be there Sunday night, Wednesday night. Be faithful, because the devil knows that if you stay out...He can more easily bring you back down to where he wants you.

 

• PRAY, PRAY, AND PRAY!! God's word says to ...Pray without ceasing!!.. How true that is, we must pray without stopping, because we are tempted without stopping. We are tempted to be down, we are tempted to say things we shouldn't, we are tempted to hate, we are tempted to lust, we are tempted to doubt.. so as a Christian, a Child of God, we have to call on our Father! We can't just go through a day, and then say a little 5 minute prayer before we go to sleep and then manage to have a super great relationship with our Heavenly Father. We have to talk to Him, He wants us to! Can you imagine our God, the God, the Almighty wants us to tell Him all about our troubles, all about our sadness, all about our joys, all about our every days!! Ahh it just gets me to think about it.... I was talking to one of my teen girls, about something little that had happened at home..she was kinda upset, and didn't know what to do, I told her to tell the Lord, just tell her Heavenly Father. She laughed and said she never thought about telling Jesus about something like that.. I mean He already knows, but He longs for us to tell Him. And how does any relationship grow without talking? It just doesn't! Talk to your Father!  

 

All things are New now, Old things are past away.... You are branded a Christian ☺ You are His!! Don't back-track and forget all He has done for you. Let's start, or keep growing in Christ!!