When you read the Bible you will notice the word “new” so many, many times, and like a diamond there are so many facets that reflect the wonder of this newness. A new day, a new thing, a new
morning, new wine, new songs and the list goes on because the Lord says I am making everything new! (Revelation 21:5)
What a promise!!! What a promise!!! And what an encouragement.
2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away,
behold, all things have become new.
Whenever I read this scripture, I am reminded of my friend Jean Guthrie, a beautiful evangelist, as she takes off her jacket throws it to one side and reminds us that no longer are we clothed in rags but instead we are radiantly attired in robes of white.
The divine swap.
The old for brand new.
And dressed in this beautiful white dress, pure without blemish, we set off on a brand-new journey, along a path we have never traveled before. A path not necessarily signposted all along the way but made safe by the promise of a guide, but not just any guide, the Holy Spirit, God Himself. Dressed in white, we travel along this path illuminated by the Word of God, listening to the small still, faithful voice directing us, warning us and encouraging us. Our Guide, the Holy Spirit has promised never to leave us nor forsake us but to give us wise council, strength, reveal all truth, comfort us, remind us, help us as we make our way along this unfolding path. I say unfolding because you cannot always see way ahead, sometimes only dimly but as you trust and lean not on your own understanding (cleverness) you can be sure that you are going the right way.
God is faithful as we trust Him, it says in Psalm 18:33, that He says He will even broaden our path that we do not turn our ankle. I write this to encourage you, to remind you and exhort you to keep your eyes fixed on Christ. The Holy Spirit will always magnify Jesus, point to Him and lead you in His ways. Ways that in the muddled and sometimes chaotic world in which we live may seem strange, even hard to follow, but don’t be afraid, the Holy Spirit will strengthen you and enable you to do whatever has to be done. Maybe you are shy and find it hard to speak when you feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Take the risk and speak, you will be amazed at how bold you can be when the Lord is with you. And it will encourage you for the future, you won’t be so shy next time.
Personally, I have known the Holy Spirit to physically stop me, it felt like two strong hands around my ankles as I went forward to do something that was foolish, I couldn't actually move forward. I wanted to receive a word of prophecy from someone else even though the Lord had already given me a clear plan. I did not need further confirmation but being human, second guessing myself, I wanted it. Only much later I heard that these two prophets had sadly gone off track and how the Lord had protected me by stopping me from receiving from them.
I have also heard His still quiet voice warn me and direct me when to go and when not to go. Telling me of things I would not have known but were so helpful in the situation. We all hear differently but He promises that we will hear His voice. If you are struggling to hear, don’t be afraid, ask the Lord to help you hear, ask Him to shout. As His precious daughter, He
wants you to hear. As it states in Romans 6:4, we were buried with Jesus at our baptism, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. I look at these scriptures to remind myself, and you, that this “walk” is not just an altered or modified old way but a totally new way. Not simply an experience similar to the past but a qualitatively different one.
Old wisdom doesn’t apply anymore. What we thought was impossible is now possible. Our walk isn’t just about going somewhere but about how we get there, how we behave, and even what we think. God understood cognitive behavioral therapy long, long before we did. He knew why we would need to change our way of thinking and embrace a Kingdom
mindset. A mindset that understood and believed with the mind of Christ. I hope I am making sense to you as you read this, I don’t think of a blog as a “teaching” but rather a “sharing.” As I grapple with this new way of life, and perhaps you grapple too, it brings such joy, such peace, such wonder and at the same time requires so much letting go, yielding, trusting and believing. My faith may be tested as there are times I go against my
will, but not against my conscience. The Holy Spirit knows just how to convict you of right and wrong.
What does all this "new" mean?
It is the wonderful supernatural work of God who through His son Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit is transforming us back to our original, sinless perfect state. That beautiful sinless man and woman who walked with God in the Garden of Eden. In Christ we are perfect and as it is written in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed (changed) into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we are continually transformed into the same image by the Spirit of the lord……we reflect what we behold.
A brand New Path of hidden treasures and adventures, a walk of holiness and separation, and One that guarantees a destination of everlasting life with our God. All made possible through Jesus Christ who gave His life for us that we may be made new and live a life in the newness and power of the Holy Spirit.
There is a tension, it is the Holy Spirit who works in us to transform us but we must yield and allow His molding and fashioning as we walk with Him, work with Him and live our lives in and through Him.
May God Bless you as you journey, may He increase your faith as you navigate this new path and discover the mysteries and the wonder of His Kingdom.