A New Life

(The Kimberly Joy Show: God Says, “You Are FREE!!!” Part 4)

HOW CAN YOU HAVE A NEW LIFE IN GOD?
God wants you to KNOW who you are in Him. He wants you to BE true to the person He has created you to be, and He wants you to LOVE yourself wholeheartedly. And that CAN happen if you have an intimate relationship with Him. II Corinthians 5:17-18 (New Living Translation) say:

“17…..Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ…..”

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they brought sin into the world which caused a rift between God and man. Fortunately, Jesus came to this earth as a man and sacrificed His life on the cross on our behalf. So, now when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He reunites us with God the Father. As we grow in our relationship with God, He shows us who we really are in Him.

WHO ARE WE?
As believers in Christ, we are people who are now free! For one, we are now free from sin. Romans 6:23 (King James Version) says:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

According to the verse, when we accept God’s gift, sin no longer has control over us. Therefore, once we leave this life, we won’t suffer eternally. Instead, we will reign with God forever. Ultimately, as believers, that is what we should look forward to. So, it’s very important we stay focused.

As children of God, we have also been set free from sickness and disease. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He took on the sin of all humanity. As He took on our sin, He also took on everything attached to it, including sickness and disease. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’s crucifixion. Isaiah 53:4 (New International Version) says:

“4 Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering….”

This verse is not just referring to mental, emotional, and spiritual pain and suffering, but PHYSICAL! Verse 5 then says:

5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

So, again, not only are we set free or healed spiritually, but we are healed physically.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON’T BELIEVE?
We must believe we are free, healed, and made whole. When we don’t believe God’s Word, we suffer from fear, worry, and stress. Worrying and being afraid can really take a toll on a person’s mental and physical health. Fear can stifle you. You’re less willing to take risks and to move when God says move or speak when God says speak, because you’re more worried about the outcome. You may say to yourself:

“Ah no, I’m not going to do that!”

“Something will go wrong!”

“The people won’t like me!”

Any of those statements sound familiar? How about the last statement?

“THE PEOPLE WON’T LIKE ME!”

What have you been reluctant to do because you’ve been afraid of what others will think or say? Well, no need to fret any further! I have good news for you! God has also set you free from the opinions of others!

Sometimes we make choices, and some of us even live our lives based on what other people think, including family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and society, in general.

There’s nothing wrong with receiving advice or getting ideas from others. That’s why we need each other. However, it becomes a problem when you can never seem to think for yourself. It is definitely a problem when you’re not being true to the person God has created YOU to be. You’re too busy trying to look like someone else, act like someone else, or worse………BE someone else!

My personal motto is “KNOW YOURSELF. BE YOURSELF. LOVE YOURSELF.” Why do I make that declaration? Several years ago, God began speaking two words to me: “BE YOURSELF!” Initially, I didn’t understand why God was saying this to me because I thought I was being myself. However, as time went on, I got a clearer understanding. Although I was living my life, I wasn’t living it with full confidence and joy. In my mind, I was always comparing myself to someone else. I still didn’t think I was good enough. This negative thinking caused me to be very sensitive and get offended more easily. Therefore, God had to begin teaching me how to embrace the woman He has created me to be and to not worry if others approve or not.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION?
It doesn’t matter what others think or say about you. Honestly, there will be some people who just won’t like you no matter what you do or say. You can try moving Heaven and Earth to please them, but they still won’t be satisfied! We waste valuable time making decisions based on other people’s opinions. An opinion is not the truth, facts or the Word of God. The dictionary defines an opinion as “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.” It is simply what someone THINKS.

(“In My Honest Opinion”)

You can receive sound advice from an individual, especially if he or she is an expert in a particular area or field. However, don’t allow his or her advice to replace the mind God has given you, and definitely don’t allow that person’s advice to replace the voice of God. For example, in I Samuel 16, God instructed Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king. Needless to say, Samuel had his own idea or OPINION of how a king should look. Therefore, God had to correct Samuel’s thinking. In I Samuel 16:7 (NIV) God said to Samuel:

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Ultimately, when it’s all said and done, what matters is what GOD knows and says. God says you have been set free, you are His child and He loves you with an everlasting love!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.