New Day, New Year, and New Beginnings - 31 Days of Fresh StartsSýnishorn

Needing Some Outside Help?

…since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...
Colossians 3:9-10

When someone comes to faith in Christ, no matter if they can pinpoint the hour or the day, or it was a long journey from doubt to faith, their once-dead spirit came to life by the powerful breath of the Holy Spirit, as we read about on Day 9. He is the guarantee of salvation (Ephesians. 1:14).

The Holy Spirit’s life breath makes all things new about our lives. Yet, these gifts of effervescent new beginnings can sit on the shelf, never opened, like those unopened gifts from Aunt Gladys that never see the light of day. Jesus’ gifts are ours. But do we take full advantage of all He has freely, graciously, and miraculously bestowed upon us?

One of these gifts is that He has made us a new creation (Day 6). It’s already done. Where we once had no ability to put on our new person in Christ, as Paul writes, due to being spiritually dead, we now have that ability to do so through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is where repentance kicks in. Exchanging our way of thinking for God’s. We understand we are already new in His eyes, but our desire is to actually be that new person, looking more like Him. So, it’s not just an external wardrobe change; it is an inside-out life transformation.

Yet, this may be our frustration. Maybe we’ve put off some former habits, hang-ups, or hurts, but in other areas, we can’t seem to shed old behaviors or thoughts that keep us stuck in one place. Here, Jesus may be asking us to take a deep dive with Him to free up these areas through spiritual warfare prayer or the help of pastoral or Christian counseling. Really.

So, let’s get honest with God and ourselves. Do we need some outside help? Because we all want to be that new person Jesus already says we are.