Preparing to Celebrate Christ at Easterनमूना

Transformed from the Inside Out When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, something wonderful happens: Our sins are forgiven and the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us. We become a “new creation”—our spirit is made new and we begin a new life in Christ. In the Amplified Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. This verse says the old spiritual condition has passed away, and the fresh and new has come. Notice the word “have.” This means God has already given us everything we need in Christ to become all that He created us to be. The Bible also says that God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him]... (1 John 3:9 AMP). It’s amazing to realize that when you accept Christ as your Savior, the seed of all that God is comes to live in your spirit. In Him, we have everything we need to learn how to think, talk and act like Christ. And we experience these blessings as we study God’s Word and make the decision to believe what He says more than we believe how we feel. As we grow in our relationship with God, we discover who we are and what we have in Christ. And this is the one thing we need more than anything else: To know who we are in Christ…and to know what we’ve been given as an inheritance through His death and resurrection. Take some time to read and meditate on God’s Word. Study scriptures that tell you about God’s amazing love for you. Find out who He says you are, and learn about everything you have through His incredible grace and mercy. As you do, you will begin to see yourself and your life in a whole new way…and experience the life-changing transformation of becoming a new creation from the inside out! VIDEO: Only God Can Bring Change Don’t try to change in your own strength! Joyce shares encouragement about how to let God change you! KEY SCRIPTURE: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV). QUOTE FROM JOYCE: “You are a new creation in Christ, and God is working in your life. Little by little, one day at a time, God is changing you.” —Joyce TAKE ACTION: As you study God’s Word, find scriptures that show you the truth about who God created you to be and how He wants you to live in Him! Once you find verses, write down what they mean to you. Then, write a confession declaring who you are in Christ according to that verse. Prayer: Thank You, Father, that You have given me everything I need to become who You created me to be. Help me continually grow in my relationship with You and discover more and more about who I am in Christ. In Jesus’s Name, amen.