The Person Changed by Christ

Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"

Karen Puff Rosenkrantz

When Jesus came into my heart the world went out!!!

What We Need When We Need It

Born again believers, never fear what we will have to endure, God knows about it and will give us what we need when we need it.

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Faith During Misery

Faith is most demonstrated going through the trials than never having them. When unbelievers see how calm and trusting we are in the middle of our illnesses or troubles, they will know we have the power of God.

While the world is losing its mind without hope the believers are calmly trusting in Christ. It doesn't mean we are not crying or wincing in pain, it just means we remain faithful to God no matter what. The martyrs can tell us all about enduring their misery while Jesus is on their lips!!!!

Hallelujah!

Affliction is of God for Our Good and His Glory

Don't forget that God allowed the devil to afflict Job. Believers are not exempt from illness. How they respond in the illness is of more value than if they have not had it at all.

Also, believers should never presume upon God for things they are not sure are His will. Godly people die every day from various things, cancer, car crashes and much more because God is taking them home.

I have had several operations in my day. The doctors who performed them and nurses who cared for me were in the presence of the Holy Spirit while they cared for me. We never know why God wants us to endure something but we know if we have Christ there is a purpose.

James 1:12
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

James 1:2-8
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ..."

Our faith is demonstrated in how we handle trials far more than if God bails us out of them.

It is wise to take proper care of ourselves and follow God's principles in that care, but it is not a guarantee that we will never be sick or have trials.

We are in spiritual boot camp as born again believers. Everything we have been given to endure has a purpose for our growth and as a witness to others of God's power in our lives. We will not become strong if we don't endure hardship.

Many believers around the world have been and will be martyred who will see a special crown for their dedication to Christ even being face with torture and death. When we think with the mind of Christ our focus is more on God's purposes than on the means by which He strengthens us.

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Romans 8:28
"28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

The Habitual Sin of the Unsaved

No born again believer remains in habitual sin after Christ has changed them. However, they do sin, this sin does not lose them the Holy Spirit. We are sealed by God as His child.

Anyone who believes they can sin and enjoy it and still claims to be a Christian has never been born again.

Christians hate it when they sin, the Holy Spirit in them convicts them, gives them consequences and disciplines them until they confess to being cleansed and return to obedience.

Remember the Passover, when God said, in order for Him to Passover their house so the people in it will be protected? The blood on the door protected God's children not their deeds. The people in the houses were protected by the blood representing Christ the sacrifice to come.

No one is saved by their own works or kept by their own works, they must be covered in the blood of the Lamb. There was no example of the blood on the posts of the Jews being removed because of anything the people inside were doing.

New Christians have been changed into a new creation by Christ, they do not want to sin, if they do then they have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ and they grieve over the sin.

Unbelievers do not grieve over their sin, they do not seek Christ to be cleansed, only believers do that.

1 John 2:1-2 "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.…"

These verses were written to changed born again believers.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Did you see that James, "old things passed away."

Ephesians 4:30-31 "30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"

Born again believers can grieve the Holy Spirit Who lives in them. If we sin after we are born again, Christ in us disciplines us.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

James if you are depending on yourself to be cleansed or for keeping your salvation then you have not trusted in Christ.
Christ has the power to save us, to cleanse us and to keep us He said so and I believe Him.

2 Timothy 2:13 "13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. "

The lie that is going around that God never leaves us but we can leave Him is not found anywhere in the Bible.

Ephesians 1:12-14 "…12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.…"

God made a promise to us when we became born again, that was that He would never leave us. His promises are not predicated on anything we do as born again believers. God knows we mess up at times, those who think they never sin again after salvation are denying Christ and His promises.

If anything we did depended on our salvation then Christ's death on the cross would be foolish. He did it all and He said it was finished.

When we become born again we hate sin, when we fail we hate grieving God. Born again believers do not remain in habitual sin after the have become born again.

The born again believers receive the fruit of the Spirit, which is the fruit of Christ's character when they are changed by God.

That fruit is the character qualities of Christ. They never lose this fruit, it remains, it becomes a part of them.

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.

Those who are pretenders do not have the fruit and born again believers can see who has it and who does not.

Matthew 7:15-20
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will [a]know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will [c]know them by their fruits.

This fruit is no works or deeds, they are character qualities that lead to the deeds that Christ works in us.

How do you identify a born again believer or a nonbeliever? Never by what they say to you. We identify them by their love of the brethren, and their hatred for sin. Born again people are grieved when they sin, but the nonbeliever will be defensive when confronted with their sin. They will fight to defend what God hates.

The born again believer will be ashamed of any sin they do, they will confess quickly because they want to be cleansed by God.

1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"

"Practice" meaning living a general lifestyle of consistency in obedience to God. Even if a child of God sins they do not remain in it, the conviction of the Holy Spirit in them will torment them until they confess to be cleansed.

1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…"