“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; OLD things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Far too many of us, are stuck in the same old routines, forgetting that Isaiah said, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a NEW thing…” Then Paul takes us into the New Testament with this statement, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” And nothing is clearer then Romans 6:4, “Therefore
we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in NEWNESS of life.” Did you catch that last part? “Walk In NEWNESS…“! Walk implies ACTIVITY. Notice also that “Walk” is PRESENT TENSE, not walked, like an old activity, but “Walk”, as in TODAY,
RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, NEW!
AS OVERCOMERS, YOU ARE TO WALK IN NEW
VICTORIES EVERYDAY! DAILY WAVING A FLAG OF VICTORY IN THE DEVIL’S FACE! With that said you have to ask, if “NEWNESS” is supposed to be so EVIDENT in the life of a believer, WHY ARE WE SO CRAZY-GLUED TO THE “OLD?”
Listen to what Tony Evans writes: “Every
day you get out of the same OLD bed and go to the same OLD bathroom to
look at the same OLD face in the same OLD mirror. You go to the same OLD
closet to choose from the same OLD clothes, then sit down at the same
OLD breakfast table to eat the same OLD breakfast. Then you go to that
same OLD garage and get into that same OLD car to head down that same
OLD road to that same OLD job. There you work all day for that same OLD
paycheck, next to those same OLD people, supervised by that same OLD
manager. Then you get back into that same OLD car and head back down
that same OLD road to that same OLD house. Once you are home you sit
down in that same OLD chair to watch that same OLD television. At the
end of the day you go to that same OLD bed and sleep that same OLD way,
so you can get up the next morning and start that same OLD routine all
over again.“
In case you didn’t know, THAT
IS NOT THE MENTALITY OF AN OVERCOMER! OVERCOMERS ARE DAILY IN HIGH
PURSUIT OF SOME NEW CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME!
LISTEN, GOD DID NOT CREATE
US, AND HE MOST CERTAINLY DIDN’T REDEEM US, TO LIVE A PURPOSELESS
EXISTENCE! OVERCOMERS DON’T EXIST—THEY LIVE AND THEY LIVE NOT JUST
ABUNDANTLY—BUT MORE ABUNDANTLY! For the Bible declares, “The
thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I
have come that they may have life, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE
ABUNDANTLY” (John 10:10)
WHAT
IS CURRENTLY AROUND US IS NOT ALL THERE IS FOR US! GOD HAS AN AWESOME
CUSTOMIZED PLAN FOR EACH OF US! WE SIMPLY NEED TO SEEK IT, FIND IT, AND
LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!
The Scripture says, “No
one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch
pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put
NEW wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins are ruined. But they
put NEW wine into NEW wineskins, and both are preserved.”
When something is PRESERVED it means it’s, “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED“. And what’s being “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED?” YOUR NEWNESS! UNDERSTAND THAT THE OLD CAUSES DAMAGE, IT TEARS, IT DESTROYS, IT PULLS AWAY, IT SEVERS, BUT THE NEW IS PRESERVED!
IN A NUTSHELL: IT’S TIME TO BREAK-OUT OF THE OLD, AND BREAK-IN TO THE NEW!
Overcomers, crush that devil
under your foot on this current level, then lift it and put it on the
next level and the next devil and attain your next New Victory!
Homework Assignment: Read and keep in mind these Revelation Promises to the Overcomer:
Revelation 2:7, “He
who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit
says to the assemblies (churches). To Him Who Overcomes (Is
Victorious), I Will Grant to Eat [Of the Fruit] of the Tree of Life,
Which is in the Paradise of God.” (AMP).
Revelation 3:5, “He
Who Overcomes Will Thus Be Clothed In White Garments; and I Will Not
Erase His Name From the Book of Life, and I Will Confess His Name Before
My Father and Before His Angels.” (NASB).
Revelation 3:21, “He
Who Overcomes (Is Victorious), I Will Grant Him to Sit Beside Me On My
Throne, As I Myself Overcame (Was Victorious) and Sat Down Beside My
Father On His Throne.” (AMP).
Revelation 21:7, “He Who Overcomes Will Inherit These Things, and I Will Be His God and He Will Be My Son.” (NASB).
Grab a hold of these promises and you will never again settle to live the same ole same ole life again!
“We were buried therefore with
Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might
[habitually] live and behave in NEWNESS of life.” (Romans 6:4 AMP)
IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT IT’S DEAD—YOU HAVE TO BURY IT!
LISTEN: You can’t afford to
let your past infect your present or sabotage your future! That’s why
certain things that refuse to be healed, must be forsaken and forgotten!
There are people praising God in Church every Sunday who lie awake in
the privacy of their homes, digging up bones, picking at scars and
reliving old memories. You need to accept that some issues will never be
resolved, and if you let them, they’ll take up residence in your head
and in your heart! [The what if’s? The should have’s? The maybe’s?]
These will all drive you nuts…if you let them!
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.”
So straighten yourself up and straighten yourself out! You Will Not Stay This Way!
I do thank God for the Apostle
Paul though. Because he was honest enough to admit that he still
struggled in certain areas. Unlike those with a Pharisee spirit who
condemn others for doing the very things they do themselves, Paul
confessed, “But I need something more! For if I
know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me
keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize
that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I
decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but
then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in
actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of
me every time.” (Romans 7:17-20 MSG).
Thanks Paul, from the rest of
us who mistakenly thought that once we became Christians, there’d be no
more struggles! Thanks for helping some of us who thought that once we
became Bishop, Pastor, Elder, Teacher, Prophet, that the struggles would be
over. That once we reached our 20 years saved, 15 years in ministry, 10
years healed and 5 years delivered, that the struggles would be over.
Well, I’m here to serve notice on you: The Struggles Are Not Over! They
continue! That’s why we were told to “Fight the good Fight of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:12). Not
that we fought (past tense) the good fight. But this is a Current and
Continual battle! YET, it’s one that doesn’t have to defeat us.
I remember watching a boxing
fight with my dad years ago. And one of the guys was beaten BAD! I said
‘why don’t he just lay down and stay down?’ My dad said ‘that’s hard to
do when you’re a real fighter, because real fighters always have another
round in ‘em. They know how to punch past the pain and obtain the
prize. They may get beat up, but they won’t give up, until they get the
belt. That’s a real fighter. And that’s why he can’t just lay down and
stay down.’ I didn’t appreciate those words of wisdom then, but I do
now. I’ve learned that daily if I’m going to win, then daily I’ve got to
fight! And so do you! So keep your head up, your gloves on, and your
feet moving! Because I’m persuaded there’s another round in you!
Listen, Paul continues to advise us. He says, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin.” (Romans 6:11).
In other words, stop pursuing dead issues; admit them, quit them and
forget them! Instead of struggling to change what can’t be changed, let
God’s transforming power sweep through your life and sever the ties
between you and all those tormenting thoughts from your past. And by no
means mistakenly think like others have. Because your past is not just
what happened 20 years ago, 15 years ago or even 1 year ago. What
happened 60 seconds ago is still considered the past! Many of us aren’t
just wrestling with decade old stuff, but we’ve got stuff that happened
this morning, and our day hasn’t been right since! Let that thing go!
You can’t go back and change it or rearrange it, so let it be. Cry a
River, Build a Bridge, and Get Over It!
Think about it: If you keep
looking in the rear-view mirror, you’re going to eventually crash into
something ahead of you! And I would hate for that to be your blessing,
your miracle, your breakthrough, your season or your way out! You don’t
want to damage what’s before you, by daydreaming about what’s behind
you! Sure, you have to utilize all the mirrors on your vehicle to some
degree. But keep in mind, the main one is looking straight ahead out the
windshield! Looking, anticipating, ready, expecting, seeking for what
yet lies ahead! SO…“Forget
about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be
present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t
you see it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG).
Adjust Your Focus
On Your Future! The Vision For Your Future Will Always Look Distorted
When You View It Through Eyes That Can Only See The Past!
Warning: Paying Attention to
Your Past, Will Cost Your Present a Pretty Penny and Your Future a
Fortune! Don’t Bankrupt The Blessing Before You!
“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).
In New Testament times capital
punishment was sometimes carried out by tying a murder victim’s body
directly onto the perpetrator. That way wherever he went, he was
literally weighed down by his crime, with no way to escape the stench of
decomposing flesh. Eventually, the bacteria-filled corpse infected him
too, and he died an agonizing death. In other words, his Cause of Death
was ‘Carrying What He Did In The Past Into His Present!’ People of God,
Get Your Past Off You Before It Kills You!
Some days Paul felt the weight
of his old nature pressing in, reminding him of things from his past
that he couldn’t change or eradicate. Recognizing how past events can
color the present, Paul describes himself as “a wretched man,” and asks, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The fact is, you can’t move ahead with “the old man” still clinging to you; you must bury him or he’ll kill you!
However, even Death doesn’t
have the Finality that Burial does! You see, part of coming to closure
involves disposing of the body!
Truth is: Funerals are for the
Living; they give people an opportunity to accept that their loved one
has gone on and the relationship as they knew it is now over. So, as you
embark on a New Day with a New Perspective and New Determination, isn’t
it time you stopped carrying the past (your yesterdays) around on your
back? We can all see what you’re carrying is dead, so why can’t you see
it?! Do us all a favor and take that thing to a burial site and bury it!
Surely you don’t want to go into 2020 with the dead stench of 2019’s
residue! You’ve Smelled OLD Long Enough!
Paul says, “Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead.” (Romans 6:13). In
other words, refuse to let old memories negotiate a deal with the new
you! Bury them, and do it today! You can’t afford a secret love affair
with a corpse! It’s time for an epitaph, not a revival! Let That Thing
Go Today!
An ‘Epitaph’ is ‘words written in memory of a person who has died, particularly on their tombstone’. It’s Greek origin means ‘over’ or ‘at a tomb’.
Tell yourself, all my past
issues I’m taking to the tomb TODAY and I’m burying it! Yes it hurts,
it’s disappointing, it’s caused me severe suffering and pain, but TODAY
I’m burying it! The actions were painful, the words were hurtful, the
thoughts were discouraging, but I’m burying it TODAY! I refuse to let it
hang around in the funeral home. TODAY, I’m packing it up and finding
an available plot, and if not, I’m fed up enough to dig one myself! One
way or another this thing is being buried TODAY!
Saints, Whatever You Do, Know
That You Don’t Have To Stay This Way! You Don’t Have to Settle For This!
You Don’t Have To Accept This! NO! Change Begins With You, And Your
Change Begins Today! The Old You Will Not Enter The New Year, The New
Month or the New Day! Enough Is Enough!
Albert Einstein said
it best: “Nothing Happens Until Something Moves” And That Something Is
YOU! Get To Moving Out of the Old and Into the New…TODAY!
With that thought, Paul
admonishes us once more: “…let’s just go ahead and be what we were made
to be…” (Romans 12:4 MSG).
Listen: We’ve been delaying and denying
healing and deliverance and growth for far too long now! Let’s just get
on with becoming the new and wonderful person God has already crafted us
to be. Let’s move from who we were to who we are meant to be!
Wave goodbye to 2019 and high-five 2020!
Look in the mirror right now and tell yourself: THE OLD ME IS FINALLY READY FOR NEW! Past….Rest In Peace! Future….Get Ready For Revival!
Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord#GetReady4New
