All Things New
Updated: Oct 1, 2021
When something breaks, what do you do? Do you try to fix it, or do you throw it away and buy a new one? Some things can be repaired or mended, but would it be in the same condition or function as well as it did before? Would it have cracked lines, reminding us of its less-than-perfect condition? What about its worth? It may no longer worth as much, or if at all.
There is one thing, however, when broken, does not mean the end. What is that? You and I, in Christ.
A few months after my father passed on in 2014, during a Christmas service, I came before God crying, “God, only You know how broken I am inside”. Yes, I was completely broken; I was crippled with grief, fear, guilt, despair and hopelessness. God heard me, and He sent help straight away. Thank God for His faithfulness, I did come out of that state, completely restored and renewed... slowly but surely.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
What a wonderful news it is! When one is in Christ, he becomes a new creation – the old self is given a new life. Old things have passed away – all things have become new! When one is in Christ and becomes a new creation, it does not just end there. There is a constant transformation that this person is continuously being renewed and transformed – from glory to glory. It starts with a new identity.
1. New Identity
Identity is so crucial. In the worldly sense, identity can give you certain privileges. For instance, if you are a son of the Prime Minister, you already have an upper hand compared to many people. What if – you are not only a son of a Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, or the President of the United States? What if – not only you are a son of the President of the United States, but you are the most favorite son or even the successor in line?
All those positions are good but none of them can satisfy our inner security. One may have all that he (she) wants; but even that does not guarantee peace and joy; what more a secured identity? There is therefore something deeper – way beyond all these earthly promises that the world can offer.
2 Corinthians 5:17 refers to our reconciliation with God, that while we were sinners, God sent Jesus who is without sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That is the Great Exchange at the Cross. God clothes us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Before Him we stand righteous! Isaiah 43:25 says “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Not only He forgives us, He also calls us His own!
“I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Friends, remember who you truly are! None of our social status, our net worth nor our past identifies us. Our identity is rooted in Christ – we are the beloved and precious “sons and daughters of the Most High”! If our Father in Heaven is for us, who can then be against us?
When we are secured in our identity, the first thing we need to change is the way we see ourselves. We no longer see ourselves as being trapped, victimized, unloved and unworthy – but we begin to see ourselves as how God sees us! We now have a transformed mind!
2. New Mindset
When I was young, I had this wishful thinking – how nice it would be to move to a new place, where nobody knows me so I can completely start afresh, putting the past behind me, forgetting all the disappointments and setbacks behind me. Well, eventually I did move to Singapore (due to other reasons), but that did not change the state of my mind.
We always think that – “if my circumstances change”, “if others would give me a chance”, “if I do not have to be constantly reminded of my past”, THEN I can change and start afresh! Sounds good, but how often can that happen in reality? In Christ, we absolutely do not have to move to somewhere new, nor having a new set of changed environment in order to start afresh. The truth is we cannot control our circumstances nor the people around us; neither can we re-write history – but we can make a decision today, to be renewed in our mindset and take a new approach towards life... to see things from God’s perspective!
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Do not be sold to the lie that a certain path seems like our destiny. Sometimes it looks like we are trapped in a cycle, and there is no breakthrough. We begin to believe in this lie from the devil that this is our destiny. BUT I can promise you it is not!
Today is Mother’s Day. For the past 5 years, Mother’s Day has not been easy – I last saw my mother on Mother’s Day 2015; she passed on 3 weeks later. In fact the month of May has been dreadful in the past few years. This is when a lot of negative, depressing thoughts came flooding in. Due to my state of despair and hopelessness, I entertained a lot of lies of the enemy. Last year, as I was battling with those thoughts, God gently whispered, “The enemy is working harder than you think”. It woke me up instantly! Fast forward to this Mother’s Day – yes, I still miss my mom; but I have made up my mind not to be carried away by my emotions to the point of despair anymore. This Mother’s Day, I am determined to walk into my new beginnings through a renewed mindset in Christ!
Ephesians 4:23-24 says “be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
As we renew our mind, He will pour forth new things into our lives, new things that we have never imagined. We do not always have to stay stuck in our situation, our past, our circumstances – we have a new mindset that we are going to begin to see things from the perspective of God! God says – “You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath”, “You are more than a conqueror through Him who loved you”, “You are the apple of My eye”! That is exactly what He thinks of us, and likewise we, too, must see ourselves in that manner!
It may take some time, but do not give up in the process. God is ever present with us to give us the strength we need. His grace is sufficient for us. Remember that the devil only comes to steal, kill and destroy. One of the precious things he destroys is our dreams, by making us believe that there is no way out of the seemingly bleak situation we may be in. However, Jesus has come that we may have life, and that we may have it more abundantly. An abundant life is our inheritance! Once we are able to grasp this truth, it changes our mindset altogether.
With a new and transformed mind, we can begin to have new hopes!
3. New Hope
As I was seeking the Lord before becoming a Christian, the verse that God showed me repeatedly was Jeremiah 29:11 – it became my salvation verse.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
In Hebrew, “hope and a future” is translated as “an unexpected end”.
Hope and a future! This is the promise of God, something the world cannot offer. There are so many issues in life that can cause us to lose hope. Or worse still, they can come altogether; or they can come one after another – completely overwhelming and draining us out. Would you believe if I tell you, that despite all these, God still has a hope and a future for you?
I have gone through a period of prolonged winter myself – from my father’s passing, to my mother’s passing only 8 months later, to being retrenched without compensation the following year, and a series of disappointments that lasted another year or two after – with a lot of uncertainties and other forms of despair in between. In the midst of all hopelessness, someone asked me, “How can you fully trust God?” I can trust Him because He kept coming through for me when troubles kept coming with no end in sight. It was little by little that He walked me out of the entire storm. All throughout those 5 years, His faithfulness never failed.
When you have a relationship with God, you can trust Him and expect Him to answer. The kind of hope I have in Christ is that God can do literally anything, anything that is impossible. When we believe this within our spirit, we can be fully confident that God indeed has a great plan for us and wants the best for our future even when what we see before us looks otherwise. It is an expectation and desire for certain things to happen and to turn around for good.
In 2 Kings 4, we can see how the Shunammite woman, from having lost her hope in having a child, to having her hope restored when she bore a child a year later just as prophet Elisha prophesized. However, one day, her son died. Did her hope die that fateful day? It is remarkable to note, that at this point, her hope was no longer dependent on her circumstances. When her son died, she did not lose hope. Very much to the contrary, she said “It is well” – not once, but twice. She knew that Elisha, the man of God, who promised her a son, did not merely teased her with false hopes. That is exactly it is with our God – He would not have brought us this far, just to leave us without hope.
Hope is therefore not based on our circumstances. It is based on the One who gives us hope. There may be dreams and hopes that have yet to come to pass – perhaps you hope to start afresh, you hope to be reconciled with your family, you hope to have a bright future – know that all these are not just merely hopes – because hope sees and believes the impossible. With God, all things are possible! We need to keep fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing. But when at last your dream comes true, life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.
Hold on the promises of God. The Bible is full of His promises. What is God speaking to our heart? Hold on to them. If He said so, then it SHALL be so! As we anchor our hopes in Him, He will bring them to come to pass!
Reflect and Declare
There may have been some false lies that have taken root in your heart. There is no one to blame, because this is indeed what you have gone through. It has always been the same. I understand. I have also gone through a similar storm. BUT things do not have to always be this way – remember, you have a new identity in Christ – you are the sons and daughters of God Most High!
You no longer live in an old mindset. You now have a new and transformed mind in Christ and you are going to see things from God’s perspective; no longer through a defeated mindset. You begin to look forward with full expectancy of new beginnings.
You shall have new hopes because your hopes are anchored in Christ. You begin to see His plans for you, to give you a glorious hope and a future. The journey getting there may not be easy, it may take time, but hold on to this hope, because He who promised is faithful. All the promises in Him are Yes and Amen!
Today is the day He is going to make all things new!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for making me a new creation. The old has passed and I can now look forward to all things that have become new. I ask that You help me transform my mind and show me Your perspectives about me. Today, the lies of the enemy are exposed and his schemes are completely destroyed because Your truth has set me free and Your blood has washed me clean! I look ahead with full expectancy of the new hopes and a glorious future which You have prepared for me. Help me to walk in alignment of Your will and purpose for my life.
I pray all these in the wonderful name of Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Meditate
Do not remember the former things; nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
(Isaiah 43:18-19)
By 枝页 (May 9, 2021)
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