Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
The old is gone, the new is here… but for how long? Too often we have an experience with God that leaves us changed, but after a few weeks in the real world, with real responsibilities, real problems and real temptations, we start to go back into to our superficial Christian ways.
God can change your heart, but the relationship needs to be maintained. You need to choose to be changed. Once the decision is made, the work needs to take place. There needs to be a deliberate effort to get up early, pause Netflix, or tap the Bible app instead of Instagram.
You are a new creation when you come to know Christ, but in order for you to mature and to receive all that He has for you, you must choose to walk in a new routine and a new mindset.
When the struggles become real, because they will, we can’t attack those problems with the same old strategies. We need the wisdom from our Heavenly Father, and the trust in His plan to overcome the confusion.
A relationship with Christ isn’t about feelings. Being involved in a week long conference or Christian concert are amazing perks, but those aren’t the actual life changing moments. We aren’t altered by the “feel good” experiences. The chains break and the mountains move when you choose to trust God and worship Him despite your circumstances. When the bills come in, when your job is stressing you out, when your marriage is on the rocks, when you have so much going on that you can’t think straight, when the depression sets in, when the temptations rise… those are the moments of shift. You’re on the brink of a breakthrough when it makes the most sense to give up.
Living a life pleasing of the Father, relying on Him when you don’t understand, delighting in Him in the midst of your deepest heartache… that’s the real relationship.
It’s not a feeling… it’s a choice.
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