Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

I love the notion of starting over – of God wiping the slate clean and re-designing my life after I’ve messed it up. Being IN CHRIST or “belonging to Christ” means that I live within the limits of His limitless grace and love. I don’t venture outside of that space – the space of His vast power and mercy. If you have made Jesus the Leader of your life and have forfeited your position as sovereign over your own destiny, if you want Him to run your life by His wisdom and not your own, then you belong to Christ.

For years I [Jill] deceived myself into thinking that because I talked the talk, memorized the Scripture, went to church, and read my Bible, that all was as it should be. But I was deceived because while I knew His word intellectually, I didn’t fully know it experientially. I wasn’t walking in forgiveness and love. This was not the pattern Jesus set for me, and deviating from His ways cost me dearly. But that cost caused me to pay attention to myself, soberly evaluate myself, and learn the Truth about being a follower of Jesus. God set me on a new path of loving him, loving others, and walking in forgiveness. I am a new Jill. The old Jill is gone, and I’ve begun a new life that is rich and full of joy and full of God’s gracious surprises. Every day He gives me His plan for me, and I walk in it with him. I’ve still got tons to learn and even more to unlearn, but I am beginning to understand and embrace the truth that I am not the person I used to be. I am NEW. This is my confession, and I want to share it with you today:

I am a NEW CREATION in Jesus my Great Lord. He has recycled my old self, ridding me of all my delusions and filling me with His Truth. I am brand new, with a new destiny and a recalibrated purpose, and because of this, I have outstanding hope, unrelenting joy, and love that never fails. 

Make Jesus your Lord today, and you can walk joyfully with all of us who have placed our hope in Him!