...When people enter a witness protection program, they are given a new identity. Their old name, accounts, places, daily routines, and even relationships have to be put in the past. They become someone new.
When we are born in Christ, we become someone new too. We may look the same as we did before, but a fundamental change has occurred. The Christian life is an exchanged life. Jesus took our identity to the cross and then filled us with His identity. Instead of living our own self-oriented lives, He lives His life through us. He took all that we have upon Himself and gave us in exchange all that He has - His name, His authority, His inheritance, and more. As Paul said, we no longer live; He lives in us.
That means we don't have to depend on our own wisdom, love, faith, or any other quality. We don't even pray in our own name anymore. We use His. His presence within us provides all we need. We can claim His faith, His ideas, and His solutions for everything we need. We can have His humility, patience, boldness, compassion, and any other of His attributes we need. Instead of focusing on the how, we focus on the who and let Him be Himself within us. Over time, we begin to love or forgive or have bold faith not because we should but because that's who we are. The life of God within us will be expressed if we will let Him express Himself...
Excerpt from Experiencing God's Presence Devotional (Chris Tiegreen) and here in South East Queensland the Jacarandas are all in flower.
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