Unfortunately, when many come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord, they don’t have much self-confidence. Often times it happens in their early childhood when parents or others are very critical of them and even express all manner of negative talk about their abilities. This often follows these dear souls into adulthood causing them monumental problems, creating self-doubt and a lack of self-confidence. Not only do they doubt their abilities, but they doubt if they can receive the full portion of a wonderful life free from a life of unrelenting pain, agony, and despair. The good news is that Jesus Christ promises to erase the past as if it never existed. Although many have heard this good news and have sincerely believed it in their hearts, yet they still struggle daily to see it manifested in their lives because their lives often feel like a never-ending Ferris wheel of ups and downs. Dear children, let’s do a deep dive into Holy Scripture and discover how we can experience the great life of self-confidence found only in Christ Jesus.

Our faith in what Christ did for us on the Cross promises us a brand-new life in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). So, what does that brand-new life look like? It’s not just learning how to play church, it’s much deeper than that. This new life is not something we can learn on our own initiative or power. This new life is brought about in stages from one degree of glory to another through the power and grace of the indwelling Holy Spirit. There is no waiting required to receive this indwelling Spirit but comes immediately to everyone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord, believes in the Gospel message, and sincerely repents from all of their known sins. It is His job to make us into a new creation that will grow us spiritually to become the very image of Jesus Christ in all of His holiness. The one tool that the Holy Spirit uses is the inspired Word of God, the Bible, to convict us of our unrighteousness and to encourage us to put on our new lives in Christ. To put on our new life in Christ modifies our outward behavior and our every thought that passes through our minds. Dear children, to allow this Spiritual growth to take place in our lives, we must allow the old life pass away.

Allowing the old life to pass away has always been a sticking point for most of humanity. Until that happens, we will never become all that Christ wants us to be as a new creation. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he isa new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Dear children, old things must pass away before all things become new. This is the sticking point. The moment we are born we begin to learn. We are a species that continually learns from the cradle to the grave. It is a non-ending process. Let’s begin by just concentrating on what we have previously learned, which has essentially made us who we are before we accepted Christ as our Lord. We have had many sources from our parents to our friends, and from our schools to our own research through reading and watching. Unfortunately, most of what we have learned from fallen humanity is completely different from the teachings of Jesus Christ. We have to learn to let go of all the teachings that are contrary to the doctrines and beliefs that we have in Jesus Christ. This is most difficult in a world that readily accepts the integration of the world’s teachings with God’s unchangeable truth.

We most readily see this integration of psychology, science, changing history, philosophy, and the wisdom of mankind. It’s amazing how these different disciplines have been so easily integrated into God’s all-sufficient, infallible, and unchanging truth. As long as we hold onto these worldly truths by integrating and believing them, then we will never become all that God wants us to become in Christ. At best we will only become lukewarm Christians who Christ spews out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). The Bible says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (II Peter 1:3). All things! All things that pertain to life and godliness! That means God will give us everything we need. Most believers don’t believe that, so they try to hold on to everything that they have ever learned about life. To make this more readily acceptable, then they integrate this new knowledge with God’s truth. When we do, then we don’t spend the necessary time needed to apply only God’s truth to our lives, by doing and thinking exactly what it says. Dear children this is the first step and the lifelong process of putting on the new life in Christ.

Most people believe that they can control their behavior, if they choose to do so. On the other hand, most people don’t ever think about controlling what they think about. Simply put, they don’t really see the need. Not only is it necessary, but it is also essential to control what we think about, all the time. Our thinking can cause irrational or bad behavior (Matthew 5:28). It can lead to deep emotional and psychological problems, all of which will stunt our spiritual growth leading to unwanted consequences. Here is the miracle of our transformation in Christ, when we learn how to control our thinking then it will be much easier to allow Christ to be formed up in us to the glory of God. Mankind’s thinking or vain imaginations led to the destruction of the world by water the first time and it will lead to its destruction of the world the second time by fire. We must learn to control our thinking before a molehill turns into a mountain destroying all that we hold dear. I have preached for years that we must cast out unwanted thoughts immediately, within a millisecond, before they have a profound effect on us leading us to do things we should not do. Bad memories from as far back as childhood can come in like a flood causing us to question our abilities, experience regrets, and even allow hate to fester in our hearts. Dear children, we must learn how to control what we think about that can cause monumental emotional and psychological damage to our souls.

The Bible teaches us that the old life will pass away so that we can effectively grow up in Christ. Yet, many of God’s children are bound to the past unable to realize the beauty of their new life in Christ. They are unable to experience the bountiful life because they are still tied to the past. The key to escaping this bondage is to learn how to truly forgive others and forgive our past failures. When we do and practice the three principles of forgiveness then they will never return to our minds to haunt us, control our behavior, and cause us unsurmountable damage. Learn to cast out the unwanted thoughts, don’t discuss them with others, and don’t ever bring up these unwanted thoughts to dwell on, that question our abilities, and our unique value in the Kingdom. Dear children, when we control what we think about it will lead to a breath of fresh air allowing God to continue His spiritual growth in us to the glory of God. Our self-confidence is believing and trusting in God to make us into a beautiful new creation where old things truly pass away. We learn how to reject the false teachings from the world by casting out their psycho babel and only trust in God’s truth from the Holy Bible that gives us everything we need for life and godliness.

Finally, understand, dear children, that there are great teachings and beautiful history in the Old Testament that give God’s children in every age a glimpse at the future and their new life in the coming Messiah, but the New Testament embraces the present teachings of Jesus Christ to lead us in our spiritual growth through the indwelling Spirit. The New Testament was written specifically to the Christian community on how to overcome their present difficulties and allow the indwelling Spirit to do His job of reminding them of everything Christ taught them. Let me encourage you to deeply digest the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to follow the life of Christ and His powerful teachings. Then, let me encourage you to read the entire letters of the inspired Apostles. Read each of the letters entirely in one setting hearing it as the original recipients received it. When you do then you will soon discover that you are on the path that leads to total transformation in Christ becoming all that God wants you to be. In conclusion, the Bible says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Dear children, let us have self-confidence as we strive for perfection, daily.

The Gospel Presentation

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which explains the many difficulties that you are currently facing in your life. Well, I have good news, God has solved that problem by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin to show us the way to a beautiful new life in Christ. God has dealt with all of our sins past, present, and future by having His son pay the debt for our sins. Jesus Christ willingly went to the Cross in our stead by allowing all of the world’s sins to be placed upon Him as a sacrificial Lamb. As Christ hung on the Cross, the wrath of God was poured out on Him to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus Christ died on the Cross and was buried for three days. On the third day, Christ arose from death to life everlasting. The good news is if we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then we will be forgiven for all of our sins and receive the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead us into all truth helping us in the transformation process of putting off the old life, allowing the old sin nature to die with Christ, and then putting on our new life in Christ by being raised with Christ to everlasting life. You can accept Christ today by confessing your sins to Him through a simple prayer asking Him to forgive you and make you into a new creation filled with the Holy Spirit. If you have done that, then you have just begun the greatest journey of your life that leads to heaven and eternal life. Welcome to the Kingdom.

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