We Are A New Creature; January 9, 2021
New Year, New Me!
All throughout my twenties, I used to proclaim “New Year, New Me” every year beginning around the middle of December and in anticipation of the approaching New Year. I had resolutions for everything! I resolved to save money, make money, spend more time with my children, get a better job, workout, eat healthy, cook daily, journal daily...I could go on but you get the point. I would pump myself up so good with the New Me I expected to see that I was able to go in the strength of that excitement for about a month or so. Eventually and predicably, the excitement would wear off, the year would go by and December would inevitably find me shouting “New Year New Me” and placing the same resolutions on my list.
Beginning on January 2, 2021, Father told me to tell His people about “the new man”. No longer are we going to wear excitement and wear sensationalism because these garments, once worn out, reveal the unchanged mindsets that are contrary to God and contrary to the finished works of Jesus. The excitement and sensationalism that we are witnessing in the world is expected. However, it is alarming that the body of Christ is struggling with excitement and sensationalism, especially when we understand that these are truly addictions of the flesh and the soul. Excitement and Sensationalism wear off; understanding this allows us to truly understand one of the reasons why the fight for churches to remain open in the midst of this global pandemic has been so intense. People are unable to function without getting a hit of excitement and sensationalism and they are willing to risk their lives, and the lives of their loved ones and the lives of members of their communities, for their soul’s right to get high.
Over the course of the past few days, the “why” has become obvious. Why does Father want His children to understand and press into the new man? Because of the hold of excitement and sensationalism that is not only devastating this nation, it is devastating the lives of those who participated, and it is an imminent threat to the body of Christ.
I have been closely watching the events which happened in DC on January 6, 2020 and the resulting political and social fallout. Sadly, these events have spilled over into the body of Christ resulting in division, confusion and distraction within the body of Christ. Excitement and Sensationalism. I believe that there were many law abiding, upstanding US citizens at this rally with their only intention being lawfully expressing their First Amendment Rights. I also believe that there were many insurrectionists, antagonizers, racists who went to the rally with an agenda for murder, insurrection, sedition and civil war. This mixture of good intentions mingled with nefarious actors is actually no different to what we have seen since May/June 2020 with the BLM Protests and various civil rights violation protests occurring throughout the nation. Nevertheless, violence did occur. People were killed, people were maimed, and their messages of peace, restoration, equity and justice were lost.
It is notable that in the days proceeding the riot, some people have expressed profound regret and have publicly confessed that breaching the Capitol Building was the worst mistake/decision of their lives. Yet interestingly, at the time they participated in the breach, they thought it was a great idea. Rather more accurately, they were seduced into thinking it was a great idea by the excitement and sensationalism of the collective consciousness that was fueled by the murdering, lying, hateful, warring spirits. The voice of a stranger they followed (John 10:5).
Children of God, we must not lose our identity nor shall we continue to despise and be ignorant to the work of Jesus. Repent and turn back to the Lover of our souls. “And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him who died and was raised again for their sake” 2 Corinthians 5:15 (AMPC Translation). Jesus died so that we can have life, and life more abundantly. In His intercession to Father in John 17, Jesus prayed that we not be taken out of the world, but that we be kept from the evil one as we remain in the world. There is much work for us to do in the world. Jesus said to go into the world and preach His gospel. Yet, when we are doubly ignorant of our identity in Jesus and of the work of Jesus, then instead of preaching to the world, we become consumed by the world. It is not acceptable that Christians have become so entangled in this war that they are turning on each other! A house divided can not stand, yet, how much more can a body (a church) divided not function! Who are we, Children of God?! Are the arguments, contentions, divisions that are springing up in the Body of Christ evidence that we are truly living for Him? No. What it does prove is that we, the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, have not prepared ourselves because we don’t fully understand and know who we are (Revelation 19:7 AMPC Translation; “Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself”) emphasis mine.
No Christian should have been at this, or at any protest for that matter, unless we were sent there personally by God. That is why hearing God’s voice for ourselves is critical in this hour. Just because our church or our church family/friends may be participating doesn’t mean that God ordained for us (individually speaking) to participate. We all live for Christ and we are not called to do what we think is right in our own eyes because doing what is right in our own eyes can be displeasing to God. The only right is God’s. And we can only do what is right in His eyes; only going where He tells us to go and staying away from places He tells us to flee from. The body can only go where the head leads, and I see a lot of headless bodies wandering in the spirit.
“Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh]” 2 Corinthians 5:16 (AMPC Translation). This is infuriating! Before we are black, white or any color, we are Christians FIRST. Before we are male or female, we are Christians FIRST. Before nationality, we are Christians FIRST. Before we are rich, poor or middle class, we are Christians FIRST. Before we are Republican, Democrat or Independent, we are Christians FIRST. A Christian can’t be racist nor can we pledge allegiance to a political party yet, we are practicing these things. This wickedness that I’m seeing in the body needs to stop. Even in our arguments against the “racists”, we find our own racist thoughts interwoven throughout. Leaders in the Body (apostles and prophets) are on social media condemning racists while simultaneously honoring and elevating their own race’s dominance. It’s sick. Jesus says, know no one according to the flesh. We don’t prioritize what someone is doing/has done for a specific race, gender, nationality over and above what they have done/are currently doing for Christians. We have pastors online advising their “friends” to unfollow them if they are of this political belief or use this social media platform etc. That is NOT God! Jesus shared a meal with Judas! Jesus even washed Judas’ feet! We need to stop being weighed down, entangled, with the affairs of this world. Our salt is beginning to lose its flavor, people of God and exposure is here. You call yourself a pastor, but the hate that is in your spirit is exposing the fact that you are not qualified to shepherd God's people.
“Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMPC Translation)! We are holding onto old mindsets, old beliefs, old habits. We are deceived because the excitement and sensationalism that we feel, that we are addicted to, has deluded us into thinking that we have grabbed a hold to the new creation that we are in Christ. When sadly, the events over the entire 2020 year have testified that we have much work to do. How many of us have actually prayed for our leaders? Have we prayed for President Trump? Have we prayed for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi? Have we prayed for Senator Ted Cruz? Have we prayed for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? And have we prayed sincerely or have we prayed amiss? Because, whether we like them or not, agree with them or not, we are called to pray for them. And praying for them would be easy to do if we are in the new creation, the new man, who isn't craving our will, but God’s will to be done.
We are living in the days of “cancel culture” and we in the body are partakers of this fruit. We are eating from this table. We are in agreement with canceling people, shows, networks, books for the things they did in the past and in times past, when perhaps their actions may have been considered acceptable during that day. Perhaps their actions weren’t acceptable in those days and they are just now being discovered, God knows. But be warned, the “cancel culture” will come against the church and the Body of Christ. And it will attempt to cancel us for the things which we did in our old man, in our old mind, in our old nature. It will even attempt to cancel us for the things we are currently doing in Christ. Some of us are celebrating that the voice of the President of the United States of America has been silenced from speaking into the world. But will it be so funny when the owners of these social media platforms wield their authority and ban the word of God from going forth into the world? Three people, three men, have silenced the voice of the most powerful man in the world and we think that is cause to celebrate! Look at their authority, in the spirit and in the natural! Does our authority supersede theirs in deeds?
When Moses led God’s people into the wilderness, the scriptures record in Deuteronomy 8:4 that the Israelites' clothing didn’t get worn out during their 40 year journey in the wilderness. Why is that? It is because they weren’t clothed with excitement, they weren’t draped in sensationalism. As much as I love hiking, I can’t grasp any excitement and sensationalism to be had from wandering for 40 years wandering in a desert. Instead, they were clothed with the splendor of God. They were clothed in His righteousness, in His holiness, in His laws, His ordinances and His commands. They were clothed in HIs truth and His love. These garments belong to the new man and they will never wear out.
In HIM and in HIS love,
Reina
