Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come.

If you’ve ever watched “Extreme Makeover,” a reality show on television, you’ve watched the hosts throw out all the old clothes of their guest and replace them with expensive and stylish clothes, hairstyling and make-up. When finished, they stand back and marvel at how great the person’s appearance has become.

The problems come when they check on these people some months later, only to find that many of them have returned to their old manner of dress and appearance. When asked why, the people respond, “I know I looked better after the makeover, but I’ve found that my ‘old skin’ was more comfortable.”

So it is with the new Christian. The Holy Spirit enters in and begins a new makeover, and on the outside the project begins to look beautiful. Still, there is much more work to do on the inside. The first order for the Holy Spirit is to sweep out the old thoughts and behaviors and begin to replace them with Christ-centered thoughts and behaviors.

This doesn’t always happen overnight, and without the necessary support and repetition of who they have become and the promises of what will be, they “backslide.” The reason — when confronted with new experiences, the new Christian doesn’t have the necessary experience to deal with the situation. “What would Jesus do?” they ask. “I don’t really know,” comes their response.

Overcoming these difficult experiences requires a reprogramming of the brain’s past experiences. Fill your mind with the promises and affirmations of God. It must be done daily in order to replace the old thinkin’ with Holy Spirit thoughts to influence new reactions, and to understand what Jesus would do.

Ephesians 1:11,12 (NIV)

How many times have you heard about someone saying or thinking, “I don’t know how the Lord can love me”? Have you ever thought that, yourself? It is not an uncommon thought or emotion.

Scripture deals with God’s love for us. Yet millions of Christians continue to question why God would love them, and the effect of those thoughts is a devastating blow to their relationship with Christ. How can you have faith in who you are in Christ if you are unable to fathom His love for you? It is a trust issue!

Start by recognizing that we did not chose Christ, but rather He chose us (Eph 2:8-9). It is often just that simple! We were predestined to become followers of Christ. He knew we were going to come to Him and He knew even the date and time. He knew that we were sinners when we came to Him, and would continue to be sinners after we arrived. Still he chose you!

And if the way we think is truly how we are, then we need to be consciously telling ourselves who we are in Christ. As we do, we will begin to see ourselves through Christ’s eyes and recognize our mission and our place in the Kingdom of God here on earth. You are already assured a place in heaven, but God has hard wired you for great things here on earth, as well — that is why He chose you!