I Am A New Man in Christ

What GOD Has Done For Me!

In the beginning GOD created me in Adam, in whom He breathed the breath of life.

When I was in my mother’s womb He formed me spirit, soul and body, everything that I am He formed. He gifted and called me for His purpose in the world and His eternal Kingdom. He wrote out the days of my life before I was born, Psalm 139:13-18.

When I was born as a sinner, in the rebellion of Adam and condemned to the eternal judgment of Satan’s rebellion He assigned angels to watch over me and to keep me in all my ways. Jesus pursued me continually intervening in my life to show me how much He loved me.

One day, on my 23^rd birthday He prompted me to go to church. The only person I knew there was my 12 year old cousin who went to her Sunday school class, I did not know anyone there. I did not understand what was being said during Sunday school, worship or the service. But after wards I felt like I belonged there and I just kept going.

Over time I came to understand what Jesus had done for me in His life, death and resurrection. I made a confession of my sins and a profession of faith. I was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. I met and married my true love and now wife of 42 years. I grew in grace and understanding, I went to Bible College, I got involved in ministry.

But I did it my way! I did what I had to do most of the time but not always. I did good in ministry because of my gift and calling even though I did not understand that was what I was doing.

Because there was still rebellion in my soul and body I eventually fell away. I felt abandoned by GOD and the Church so I just stopped participating even though for a few years we still went to services.

But GOD! GOD had not left me. He had not forsaken me even though I had kept some sins all the time I served Him. He had not abandoned me during my years of rebellion. Jesus continued to pursue me, to woo me, to show me His love and righteousness, His mercy and justice, His grace and correction.

So one day my wife asked me to go to a church with her to see our old pastor of 25 years. I understood everything that was said and everything that was going on, and GOD began the restoring process in my life. So after 17 years of open rebellion I made a confession of my sins and a profession of faith in Christ Jesus as my Redeemer. I was renewed by His Spirit and I was baptized again. That was 5 years ago and GOD’s gifting and call are at work in my life again. This time I have left all my sins buried in baptism and I am becoming that new man GOD called me to be, actually when I was 16 at a Pentecostal Church (I just did not understand what I experienced and no one explained anything to me. I was not a member and did not go back).

I said all of that so that this next statement will make since. A couple of weeks ago during our home group worship I realized that GOD had done something so miraculous and so not taught in the Church that I was stunned by it. As I have thought about it for the last 3 weeks my Heavenly Father has just overwhelmed me by it.

The words of a song that we sung included the phrase “He rewrote my history”, or something to that effect.

What GOD has done we have heard explained many ways in the scripture, “As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 NKJV; “…Jesus Christ…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Revelation 1:5 NKJV; “…For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV

The understanding GOD gave me is that when I confessed my sins and asked for His forgiveness He did more than just remove my sins so that Almighty GOD the judge could no longer see them. He rewrote my history!

When I was in my mother’s womb He wrote out the days of my life, then I was born and I lived my life as I pleased and as others controlled or influenced me. When I became a believer not only were my sins forgiven and removed from history, but He restored that which He had written while I was in my mother’s womb. So when He looks at my life what He sees is the fulfillment of His gift and call for my life. When I confessed and repented of my sins as a believer and backslider the same thing happened again. My past is what He wrote out my life to be when I was in my mother’s womb.

That is why as a believer I am a new creation, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV emphasis added.

For 43 years I have never understood this in the light of my history and the days of my life that GOD had written out before any of them existed, Psalm 139:13-18.

Now I know that I am who GOD made and called me to be in my mother’s womb and even though I did not always live my life according to His plan that is what He sees when He sees my life.

Amen and Amen!