And He Who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new.
Revelation 21:5 AMPC
Martha’s devotional series All Things New concluded a week ago, but the revelatory wisdom is still blooming for me. The Spirit has shown me the devastating effects of failing to believe that our Father makes all things new – including me. There is a particularly cunning warfare that Satan wields. One that has all too often been overlooked by me, and perhaps by you. Our enemy doesn’t have to level us to be effective. He just has to keep us standing still.
All Things New, Every Day
Jesus said to His disciples, “Follow Me.” And if we are His disciples today, that directive still holds. We are called to follow Jesus. Implicit in the word ‘follow’ is movement. Our God is active, and dynamic—always! Every day brings NEW. Does my life reflect that divine dynamism? This question ever reveals the truth of what we believe. It’s a hard truth, but a necessary one.
Some parts of my life are dynamic, but others are most assuredly not. And yet even seeing this truth, I could not assume that I knew what it meant. My Lord governs my life in His order and His timing. So I had to take this truth to Him and ask Him to tell me what to do with it. I was beside myself with the failure that I saw. Our God makes ALL things new, not just a few things, and my life didn’t reflect that. Why? The Lord showed me that my unbelief was an anchor, holding me fast as surely as a pair of concrete shoes would.
I saw so clearly that when I believed, TRULY believed, then I moved on it. Belief is a dynamic force. We move on what we believe. That’s why John 3:16 ushers salvation into the hearts of some and not others. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Believing is not an exercise of mental assent; it is taking a truth (or a lie) so completely into your heart that it changes your whole life. Only true believers impact the world, for good or ill. The doubters are too busy standing still.
All Things New, Including You
Our lives either turn on what we believe or wither in place under the weight of our unbelief. That seems a daunting truth, but it’s actually a joyous one. We are NOT bound. Once we are born again from above, our new creation is powered by the life and LOVE of Jesus Christ, and He broke every bond. Our work is to believe – just that! Christ does everything else.
The Spirit showed me a place in my life anchored in the death of unbelief. He didn’t do so in order to shame me or to condemn me or to punish me. He showed me the enemy’s snare in order to free me from it. We serve the God of All Things New, and He doesn’t do anything halfway.
If there is a place in your life that remains stagnant, don’t avoid it out of shame or a sense of failure. I’m a shameful failure. So what?! If that’s the worst that I am then I am blessed indeed! Take that place of failure in your life straight to the Father who loves you, and let Him tell you what it means. Let the truth set you free!
Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.
John 17:17 AMP
Oh my, oh my, Jennifer! I read the title of this and thought: “Of course!” (That’s a ‘Martha’ answer [Mary and Martha]as Martha would say.) I never counted myself (at least in the last few years) as one who had an issue with unbelief. But when you paired that with having areas in our life that may be stagnant, as opposed to the active verb of following — well, let’s just say, I have some asking and listening to do in my secret place, too. It’s just amazing how there’s such a balance to every word we hear from the… Read more »