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New Life, Renewed Heart 7 Devotional Lessons to Activate Your Identity in Christ m i c h e l l e w u e s t h o f f

Introduction The following devotional study is intended to inspire you to pursue more of what God desires for you more freedom, more wholeness, more victory, and more joy. It is a tool to activate your identity in Christ; that is, chosen and fully loved by the Father and positioned to inherit the richness of his kingdom. It is a study that can be done on your own or as a couple. There are no right or wrong answers. Though most of the Scripture references I use are in the ESV, there are some other versions that are more suited to a particular teaching. Biblegateway.com is an excellent resource to easily access different translations of the same Scripture. This devotional will require that you set aside a little time and have the dedication to take an honest look at where you are right now and where you are headed. Are you satisfied with your life, your faith, and who you are or do you want more? No matter who you are or where you are in your walk of faith, it is never too late to begin living life in a whole new way with a completely renewed heart! We know that we can count on the Lord to meet us where we are and lead us into something better even something more wonderful than we have ever imagined. Over the course of this study, I pray you experience extraordinary encounters with our loving Father, and the life-changing results of time spent with him. 2

Lesson 1 Read Joshua 3-4 ESV Memory Verse: Then Joshua said to the people, Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. Joshua 3:5 ESV Consecrate yourself, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders. Whisper that phrase to yourself several times; speak it to your heart and to your weary spirit. Joshua gave his people this instruction just as they were about to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land. They had spent forty long, grueling years wandering the desert, and now here they were, on the threshold of a brand new life. The Israelites were instructed to consecrate themselves because they were about to encounter God s presence and holiness in the wonders he would show them. When we consecrate ourselves, we choose to set ourselves apart with a significant and intentional dedication to the Lord as we enter into the work he is doing. It is a demonstrative step of obedience, of faith, and of expectation. We receive his instruction, we believe he will do what he says, and then we act accordingly. Joshua s people demonstrated that outward act of faith, not only as they consecrated themselves, but also as they approached the rushing waters of the Jordan. The moment the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water, the flow was pushed back and halted, so that all who crossed passed over dry ground. Does that remind you of anything? When had the Lord done this before? The Israelites certainly would have remembered what had happened at the Red Sea even those who did not witness it firsthand had heard the story again and again. It was God s 3

miraculous, tangible demonstration that he could make a way through impossible circumstances in order to deliver his people from slavery into freedom. You can imagine that if the Lord chooses to repeat himself, it is certainly something he wants us to get! He is our deliverer, and we can trust him to lead us across the threshold into a brand new life. Don t forget that what stood on the other side of the Red Sea and the Jordan was new and unknown territory for the Israelites. What they had to do was trust in the promises of God, listen to his direction, and move forward as he led them. It took faith to step out in faith, but they did it. So can you. Therefore, consecrate yourself, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders. Receive it, believe it, then act. Discussion Questions: 1. What is the Promised Land the Father is leading you into? From what things do you need to be delivered? 2. What are some lies you might believe that can hold you back from stepping into freedom and new life? What are some truths you need to believe and hold onto? 3. What are some ways you might consecrate yourself before the Lord? Take some time and pray through what you ve heard and written down. Thank the Lord for the wonders he will show you and accomplish in you. 4

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Lesson 2 Read Psalms 42 and 43 NLT Memory Verse: Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again my Savior and my God! Ps. 42:5 NLT You may be wondering what these sad and beautiful psalms are doing here in a study on new life, but I think you will find they are actually excellent models to prepare yourself for the transformational days ahead. What the psalmist is employing here is the ability (and choice) to encourage his own soul despite the circumstances he is experiencing. In fact, the book of Psalms is full of examples of this strategy. And it is a strategy a strategy to overcome, a strategy to endure, a strategy for ultimate victory and freedom. And that s what we re after, isn t it? The process of living in freedom and victory is never a straightline, level-path kind of process; it is by nature full of hills and valleys, victories and setbacks. It is that way because it requires an honest look at ourselves and our situations, while at the same time, being able to see those things in the light of Jesus. The psalmist begins Psalm 42 with a declaration of desperation: I need you, God. Really, that is the best place for any prayer to begin. He then lays out his troubles and his broken heart before God, knowing that the Lord understands him, that he cares, and that he will help him. He identifies the discouragement within his own heart: Why (what are the reasons) am I so sad? Finally, he speaks forth the cure for all 6

that ails him: I will hope in God and I will praise him because he s good, and for what he has done. You will notice throughout these (and other) psalms, the verses tend to fluctuate between complaints and praise, desperation and hope, and angst and confidence. I believe it is a demonstration of the usual tendency we have towards fear and despair, paired with the practice of countering those things with truth of God and the hope we have in him. This is a necessary practice to add to our repertoire if we want to activate our identities in Christ. We must learn the truths that will counter the lies we believe (and speak them out!); we must remember and rehearse who God is and what he has done for us, and we must encourage our downcast souls with the faith-filled expectation (hope!) that we have in Christ alone. Activation Step: Write your own psalm that follows the format of Psalm 42. (see format below) Be creative and honest and bold. Format: 1. I need you God. (Why? How?) 2. This is my problem and this is how I feel: 3. This is what I remember about you in the past, God: 4. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart sad? (Ask the questions, list the reasons) 5. I will put my hope in God. (Why? How?) 6. I will praise him. (How? Why? For what?) Thank the Lord for what he has done and for what he is teaching you. Ask for his help to learn this prayer strategy and put it into regular use. 7

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Lesson 3 Read Psalm 91 ESV Memory Verse: Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Ps.91: 14-16 ESV Covenantal love. This is no ordinary kind of love, if ever there was such a thing. Covenantal love is rooted in promise and commitment. It is the foundation of both marriage and adoption; for better or for worse we choose to stay, we choose to engage, we choose to love. If you have ever been a party to either of these covenantal relationships, you know how challenging those commitments are, and how fragile they can be. Covenants between people may have divine origins, but only with divine help and intervention can they truly succeed and flourish. The brokenness we carry makes it difficult to live up to our end of the bargain, and hard to withstand the brokenness that inevitably lives within the other person. Our covenantal relationship with God is uniquely different, and uniquely unbreakable because it is the LORD we covenant with. Long before we ever said yes to him, the Lord chose us and extended to us his promise and his commitment. He betrothed himself to us and grafted us in as his own children (Hos. 2:19, Rom. 8:15) first, before we made the choice to come to him. His steadfast love for us is unchanging and his commitment to us remains, regardless of our sins and shortcomings or whether we commit to him in return. But if and when we do commit to him, what he promises us is unimaginably good. Our choosing him back seems to open the floodgates of his goodness and his heart toward us the kind of devotion, protection, and love described in Psalm 91. 9

There is something about our small steps of faith and trust in the Lord that, once taken, release greater reservoirs of faith and trust than we possess on our own. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we have access to his unlimited reserves he adds to what little we have out of his supernatural abundance and generosity. He wants us to lean into him, to commit to him and to submit to his ways, because he knows that is where we are safe, protected, and blessed. Discussion/Journaling Questions: 1. What are some promises that you made during your wedding ceremony? What are some ways the Lord fulfills those same promises to us? 2. We don t usually recite vows to our children when we become parents, but if we did, what would we promise them? What are some ways the Lord fulfills those same promises to us? 3. Imagine you are standing with the Lord today, ready to recite or renew your covenant vows. Search your heart. What do you want to promise him today? We need God s help to fulfill the commitments and promises we make to him ask him for his help for what you ve written down. Thank him for his steadfast love and commitment to you, and ask for a deeper understanding of it. 10

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Lesson 4 Read 1 Thessalonians Memory Verse: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV One of the most vital keys to embracing and celebrating your identity in Christ is learning to live from a place of gratitude. Most believers know this, but many are not able to sustain this posture regularly. The process of cultivating gratitude as a lifestyle is very similar to successfully cultivating any other lifestyle choice, like exercise, eating healthy, or financial responsibility: 1. You have to intentionally choose it. 2. You have to do it often enough for it to first become a habit, then become second nature just a part of who you are and what you do. 3. You will come up against situations (or people!) that will present resistance or obstacles to your goal. You will be seduced by laziness and old habits. How will you respond? You must push through those and keep at it! 4. You must believe the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and that it is worth your effort. 5. You have to choose to adopt it as part of your identity. Let s look at that last element adopting gratitude as part of your identity. People do this kind of thing all the time, unknowingly, with other lifestyle choices they are passionate about. Think of the t-shirts, Facebook posts, bumper stickers, and the like that people use to advertise how this lifestyle has become who they are. Not only that, but often they surround themselves with other like-minded enthusiasts for community and support. Not that we need to advertise our gratitude, per se, but shouldn t we be known and recognized by it in the same 12

way? Shouldn t we also be in community with people who exude thankfulness, and become an encouraging voice ourselves? This is part of what it means to be a light in the darkness, a city on a hill, the salt of the earth. Gratitude shapes us and it shapes the world around us; it offers a higher and truer perspective to difficulty and pain. It orients our hearts and our spirits in the right direction, the direction home the kingdom of God, to which we belong, and to which we are called to lead others. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Discussion/Journaling Questions: 1. List 5 very specific things you are thankful for i.e. rather than my kids or a name of a person, state a specific reason you are thankful for them the more specific, the better. When we take the time to be specific, we move into a deeper, more authentic place of gratitude. 2. Pray through your list, taking time to be quiet in between each item, and listen with your spirit to what the Lord may say. 3. Most lifestyle changes require some level of accountability how will you ensure that gratitude becomes an everyday habit for you? 4. Write a psalm of thanksgiving: Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His steadfast love endures forever! He. 13

His faithfulness endures forever! When I, He. His mercy endures forever! He gave me when I. His steadfast love endures forever! I will praise you, Lord, for, I will praise you Lord, when. In thanksgiving, Lord, I will Your love endures forever! 14

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Lesson 5 Read Matthew 18:15-22 Memory Verse: Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, Not seven times, I tell you, but seventyseven times! Matt. 18:21-22 NET If ever there was a foundational principle for living a life rooted in the identity of Christ, it is forgiveness. Forgiveness is absolutely central to the message of the Gospel both the forgiveness of our sins through Christ s death on the cross, and Jesus call for us to forgive others. When we truly understand that we have been forgiven and take this truth to heart, it brings us tremendous freedom. We no longer live under condemnation and judgment; our slates are wiped clean and we are given the opportunity to begin again. This is true not only when we accept Christ, but it is also true each and every time we sin, repent, and seek his forgiveness. In this way, we are able to live as if we are continually being made new, clean, fresh, and alive because we are! But this is only half the equation. Throughout the New Testament we are commanded to forgive as we have been forgiven. Are we to forgive because God forgave us? Yes that is undeniably clear. But the Bible goes further than that we are told we must forgive in the same way that we have been forgiven. What way is that? God s forgiveness is freely given. We didn t deserve it when we came to Him, and we don t deserve it each time we sin again. We don t earn our forgiveness; neither do we have to pay for it in any way yet it cost Jesus everything to give it to us. We need to forgive 16

others whether we feel they deserve it or not, and when we do, we pay the price. But in doing so, we imitate Christ, just as we are called to do. God s forgiveness is always available. God is always willing to forgive us the posture of His heart towards us never moves from that place. When we ask for His forgiveness, He never refuses it or places conditions upon it. Likewise, we must also choose to be ready and willing to forgive. God s forgiveness keeps no record. That does not mean He forgets our sins in terms of not remembering them; what it does mean is that He does not keep track of them to hold it against us later. Once we are forgiven for an offense, He no longer keeps that offense between Himself and us, and He no longer sees it as being a part of who we are. When we have truly, completely forgiven those who sin against us, we no longer count their offenses against them. God s forgiveness has no statute of limitation or expiration date. It is never too late to ask for God s forgiveness, and our sins cannot exceed the bounds of His forgiveness and grace. This is why Jesus tells Peter he must forgive seventy-seven times, or in some translations, seventy times seven. He means to say we are required to forgive exponentially more than what we consider to be reasonable. God s forgiveness is motivated by love and for the purpose of reconciliation. Hear what Paul says to the Corinthians: So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:17-19 NET) 17

The purpose of Christ s death on the cross, the purpose of the forgiveness of our sins, was to bring us back into right relationship with God. And through His gift of reconciliation to us, we also have received the ministry of reconciliation. Part of what that means is that when we forgive, our goal should also be the restoration of right relationship with the person who has sinned against us. Although that is not possible in every case, it is far more possible than many people will entertain. If we want to become more like Jesus, we must always be willing to extend forgiveness and reconciliation. Discussion/Journaling Questions: 1. Do you struggle with forgiveness? Why or why not? 2. What are some obstacles to forgiveness? 3. Describe a time that you were forgiven or were not forgiven what was that like? What results followed for you, in your experience? 4. Is there someone you are struggling to forgive right now? Why is it difficult? (If you are in a small group, you need not disclose the person s identity.) 5. Have you experienced reconciliation after forgiveness? If so, describe. If not, what do you imagine it might be like? Thank the Lord for His forgiveness. If there is anything you need to confess, tell Him about it. Tell Him you are sorry, and ask for His forgiveness now. Ask for His help in forgiving others, and for His help in bringing restoration to broken relationships. 18

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Lesson 6 Read 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 NET: For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. Every believer aiming to live a life of freedom and wholeness needs to know about strongholds and tearing them down. Strongholds are spiritual fortresses of oppression and bondage built upon foundational lies we believe about ourselves and about God. There is usually a root lie we believe, one that enters in and is accepted as a result of an emotional wound. Further experiences of disappointment and hurt reinforce that lie until it becomes a stronghold something very deep and powerful that we are not aware of, but inevitably governs how we live and perceive life. Most of us have many of these strongholds, and they are often hard to identify by ourselves, since we are unaware and deceived by the lies in the first place. Strongholds can only be destroyed by the power of God, with his divine weaponry. But these are no secret weapons. God does not intend for us to walk into battle unarmed. He has given us what we need to not just remove strongholds, but to demolish them. What are these divine weapons? The armor of God! (Eph. 6: 10-17) God gives us His armor to clothe ourselves with what will protect us and define who we are. When we put on the armor of God, we are wearing our identity on the outside, so that others especially the enemy will recognize to whom we belong: The helmet of salvation, to protect our heads: we know we are saved, redeemed, and given the mind of Christ through His death and resurrection. 20

The breastplate of righteousness, to protect our hearts: we have been made clean and holy through the blood of Jesus, and we have become the dwelling place of God Himself. The shoes fitted with the Gospel of peace, to equip and enable us: our feet have been properly outfitted to carry out His work, ready to run the race set before us with the message that God is good, that He loves us, and in Him we find our strength and rest. The shield of faith, our ultimate protection: we carry with us our belief that God is who He says He is, and we can cover ourselves or anyone else with the assurance that He alone is our strength and our shield. The belt of truth, to wrap around our most vulnerable areas: we protect ourselves knowing that God is the only source of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth lives inside us. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: we carry with us the only offensive weapon we need, and as the Word became flesh on our behalf, we also have now become vessels of the Living Word ourselves! Once we are properly outfitted for battle, we can go about tearing down our strongholds but first, we need to identify what they are. 21

Discussion/Journaling Activation Steps: 1. Take some time to seek the Lord about lies you might believe. Ask him to show you an area of hurt, bitterness, unforgiveness, or shame that has a lie connected to it. Once you are aware of the lie, write it down. 2. Confess to the Lord that you have believed this lie, and tell him that you choose to come out of agreement with it. Reject the lie in Jesus name out loud. It is helpful if you are able to pray with someone else who will agree with you in prayer. If you are journaling (and even if you re not), it would be good to write this and all additional steps as well. 3. Ask for the Father s forgiveness for believing this lie instead of his truth. 4. Counter the lie you believed by confessing God s truth again, this is best if you speak it out loud, and with a prayer partner to agree with you. You may need to look up Scripture if you are not aware of the truth, and/or ask your prayer partner for guidance in this area. 5. Thank the Lord for revealing the lie and the truth, and for the freedom he has won for you. Believe it. Receive it. Demolishing strongholds is often not a one-and-done process you will need to reject the lies and speak the truths over yourself regularly until you know the truths have taken root in your heart. This is how you become transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Rom. 12:2) 22

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Lesson 7 My dear children, let s not just talk about love; let s practice real love. This is the only way we ll know we re living truly, living in God s reality. It s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that s taken care of and we re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we re bold and free before God! We re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:18-24 MSG As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are called to love and be loved; to know His love and be known by it. That means others should recognize God s love by its effect on our lives, and they should be able to experience the love of God through us. An encounter with us should lead others into an encounter of God s love for them. That s a pretty big charge but it is, in fact, a command. In this last lesson, we will look briefly at 3 ways to fulfill this command, although it is important to remember this is really a lifelong discovery and process. Still, if we want to live in freedom and wholeness, we must choose to love intentionally, outwardly, and regularly. First and foremost, we must choose to lavish our love on the Father and receive His lavish love for us. As with any good relationship, loving the Father means we devote ourselves, our time, and our energy to cultivating and deepening our relationship with Him. Setting aside quiet time to pray and listen to His voice, to praise and worship Him in song and through journaling, and inviting His presence throughout the day in whatever we are doing are some ways to show our love 24

for Him. We also must devote ourselves to being able to receive His love for us, to continually seek it until we find it in all situations. We must learn to receive it, believe it, feel it, and respond. Second, we are to love others the way Jesus does. For most of us, this requires a shift in how we give, receive, and even perceive love. We should be seeing people around us through the eyes of the Father, and loving them from our renewed hearts. When we are grounded in the Father s love and we choose to love others intentionally, there is a greater depth of love and intimacy in relationships available to us because we are secure in the love of our Father: We can love more freely and freely accept the love others have to give if we are less afraid of their rejection. We can freely receive love from others if we are free from unrealistic expectations that they will meet the needs only God can meet. We can be less afraid if we are confident that, no matter what happens in our relationships here on earth, we can run to our heavenly Father at any point and receive all the love we could ever need. This not only gives us greater potential to love our friends and family better, but it also equips us to love others outside our own circles loving our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus calls us to do. Finally, as the verses above describe, we are called to love ourselves. Loving ourselves as sons and daughters is not a selfcentered version of self-love; it is something much different. It has more to do with having respect and value for ourselves because we recognize to Whom we belong if the Father deems us worthy of love, so should we. If the Father has compassion on us when we are hurting or when we fail, so 25

should we. We should look upon ourselves and treat ourselves with kindness. If we have been chosen and adopted by our Father, it is no longer appropriate for us to recite self-defeating mantras, allow ourselves to be engulfed in shame, or otherwise treat ourselves more harshly than we would treat a friend. For most of us, the idea of loving ourselves is awkward, uncomfortable, and even feels wrong yet, done within these parameters, it is a hallmark of emotional and spiritual wholeness. Learning how to love like Jesus and thrive under the banner of His love is no easy task, but it is a pursuit that will bring joy and healing like nothing else! The more you feel loved, the more you will love. And the more you love, the more, the greater, the deeper you will be able to give and receive the Father s love. His love has no end! Discussion/Journaling Questions: 1. What is something you can do (that you are not already doing) to show the Father you love Him? 2. Do you have trouble receiving the Father s love for you? Why or why not? In what way or situation do you need a greater measure of God s love? 3. How can you love others more or better? Think of those in your inner and outer circles, and those outside your circles how do they (and the love we show them) differ? 4. Do you love yourself and your life? Why or why not? What are some areas in which you need God s help to love yourself? Thank the Lord for His love for you and express your love for Him. Ask for His help to love God, yourself, and others more than you do right now. 26

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