This month people like to talk about new decisions, new resolutions, etc., but I would like to discuss new beginnings!
As we all are aware, there is a brand new beginning for everyone who makes Jesus the Lord of their lives for the first time.
“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
Look at how the Passion Translation reads . . .
“Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 TPT
We find out in verse 21 that that new creature, that entirely new person, is made, manufactured or created as the righteousness of God in Jesus!
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
Glory to God!
To be truly successful as a believer, you MUST understand that you are not “just a forgiven sinner.” When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are no longer any kind of “sinner.” That is no longer your identity. That is not WHO you are!
“But Brother Weeter, I thought the Bible said that if we say we have no sin or that we have not sinned, that we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” It does say just exactly that and that is the meat of what the Holy Spirit has directed for this letter.
Let’s look at those verses . . .
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:8, 10 KJV
As is the case a lot of times, the key is in the details! Go back and read 2 Corinthians 5:21 again. You will notice that Jesus (in being our substitute) was made to BE sin. Before accepting Jesus and His sacrifice, we WERE sin. Our very nature was sin! Now, look again at! 1 John 1:8.
“If we say that we HAVE no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” – 1 John 1:8 KJV
Sin is no longer WHO we are but we deceive ourselves if we don’t think that we DO sin from time to time. Therefore, in doing sin, we HAVE sin.
Allow me to illustrate. In praying over this letter, the Lord reminded me of a vision He gave to Brother Kenneth Copeland a number of years ago. In this vision, Brother Copeland saw a pipe about 3” in diameter as I recall. The pipe was aimed toward him and the opening was just a little ways from his face. Out of the near end of the pipe was a very small, misty type spray hitting his face. Just enough of a spray to be irritating really. When he looked at the other end however, there was a gushing torrent of water flooding into that end of the pipe!
When Brother Copeland inquired of the Lord as to the meaning of the vision, the Lord told him the pipe was the human spirit. The gushing torrent of water into the far end of the pipe was all the power, all the manifestations of the BLESSING, all of the everything ever needed for that person. The reason only a very, very small spray was getting through was because the pipe was clogged up with strife and unforgiveness!
In light of what we just saw earlier regarding “being” versus “having,” I want to point out that the “clog” of strife and unforgiveness did not BECOME the pipe! The clog was merely hanging onto the inside of the pipe. At this point, the pipe HAS a clog!
We can see this clearly also in Jesus’ teaching about worries and cares, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things in Mark 4:18-19.
“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” – Mark 4:18-19 KJV
You will notice the words “entering in.” When these things enter into your pipe (your spirit man), they clog things up and you won’t see the manifestations of the BLESSING nor will you experience the level of power in your life that you should. These unrighteous things simply clog things up!
BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS!!
There are new beginnings available for believers too! Let’s go back over to 1 John.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 KJV
If we look up that word “confess” in a concordance, we find that it is covenant acknowledgement and giving thanks. What are we acknowledging about our covenant regarding sin? That He is faithful and just to forgive our sin AND that He cleans our pipe! He cleanses us from ALL those unrighteous clogs!
That leaves us right back where we were the moment we got born again! Now, once again, we are the righteousness of God and nothing but the righteousness of God with full flow capacity!
As we move into 2023, I really want to impress upon you to take some time and go before the Lord and ask Him to show you any sin, any unrighteousness clogs, that you need to repent of, confess your covenant acknowledgement about and get your pipe all cleaned out!
One of the Words from the Lord concerning 2023 is that “it will be as good as it CAN be.” The Lord placed the emphasis on “CAN.” One of the ways you increase how good it CAN be in your life is to open up the flow of power through your pipe!
As you do, for you and your family, you will be able to boldly decree, “2023 is a year of victory for me!”