“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, KJV)

Dear Friend,

Today, I’m sharing with you how God took me from being a prisoner of my circumstances and emotions—struggling and miserable—to thriving in my faith. And it all stems from understanding how much God loves me, which led to realizing the truth about who I am in Christ. If you didn’t have a chance to watch or read last week’s teaching on God’s love, I encourage you to check it out. It’s the foundation for our thriving Christian life!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BORN AGAIN?

When you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, then you become saved (Rom. 10:9), or born again. Jesus explains this in John 3 if you want to learn more. The word ‘saved’ in Greek means to save, deliver or protect, heal, and make whole. God’s salvation is available for all mankind (Rom. 10:13, 1 Tim. 2:4), as long as they make Jesus their Lord (through the two simple—but powerful—steps we just outlined). Believe and confess.

Once someone is saved, they receive the benefits of God’s salvation in heaven and for their life on earth. Let’s look at each of the words contained in our salvation and how they can impact your earthly life.

• Saved—eternal life with God in heaven, and saved from sin, death, or anything that’s holding you back or harming you (Rom. 8:1-2, Lu. 4:18-19, 10:19, Jhn. 3:15-17)

• Delivered – from anything that’s holding you captive as a prisoner or that makes you feel powerless and defeated (Lu. 4:18-19, Ps. 34:19, 1 Cor. 15:57)

• Protected – from all harm, corruption, and destruction that was caused when sin entered the world (2 Pe. 1:2-4, Ps. 91)

• Healed – physical, mental, and emotional healing (1 Pe. 2:24, Ps. 23:3)

• Made whole – in any area of your life that feels broken or like you’re suffering (3 Jhn. 1:2, 1 Th. 5:23, 2 Cor. 8:9)

God is in the business of restoring lives on earth! But these things don’t happen on accident or by osmosis. It requires faith—a sincere, believing heart—and patient endurance. We don’t see these changes in our life overnight, but it is progressive. As we continue to walk out these truths over time in our mind and actions, then we will see the benefits of our faith in every area.

Believe me, after I got clean from drug addiction, I wanted my growth to be overnight. I was in so much mental, emotional, and financial turmoil that if I could’ve wished my life back to normal, then I wished it a million times. With God’s love and time, He helped me face the inner pain and difficult consequences I faced.

If God can take someone like me, pick me up, dust me off, and love me into His wholeness and salvation—and restore me back to His original plan and purpose for my life—then how could He not do this for anyone and everyone else. He is the God of love—not just to Erin—but to everyone who’s willing to believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, in every area of our life. Is Jesus the Lord of your health? Your relationships? Your finances? If not, this must become our identity—as loved, victorious children of God. We are no longer bound by our past, our circumstances, or our feelings, but we are new in Christ. We have everything we need to live a victorious life.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3-4, ESV)

If God can heal and restore my life, then the God of love and peace can do it for you—for every area.

Friend, let’s invite Him right now into any area in your life that may need His saving power, and open your heart to how the Holy Spirit wants to guide you today. He is here and He is ready to love you into a greater level of wholeness, peace, and joy.

I pray that this letter—from my heart to yours—will help you and strengthen you in your journey. I pray that it would enlighten the eyes of your heart and give you a sturdy stone to step on in your path forward with Jesus.

YOU ARE A NEW CREATION

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP), “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].”

If you’re saved, then your old moral and spiritual condition is gone, and now your spirit is identical to Jesus’ spirit. Your spirit is perfect, righteous, and truly holy!

I know it doesn’t usually feel this way immediately, which is why we have to use faith. We must use faith to know, understand, and relate to God, and to rely on the truth about who we are in Christ. Faith will always be the key to living the victorious Christian life (Eph. 2:8, Col. 2:6-7).

You are no longer the sum of your past or your choices. You are brand new in Christ, and there's a bright future in store for you. No matter what's happened, you can start living in this new reality today, redeem the time you have left, and make the most of it with God's restoring power!

SPIRIT, SOUL & BODY

You have three parts to you—you aren't just a body! The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NET), “Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I see from this verse that you have a spirit, soul, and body, and that God cares about each area. In fact, He wants to make each area you whole, completely holy, and entirely blameless for when Jesus Christ returns for His church.

Your spirit is the part of you that gets born again, or saved, when you believe in Jesus. This is the truest part of you where the resurrection power of God resides, and this is the part of you that will live on for eternity.

Your soul is your mind, will, emotions, and it’s in this place where you have perspective and make choices. Your soul is formed over the course of your lifetime and can change and fluctuate with time, experiences, education, and influence.

And of course, your body, which is meant to be a tremendous blessing to your life. It is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and it houses both your spirit and your soul. When Jesus comes back, your body will pass away, and your spirit will go on to be with the Lord.

SOUL PROSPERITY = LIFE PROSPERITY

If God wants every area of your life to be whole and blameless, then how on earth do we get there!?

Third John 1:2 (NKJV) says, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

God’s will and desire is that we would prosper and be in health in every area of our life—but it’s to the degree that our soul is prospering.

Soul prosperity comes from mind renewal—understanding who God is and acknowledging the truth about you are in the spirit (your new identity in Christ).

“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” (Philemon 1:6, KJV)

Your faith becomes effective and impacts every area of your life when you acknowledge all the good things in you in Christ!

As you do this daily, moment by moment, you’re drawing the truth about who you are in the spirit and bringing the resurrection life, power, and promises of Christ it into your soul, body, and every other area—your health, finances, and relationships. This is how we see and experience God’s salvation in our lives on earth.

Your life becomes an amazing testimony of God's blessings and goodness to everyone around you.

A LIFE OF PROMISES

If there’s an area in your life that’s struggling, then the Word has a remedy that will bring you into God’s fullness and restoration. All we have to do is:

• Know what the Word says so we know what Jesus paid for us to have—what’s rightfully ours as sons and daughters of God

• Renew our mind that the Word is the truth (not what we feel or see in our body and emotions)

• When trials come to test our faith, trust God and His Word above all else, and stand on His truth

• Cultivate patient, enduring faith and you will see God’s promises fulfilled in your life

Remember, the Word of God is the ultimate truth (Jhn. 17:17)—not what we see, feel, or experience on a daily basis.

All of God’s promises are already yours and you contain them in your spirit. As you renew your mind with the truth and consistently spend time with God, softening your heart in His presence, Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth and all of God’s precious promises because your soul will prosper more and more. It's not up to you to bear fruit—it's only up to you to abide in the Vine (Jhn. 15). Abide in God, and He'll take care of the rest.

If you're ready to walk in your new identity in Christ, then pray this prayer with me:

"Father, thank you for Jesus and my new identity in Christ. Guide me into Your truth, so I can acknowledge all the amazing things I already have in Christ. I fix my eyes and heart on You, and invite You to lead me, as the Lord of my life, to victory in every area. May my life bring you praise and glory. In Jesus' name. Amen."

In our next Bible study, we’ll talk more about mind renewal from Hello, New You Chapter 2, and how this powerful principle will prove God’s perfect will in your life. Join us live every Tuesday on YouTube at 5:30PM MT!

I pray that you’re growing in revelation knowledge about the truth of who you are in Christ and resting in His perfect love for you.

Love you,
Erin

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