In Ephesians 4:24(NLT), God tells us, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Our new nature was created when we became born-again. Before this wonderful rebirth, we had an old nature, and it was carnal. In other words, our old nature was one of being consumed with the flesh or consumed with what our bodies want and crave. At the point of our biological births, we were perhaps born with a clean slate, so to speak. As we grew and developed physically, mentally, and emotionally, that slate was crammed with programming; much of it isn’t good for the soul. We picked up bad habits like uncontrolled television watching, poor diets; and addictions to violence, celebrity worship, technological devices, gambling, pornography, etc., the list goes on.
The cumulative effect of these bad habits is a nature that is at odds against what God intended for us. Romans 8:7(NLT) tells us, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” This verse states that a flesh-oriented or carnal mind is an enemy of God. He then goes on to tell us in His Word why exactly this is. A carnal mind is not focused on the laws and matters of God. The amazing piece of knowledge that He tells us here is that the carnal mind cannot be subjected or subservient to God’s Word and Will.
That’s a pretty amazing piece of information to dissect when you think about it. Heavenly Father drew the proverbial line in the sand, and divided for us a very distinct difference between our bodies and our spirits. We are three part beings, spirit, soul, and body. None of these are the same; they are all distinct and have different functions. The body is the temple of God and it houses our spirits and souls. The mistake that most of us make is to allow the body—the flesh to govern our decisions and choices. God never intended the body to hold a governance role. Governing life is a spiritual role and responsibility: this is the way God created things to work. Romans 8:6 (NIV) confirms this truth and tells us, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
When we become born again, our spirits are regenerated. They were dead before our new-birth reality, but through Jesus Christ they become new. 2Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Our bodies do not become new. We have the same face, hands, legs, and organs we had before we gave our lives to Christ. Our souls are still the same, because we have the same personality as we had before. The transformation that occurs through the new birth is a spiritual one. We come into consciousness regarding our true identity; the identity that God has given us, not the one we have forged through the world’s programming.
The Lord knew us before we were even born. We are predestined. Romans 8:29 (NLT) tells us, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Jesus Christ is our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Friend, and Big Brother—he’s our everything! We share the same eternal inheritance as Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:11(NLT) says, “11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
Because of Jesus Christ, our names have been written in the Book of life. Just as there are books written within the earth’s realm, there are books in the Kingdom of Heaven. David spoke of the Book of Life in Psalms 69:28 (NLT). Regarding his enemies, he wrote, “Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.” If your name is not written in the Book of Life, you will not enter the gates of heaven.
There is also a book in heaven that contains our destinies. God does not move us around like puppets, but He is intimately familiar with every detail of our lives. He knows what we need before we need it. He knows what we are going to do before we do it. The bible tells us that even the very hairs on our heads are numbered. We can never think that we are here to walk around without purpose. We serve an on-purpose God that has created an on-purpose people, because we were created in His image.
Knowing this should inspire us to walk in our destinies every day. From the time we open our eyes in the morning, we should be asking God how He wishes to employ us according to His agenda in the earth. Our lives mean the most to God. He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. Before we made him Lord, we walked around with a dead spirit. Now we can rejoice, because Jesus Christ flipped the ‘ON’ button in our consciousness.
1 Corinthians 2:7-9 (NLT)
7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
There are millions of Christ replicas walking the earth. We’ve got a mission. We’re ambassadors for Christ, and God has things for us to do. 1 Corinthians 2:7-9 tells us that if the devil had known that this would be the end result of God’s plan, he would never have crucified Christ. This is how amazing God’s plan is for us. Our destiny as His sons and daughters is awesome, and as we walk in it we will witness the power, love, and strength that He has given us. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Walking In Your Destiny” written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2017. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.