HOW TO LIVE THE NEW LIFE WITH JESUS
Exchange bad thoughts for Jesus’ Spirit:
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Our thoughts can determine our life. Before we know Jesus, our minds are filled with thoughts that steal our energy, hope, security, confidence, love, and power. “I hate my job,” “I don’t know how to talk to people,” “I’ll never have enough money,” “That person I went on a date with was arrogant,” “I’m never going to feel better,” “I’ll always be a failure,” and on and on. Fact: Every single one of these thoughts is a lie.
You might scoff at this claim and say, “No, I do hate my job. You don’t know how miserable it is.” But the truth is, we’re all born with a sinful nature that’s wired to feel hatred and ceaselessly searches for objects to direct hatred toward, whether it’s circumstances, other people, or ourselves. This hatred wants to be justified.
Of course, if we have a job that’s not aligned with our interests and skills, it won’t be an optimal situation. But once hatred itself loses its force, even a job that has friction with our design won’t be nearly as awful as we believed. Jesus’ peace and joy cause us to see life with a completely different perspective, so much so that we become thankful for the things we experience, even if they previously appeared objectively unpleasant.
Jesus’ peace and joy bloom inside us through His Spirit, and His Spirit lives within us as soon as we receive Him as our God and Savior. Our moments become increasingly permeated with the Holy Spirit when we meet Him on common ground, whether through thinking about Jesus or His words in Scripture, by talking with Jesus as naturally as we would with someone in an intimate relationship, or by having faith that Jesus’ Spirit will flow through us because He made us that promise. In this way, we will know the truth and it will set us free.