At the moment you receive the gift of salvation, your standing before the Father is recast forever. Cloaked in the righteousness of His Son, you are adopted into the family of God.
The influence of your old life loses its power as you surrender it to the Lord. Under the Holy Spirit's guidance, you are placed on the path of sanctification ... a lifelong transformative process that recreates you into His likeness.
It becomes the very essence of your 'walk of faith'. Scripture speaks of three areas where change takes place ...
LOVE ... Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us. (Ephesians 5:1-2) We are to put into practice that which we have witnessed in the life of Jesus. Empowered by the Holy Spirit to imitate His loving nature, evidence that you are a genuine believer is revealed. By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)
LIGHT ... For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8) This is not to make you dwell on hurtful thoughts of your past ... but to remember what darkness was like. Your deliverance from the 'blindness' associated with a life without Christ will cause you to treasure His glorious 'light'. (Amazing Grace ... I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see).
WISDOM ... See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16) Your new-found wisdom concerning this life's spiritual battlefield must be utilized. Every day should be seen as an opportunity to serve the Lord ... but with total awareness that there is an adversary who seeks to keep you from it.
When your flesh gets in the way, the enemy tempts you to doubt the goodness and sufficiency of God's path. Abiding in Christ is crucial to your steadfastness as you walk in His way.
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