Jesus is alive and everything has changed.

“But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.””

Matthew 28:5-7 NKJV

The fact that Jesus is alive, that He is risen, should change everything about us. When we understand that He is alive, we understand that we can finally truly live. Our hearts, full of Him, can know a completely reconciled and redeemed relationship with God The Father, the creator of the heavens and the earth. We can be completely forgiven and completely free of sin. Our response to what Jesus has done, which is the grace of God, is faith…and when we have that faith in Christ Jesus, we have risen with Him, and everything has changed.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV

As we understand our place in Him, our minds are changed. We repent from where we were heading and we go God’s way. By His Word, our thoughts will be established.

“Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.”

Proverbs 16:3 NKJV

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:2 NKJV

We learn from Romans 12:2 that our minds must be renewed that we may prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, my mind must be changed. God wants us to know His will and He wants others to know His will through us. This means a complete change in the way we see things, our decisions, our lifestyle, the way we talk and the way we treat others. It means a complete change in what we agree with. The ways of the world are contrary to the ways of God, and when we are transformed, we walk and talk in agreement with God’s ways.

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

James 4:4 NKJV

“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.””

II Corinthians 6:16 NKJV

We need to remember whose we are and what has changed. When we know that everything has changed in our born again spirits, we can begin to be led by The Holy Spirit and walk in victory over the flesh.

“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

II Corinthians 5:15-17 NKJV

Ok, so what is this ‘everything’ that has changed? Well, according to II Corinthians 5, it’s ALL things. Let’s take a look specifically at some of those things…

1. A born again Christian is forgiven of all of their sins…past, present and future. Therefore, since we are forgiven, we are no longer considered ‘sinners’ by God.

“But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.”

Hebrews 10:15-18 NKJV

“who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 1:3 NKJV

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

I John 2:2 NKJV

Propitiation in the original language is the word Hilasmos which means : an appeasing, atonement, that is, (concretely) an expiator.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

I John 4:10 NKJV

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 NKJV

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

Luke 6:32-36 NKJV

2. Obedience is no longer an external fleshly attempt to be considered righteous, but a faith response from the one that has been made righteous and lives according to love.

We’re no longer trying to keep the law. We are living out the law of God by love. Jesus fulfilled the law, He is living in us, and when we die to our flesh and abundantly live in Him, we supernaturally naturally walk in obedience.

“But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,””

Hebrews 10:15-16 NKJV

““If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

John 14:15 NKJV

3. Love is a person from which we freely receive to freely give. Our source is never ending, and therefore we are never tapped out.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

I John 4:7-11 NKJV

'Love' underlined in this verse is the word Agape in the original language which means:

a love feast.

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Romans 5:5 NKJV

4. Our money mentality goes from give me to get me to give to Him to get to them, knowing that He gives to us.

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

I John 3:17 NKJV

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

"Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

II Corinthians 9:6-7, 10-11 NKJV

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

I Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV

Kingdom finances = Hands Out Hands Full, Hands Closed Low Flow. It’s God's will that we prosper to provide.

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

III John 1:2 NKJV

5. Our priority is Papa because Papa has made us His priority.

“We love Him because He first loved us.”

I John 4:19 NKJV

"“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV

When we make God our priority, He’ll make our priorities His.

Go Boldly,

Joshua David Brawner

The Word, The Pen, and The Mic.