|New Year, New Me|

By Melody Mohnhaupt

I don't mean to be too cliche, but this morning I just began thinking about what a great opportunity this day is for us as Christians. New years eve is a day where people say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. We make resolutions for ourselves. "This year I want to lose weight", "I want to travel", "I want to...", The list goes on and on. But this year, how about making your new years resolution this: "This year I want to truly make Jesus the Lord of my life!" 

     

Sometimes when we go through a transformation in our hearts and grow closer to The Lord, there are things we no longer want to partake of. Almost every aspect of our life changes (or at least it should). As born again Christians when we come to God we are not just believers, but we are to be REBORN into a new version of ourselves. In Gal. 2:20 it says:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet NOT I, BUT CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

  

Is Jesus the one that makes your decisions in life? Is He the one that has your heart before any other? Is He the one that is influencing the person that you grow into each day? If there has never been that dying to yourself to allow Jesus Christ to be LORD of your life, you might need to take a step back and reexamine your walk.

But back to what I was saying, with this day comes an extra opportunity. It is hard sometimes when we go through a transformation in heart to show others who have known the old us just what we have transformed into. Whether it's your family, or your friends, or your coworkers, whoever, when they have known you and what you were really like, it is sometimes difficult for them to see you change all of the sudden. And for you, I know it's hard to SHOW how you've changed. For me personally, going through that change more and more each day, there all new things that convict my heart. To be honest, it's tough for me to tell my friends that I've known for so long and partaken with in certain things that, "oh, I don't like doing that anymore". And no matter when God brings you those convictions we much be faithful to them.

     

But for those who have just gone though that transformation or if you never really have and don't know how, now is a chance! Don't get me wrong, every moment of everyday is a new chance that we should be taking, but this is just an extra break. 

Everyone is transforming and making changes in their life. What better change to make than this one? And the next time you are faced with a situation that brings that conviction and you are strong and do not partake, people are going to probably ask, "why not?" And you can say, "This year I've decided to fully give my heart to God. He is now Lord of my life. Because I love him so much, and his word says, 'if you love me you will keep my commandments', I want to make sure that's exactly what I do. I don't want to displease him anymore, but rather show him just how much I love him by obeying him".

Don't let another day go by without confessing His name. Every time you partake of something that brings shame to our Lord you are denying Him. You are not being bold enough to do his will. That is a scary thing because in Matthew 10:32-33 says: 

³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Be bold and strong sisters! Make that change in your life! Never deny The Lord! Now is a great opportunity! I hope you take this all to heart. God bless you!             

~Melody Mohnhaupt

To learn more about Melody: visit http://becomingesther.org/becoming-esther-international/united-states/