New every morning

There’s something unique about being a Bible-based Christian that gives us great hope even in the most difficult of times. Inwardly, we are made new every morning.

It’s as if we have a fresh start every day, no matter what has happened in our lives.

On the inside

OK, so we don’t always feel different, or even look that different – unless we know that, on the inside, the regenerated spirit has been given a brand new start.

Plus, the same challenges present themselves as yesterday – the difference being that we face them with renewed hope, knowing that we are given a brand new opportunity to overcome difficulties we may face.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

The inward man is the spirit of a person. In this instance the word ‘man’ refers to a person rather than male or female. Our spirit has been made alive to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once, before we were saved, our spirit was dead to God, but is revived through accepting God’s free offer of salvation (Rom.10:9). His grace is His favour and He has offered it to us (Eph.2:8). Those of us who are born again have accepted the gift.

We became a new creation in Christ. A brand new species of being, if you like. Everything in our past was wiped away, and a new life to look forward to was granted. We had a better future built on better promises.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Well, when we received Jesus as Lord nothing outwardly seemed to immediately change, and our thoughts and feelings, our senses, were not apparently altered.

That’s because, initially, we were changed inwardly. Our spirit came alive to God, and a spirit alive to God affects everything about us. God gave us a new spirit and a new heart.

We suddenly had access to all of God’s promises through faith in Jesus. We were aware on the inside of His presence and involvement in our lives. We were literally and completely changed on the inside.

This, subsequently, changes our outward person. We are empowered to take authority and control over our senses, our emotions, our passions, our feelings, and our responses.

We are no longer led by our human nature but by the spirit, in line with the Holy Spirit who enters our life at the new birth.

He leads us by the spirit within and through the direction of the Word of God, which we can now understand because our spirit has come alive to the things of God.

Renewed

So, day by day our spirit is renewed. Whatever took place yesterday is history. It is gone. We cannot do much about what has already taken place, good or bad. However, we can influence our future.

When we realise that God gives us a fresh start every morning we can persuade the whole person to come alive on a daily basis and face the world with courage, grace, confidence and hope.

Those challenges ahead are met with faith rather than fear. We walk towards that mountain ahead knowing that it will be cast into the sea if we speak to it and we truly believe it will be gone.

And, as a bonus, God’s tender mercies are new every morning also. He is right there with us in daily renewal leading us into victory.

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”

Lamentations 3:22-24