“Cast away all the transgressions that you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.” Ezekiel 18:31

I share this verse to demonstrate God’s desire for us to be set apart from the world, the flesh, and the devil. He longs for us to be holy in spirit and healthy in mind. And to take the members of our bodies and place them under God's subjection.

Isn't it a wonderful thing that God enables us to turn from our sin? He wants each of us to live a life full of joy and be free from the bondage that Satan chains us to.

I love the phrase, “get yourself a new heart and a new spirit.” A new heart and a new spirit is the beautiful gift that only Jesus Christ can give us. And He does that through the redeeming power of His blood.

Choose today to accept that gift. Choose each moment of the day to accept that gift that comes to us with no cost. Refuse the chains of Satan, which cost us everything and stops us from really living. I am reminded of the scene in Van Helsing's Frankenstein where he came to know the Word of God and he shouts, “I don't want to die! I want to live!” I see this as a picture of myself. Freed from my evil capture, and now I want to live!

As I journey through healing and recovery, thoughts of giving up enter my mind from time to time. And that's when I hear the voice of Satan telling me, "This is who you are and who you will always be!"

My identity is not in my past – I'm a new man in Christ! My identity is in the promises of God. I like what C.S. Lewis said, "The past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays." Why should I continue to mourn over that which I hated? The way I see it, my future is looking pretty bright and powerfully blessed as I walk in the confidence that God's word gives me daily. How can I fail in this healing if God is for me and not against me?

Today, I rejoice that I have been set free from my past and unchained from the old man's nature. When I stop and think how many times I let the grief for the old nature draw me back, it sickens me. No longer will I miss or mourn the flesh that once ran so prevalent in me, but I choose to rejoice in the blood that has washed me clean!

I'm reminded of a time when God offered the children of Israel a huge choice in order to overcome 40 years of wilderness living. He said, "I am giving you the choice between life and death." In the very same way, God put the same deal on the table for me. For over 40 years I wandered in my wounds, but now I am walking in the victory found only in God's healing.

You too can be renewed in your mind and choose life. May you walk in freedom today and accept the new life that God offers. We serve a big God and we worship a loving God! This is why I can say, "I want to live abundantly in 2025!"

If you are under the bondage of addiction or the burden of hurts, then join us on Mondays @ 6pm for Celebrate Recovery as we offer hope to anyone struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-up.

Happy New Year,

Mark Lauer