The most dangerous thing about self-deception is that when we’re operating in it, we don’t even know that we’re being deceived. Failing to be true to what we believe is right causes us to rationalize and make excuses. Deceiving ourselves causes a disturbance in us that we can’t reconcile, because deep down inside, we know exactly what we should do. Fooling ourselves in this manner results in spiritual blindness us to the truth. The best way to avoid this trap is to follow through and live the Word of grace after hearing it; this powerfully internalizes the truth as it is now.

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Feeling like we’re inadequate causes us to focus solely on ourselves instead of on God, and brings us into self-effort to try to improve ourselves. We’re delivered from this emotion through our belief in Jesus Christ and our dependence on Him. The world has plenty of “solutions” for the negative emotions associated with condemnation, but trusting in and relying on Jesus is the only permanent one.

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Change is necessary for growth, and if we’ve been born again, our own lives should demonstrate transformation. Others should be able to look at us and notice some type of difference or alternate route taken as a result of our Christian walk. Yielding to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and beginning to think in line with Him begins changing our lives radically. Letting God direct and guide us as we change is similar to the metamorphosis a caterpillar undergoes in becoming a butterfly. When we cooperate with Christ in this process, our lives will be totally different and unrecognizable from what they were previously.

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When we get born again, we receive a new nature and become as perfect and flawless in God’s eyes as Jesus, Himself. God sees everyone who has accepted Christ as completely righteous. However, we’ll still continue falling short and committing sinful acts while on our Christian journey. The difference between the old and the new is that God no longer holds our sins against us because our old, sinful selves have died. We’re not what we do, and we don’t become sinners again when we sin; our new identity is based in Jesus, not in Adam.

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The coming year will be a pivotal point for Christians. The changes it will bring will include a split within the church in which people fall away from the faith and their love will grow cold. There will be plenty of slander, conflict, and offense, and people will compromise their values; however, we’ll recover from that. On a global level, governments will team up and become allies in preparation for the anti-Christ, whose mission it will be to destroy God’s church; on a personal level, there will be a vicious attack on our souls, in which the devil will try to get us to question our righteousness in Christ. However, our identity is based not on what we do, but on what Jesus did; standing firm on this in the midst of Satan’s attacks keeps us spiritually safe.

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God wants to empower us. Specifically, He wants us to be able to break free from addictions, cravings, and lasciviousness. Submitting to a change in identity—from who the world tells us we are to who Christ says we are—delivers us from addictive behavior. Seeing ourselves the way God sees us through Jesus changes our thinking, which subsequently changes what we do. Looking to Christ is the only way to find freedom from our sins.

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Being conscious of our sins is not the way God wants us to live. By contrast, being aware of how God sees us in Christ—innocent and free—lets us focus on our righteousness. We are forgiven because Jesus has dealt with our sin. We are not what we do; bad behavior does not separate a person from God, but rather the sinful nature of a person before they get born again. Living under the law always creates guilt and self-condemnation for failing in our self-efforts to perform good enough to please God; by comparison, living under grace redefines our identity. It restores us to the fact that He originally created us as righteous, blameless, and holy. Believing that God decided to make us just like Him even before the beginning of time keeps us anchored in our true identity when the world bombards us with messages to the contrary.

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What we focus on dramatically impacts the quality of our lives. An awareness of sin, and the shame and guilt it brings, comes from the knowledge of the law. It causes believers to see themselves as unworthy and condemned because of their failures, and makes them think they must work to get into heaven. By comparison, being aware that we are innocent comes from knowing that Jesus has redeemed us and made us righteous. We will never experience the freedom grace brings if we remain conscious of our sins. Jesus, who is perfect and flawless, went to the cross and exchanged His perfection and righteousness for our imperfections and sinfulness. Choosing to be in Christ therefore empowers us to walk in the Spirit and frees us from all condemnation.

To support the ministry financially, text "CDMPodcast" to 74483 or visit www.worldchangers.org.