Living From the New Life Within

Salvation is about much more than having our sins forgiven—it is about receiving a completely new life in Christ. The Christian life is not primarily about trying harder to become a better version of ourselves, but learning to live from the new life God has already placed within us.

In this teaching, we explore the difference between the finished work of the new birth and the ongoing process of renewing our minds. We look at spirit, soul, and body, what it means to find our identity in Christ, and how Romans 6 teaches us that sin may still tempt us, but it no longer has the right to rule us.

The Christian life is not a journey of trying to become someone new, but of learning to think, live, and respond from the new life God has already placed within us through Christ.

Bible teaching by Ronald Gabrielsen, pastor of International Christan Fellowship Lublin

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Living from the new life within. You know, when when we talk about Christianity, it's very easy to think that it's all about just forgiveness of sin. And that that is, if forgiveness of sin would have been everything, it wouldn't be Amen, hallelujah, glory to God. That would have been wonderful. But the good news is that Jesus, he didn't only come to wipe our slate clean and forgive our sin. No, he came even to give us forgiveness of sin, yes, but to give us new life that would enable us to actually live the new life. Because I am not able to live the Christian life in my own strength. So if I'm going to try and live the Christian life, I am helpless unless some life is being imparted into me that is stronger than the life in the world. Amen. So I would like to talk a little bit, to continue a little bit on this uh topic. And we can get up Galatians 2.20 on the wall. Uh I know many of you already know that uh passage, and that's good. It's good to preach, you know, in a place where you know that the people they actually read their Bibles. Amen. Um, you know, when we when we say that we received new life, I want to clarify because it's it's not only that we receive new life kind of as you know, you get a blank piece of paper. You have scribbled, and then the scribble is being taken away, and now you get a new piece of uh blank paper so you can start to color again. No, that's not what the Bible means when it says that we get a new life. It's not just that Jesus wipes your past clean, so now you can try again to live. No, there is a very specific life that God puts in us. When when he gives us new life, it's not just any kind of life. In fact, Paul says here in Galatians 2 20, uh we can read it together. Are you ready? I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Did you notice Paul said, It's no longer I who live. That did it, was he dead? No, no, I mean he was alive. He was writing this letter. So, what does he mean when he says, It's no longer I who live? He's saying that Christ now lives in me. And this this is a little bit of what I would like you to to try and grab a hold on today. The life that you have inside of you is not just any kind of life. The life that you have inside of you is actually Jesus' own life being put, I mean, it sounds crazy, inside of me. Jesus, the life that Jesus has is now being put inside of me, and if that is uh how to say, if that is not hallelujah, then you missed a very good place to say hallelujah. Because you know, I I cannot fathom. I I mean I'm trying to grab a hold of it, I'm I'm trying to read and to meditate because I can see that whoa, this is amazing. If I could just grab a little bit of this truth, it would change our lives forever. Amen. Paul says, It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In other words, it's not about you, it's not about me. Sorry to say it, but you know, Christianity is not your best life now, and not to uh criticize that book, but you know, that's a very bad title. I haven't read the book, so I don't know, but you know, at least the title is a very bad title. I don't want to live my best life now. I don't, you know, Christianity is not about my success if I am happy, if I can have the Mercedes, if I can have a bigger house, if I can have more money. That's not what Christianity is about. It's about him and giving glory to him. And Christianity, this verse that Paul is saying here, this is basically the core of what the Christian life is about. It's about me dying to myself, making myself available so that he can come down and he can live through my body. I give myself to him so that he can come in and now he can start to live through me. That's how you know did you really did you get that? I mean, that is one of those things where you kind of go, Oh Holy Spirit, please, you are my teacher. I I really need some revelation right here. Because if we could truly just grab a little bit of this, it would change everything. Because I suddenly realize it's not about how how well I perform, it's not about if I am anointed enough. I mean, I know in especially in charismatic circles, we like to talk about anointing, and he has an anointing for that, and he has an anointing for that, and he has an anointing for that. I have the Holy Spirit, and I find that that's actually more than enough. But you know, putting that aside, you know, it's not really about what I have, you know, it's it's not about me, it's about me making myself available so that Christ can come down and be my life, so that he can start to express himself through me. And you know, when when I die to myself and allow his life to fill me, suddenly there is another person who starts to become visible in my life. Suddenly, the character of God. I mean, you have heard about the give uh the fruit of the spirit. How many know how what what fruit of the spirit do you know? A love is always the ones who come first. Long suffering, that's maybe not the ones that come very early. Patience, how many need more patience? God have mercy. Yes, meekness. Now I'm kind of getting confused about. I think we almost have all of them. You know, that is the fruits of the spirits. It's not a fruit of my character, it's not a fruit of my striving, it's not a fruit of me pulling myself together. No, it is his life operating through me. So the more I die to myself, the more people meet love when they meet me, the more they meet patience when they meet me. Not because I have pulled myself together and become such a good Christian. No, it's just because he is living through me, and that should be the goal of every single Christian, that we can truly say, I have been crucified. Say as John, less of me, more of him. I should decrease, he should increase. I think we had that as a quote some uh some time ago about spiritual growth. Spiritual growth, the formula for spiritual growth. I don't know if some of you remember. Yes, less of me, more of Jesus equals spiritual growth. That's the formula for spiritual growth, amen. So if we could really grab a hold of this, that the new life that I get, it's actually Christ's Christ's own life. So I am living the life of another. This is it's just that it's in my body, and we will get a little bit into that. But in reality, I I my aim is just to live his life, that my body will be made available to him so that I can live the life of another. But you know, where many people start to struggle is because it's very easy. I mean, uh it's very easy to say, oh yeah, you just need to have your identity in Christ. Amen. Uh how do I do that? Like, like practical, you know. How do I get, you know, I hear you say I need to have my identity in Christ, and that sounds exactly right, but you know, how do I bring flesh and bone or blood or whatever on that? How do I live that out? And the the the challenge that many comes to when it comes to this is that we have this life on the inside. When we get born again, we become a new creation. Amen. It's not my soul that gets becomes a new creation, because when I got saved, I could still remember who my parents were, I could still remember where I lived. I, you know, it's not my soul, it's definitely not my flesh that got born again, even though that would maybe be wonderful, then I could maybe get a second chance at not eating so much cake. Uh but you know, my body stays the same. So, what part of me is it that becomes born again? It's my spirit, and we we'll get a little bit more into details with this a little bit later. So my spirit is born again, but then we then we are uh we find ourselves kind of in a squeeze because my spirit has been born again, and I read all these wonderful promises in the Word of God about who I am in Christ, but then I think about yesterday and a week before last previous week, and I start to I start to feel the temptations, and I start to see my own inadequate, and I I see that I see Jesus in the Bible, that looks awesome. I see my life here and now, and I go like oh man, I'm nothing like that. Something must be wrong with me. Because if I'm supposed to be born again, where where is that born again? Because all that I am feeling, I am feeling the temptation, I am feeling uh that I struggle, I am feeling the battles, and I'm wondering, well, where is the life of Christ that is supposed to be there? And what we need to realize is that when we get saved, there there is a part of us that gets changed right instantly. The new birth is not a process. Um birth is a process, there is conception, and you know, but you know, birth itself should not take several weeks. That would be terrible for the mother if uh the birth you know lasted for three years before the baby got born. I mean, uh the mother would probably die before that. So birth is something that happens instantly, and when it's done, it's done. I don't get more born again tomorrow than I am born again today. I I am I will be I am just as much born again today as I was yesterday, and I will be just as much born again tomorrow than I am today. If I am born again, I am born again. So so that thing is a done deal, and that part I had no influence over. That is so only the work of God. I had no influence. There is nothing I can contribute to make that uh better born again or uh stronger born again. No, if I'm born again, I am born again, and that is only the work of God, but then I have a soul, and the soul is not born again, and that is where the challenge comes because now I'm living as born again, but I have this soul, this mind, this flesh that it kind of still has the residue of sin in it. I know that my new creation, I mean, God doesn't give birth to sinners, so I mean so so that should be holy, but at the same time, I realize, you know, the contrast between that and what I experience. And what we need to realize is that when it comes to when it comes to my spirit, it's an instant, born again. I when I when I am born again, I am born again. But there is a soul, and that part is still a work in progress, amen. That job is not finished, and I need what we need and uh need to understand, and what we will try to be looking at today is how can I balance those those two truths. I have born again, fully done, and I have my soul, which is still a work in progress. Paul says in Romans 12 2, and I'm sure many of you know this, but it's good to read it because it's the word of God. And do not be conformed to this world. That is a good point right there. As Christians, we don't we shouldn't have our aim being pleasing the world. No, there is only one we should please, that's the Father. I know in churches they have this whole thing about seeker-sensitive church, and you know, I want to be spirit sensitive because my job is not to please people, my job is to please the father. That should but anyway, that's a side point. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. So obviously, even I mean, Paul was writing to Christians here that were born again, but still he says, even though you have been born again, there is a transformation that still needs to happen, but it's not the transformation of the spirit, because that thing God takes care of. That's a done deal. But he says, You need to transform your mind, and interesting, he tells them to transform their minds. I mean, of course, God is the one who gives the power, and you know, but there is what I what I'm trying to aim here, there is something you need to do in this process. I know we say that you know, when we are saved by grace, that you know uh we don't do nothing, and that is true, yes, when it comes to the new birth, I do nothing. There is nothing I can do to either improve it, make it better. It's all God and it's all grace. There is nothing I can do, but you know, grace doesn't make me passive. So even though I'm saved by grace, it doesn't mean that my spiritual walk is just a passive walk where I sit on the couch watching Netflix and say, Hallelujah, I'm saved by grace. So uh thank you, God. Uh, put on the next movie and we will uh be on our way to heaven. No, no, that's not when it comes to the renewing of the mind, there is actually something I need to do. And you know, in in Christianity, you you have these two camps. Uh, some are very fond of uh of grace, and that is good because we love grace, amen. And then you have some who are very fond of no, we need to pull ourselves together, we need to uh that's not what we want. I'm not preaching law-based Christianity here, but I'm just saying that there is a part of you that needs transformation, and that transformation, you will be involved in that process. He is the one who gives the life, he is the one who gives the strength, he is the one who puts the desires in our heart, but it needs our response, it needs our participation, not because he couldn't have done it without I mean, God is God, but he wants us to be active in this process, and we will see why that process is uh important. The first reminder that I have that we can get up on the screen, it kind of deals with uh, we will come into that, but you know, as as people we are body, soul, and spirit. And when it comes to the spirit, the spirit does not need improvement. It God doesn't repurbish our spirit. No, the old spirit needs to go out, and a new spirit needs to come in. So the spirit does not need improvement, it needs rebirth. The soul does not need rebirth, it needs renewal. So there is a different process. And the flesh, you can try to uh rehabilitate the fresh, the flesh, fresh flesh. Oh, thank God. It's embarrassing that I actually have Americans here who knows how to speak English. The flesh does not need to be fixed. You can try to fix the flesh, you can try to improve it, you can it will never, it has to die. The flesh needs the cross, that's where the cross comes in. The blood covers my sins, the spirit of God brings new birth, but the cross takes care of the flesh, and we need to get those things in order because very often, if we try to imply the cross to the spirits, no, no, then we are dealing in the wrong place. If we try to say, Ah, everything is grace, so in my flesh I just do whatever, and we we are missing something important here. We are three different parts, and we need to deal with each different part accordingly, amen. So, Paul he is saying in Philippians 2 12 to 13, a word that almost makes Paul seem a little bit schizophrenic. It says in uh Philippians 2 12 to 13, he said first he says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. And I know some Christians they love you know this fear and trembling, and work out your own salvation, and all we and that is the word of God, so we need that, amen. We we are not throwing that under the bus. No, that's a part of the word of God, and we need it. If it's the word of God, it's true, but then he continues and he says, For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. So you can almost be a little bit confused. Am I supposed to work out my salvation, or is it God who's supposed to work and will in me? Paul, you know, you are you're confusing me here. Well, what do you mean? But you know, I found what when the Bible is contradicting its, or it seems like the Bible is contradicting itself, it's because both things are true. It's not for me to pick and choose that you know, depending on what camp I in, I like to read the first part of the verse, or if I'm in another camp, I like to read the second part. No, no, no. We take the whole totality of the word of God. So when there are passages that seem to contradict each other, we take both. I say yes and amen. That's why you know people when people are discussing like one saved always self, or can you lose? Oh, somebody's calling. That's not too good. Do we believe that you can lose yourself on salvation? Do you believe that you cannot lose yourself? And I say yes, amen. Both of them, amen. I I believe in both. Do you believe in predestination or not in predestination? I take everything, but that doesn't fit together. No, I mean you know, I am not supposed to make everything fit together. I'm supposed just to believe the word of God. There are some scriptures that talk about the end times being glorious, and there are some verses that talk about the last days being hard times, and I say yes and amen to both. I believe it's going to be glorious, and I believe it's going to be hard, and I receive both. I have no idea exactly how it works together, but I'm sure God has done God, probably knows how. My my my I don't need to understand it, I just need to believe it, amen. But there is a very good explanation. Why is Paul saying, first that we should work out our own salvation, and then for it is God who works in you. It's important to understand here that God is the one who gives. Us life. He is the one who makes us breed. He's, you know, it's kind of like you know, with a tree. I cannot make a tree grow. And God knows I cannot make a tree grow. But what I can do, I can plant a seed. And if I water that seed, and if I care for that seed, a tree is going to come up. I am not making the tree grow. But I'm contributing to the process in watering the seed, making sure there is no weeds, caring for the seed. In the same way, I cannot make myself grow spiritually. But there are things that I can do, cooperating with God. But in his grace, and because he has given us a free will, he wants to involve us in the process. Amen. So when it comes to my spirit, it is all God. There is nothing I can do there to make that better. When it comes to my soul, there I need to do some renewing of my mind. There I need to meditate on the word of God. There, I maybe need to stop filling my mind with all kinds of bad movies or bad music, or then there are things that I need to do. I'm not talking about word-based-based Christianity here. I hope you get that. But I am saying that what you fill your mind with is going to influence your Christian walk. What is the connection here? The connection is that you know our spirit, James 2, talks about the spirit being dead, the flesh body being dead without the spirit. So my energy, my life source, that's the spirit. So as soon as the spirit leaves the body, the body drops dead. My soul, that's my will, my thought, my emotions, my personality. Very often in the Bible, you know, people discuss are we body, soul, and spirit, or are we just soul and body? And it's it's kind of like when the Bible uses the word soul, sometimes it mashes it together. So sometimes it can be a little bit confusing. But Paul is very clear that we are body, soul, and spirit. Now, both soul and spirit belongs to the invisible part. So that's why, in some kind of way, you can put both soul and spirit in the same category because they belong to the invisible part. But we are body, soul, and spirit. And I do actually believe that's that's very important to understand, to really grasp the Christian life, that we are body, soul, and spirit, and the body has needs, the soul has needs, and the spirit has needs. And we need to know how to deal with these different elements. And in our western culture, it can maybe be a little bit hard to grasp, you know, spirit or soul, because it's you know, we are very materialistic, we like things we can take, touch, feel, you know. If I'm talking about how to uh live a healthier life in my body, that's easy. I mean, less cake, more exercise, that's kind of like a good thing. Not so easy to do for everyone, but uh it's actually just as easy to do for everyone, but uh not everyone likes it just as much. Side issue. What I'm trying to say is that both your spirit, soul, and body have different needs, and you need to understand the different parts because it will greatly impact your life. My spirit is my life source, that's the part of me that is being born again. My soul, in many ways, you can kind of look at the soul as the control center. That's where I decide whether I will obey the spirit or whether I will obey the flesh. So when a person gets born again, maybe we I know we have done this uh this uh kind of illustration before. Can I get three people here? Three people that are not filming for the multimedia. Who wants to be the next one next to these uh two beautiful ladies? I was kind of hoping that a man would come then, but no, no, no, no. Just kidding. Very good. You know, when we get born again, it's kind of like let's say that you are the spirit, you have the honor of being the spirit. The spirit was dead, separated from God without any con without separation from God is being spiritual dead. But when we get born again, the spirit gets born again, the spirit is perfect, the only wants to do the will of God, only wants to do the things that please God. At the same time, I have a flesh, and the sorry, Hanugrai. I also have a flesh. The flesh doesn't necessarily want to do the will of God, the flesh wants to please itself, the flesh wants to exalt itself, the flesh wants to do what the flesh wants to do. But I also have a soul, and the soul is thinking. That's kind of the the analytic, that's the where my personality maybe lie, my feelings, my emotions. When I get born again, my spirit only wants to do the will of God. My flesh wants to do what it always has done. Now the soul needs to make a decision because it's a Monday morning, and the spirit wants to pray. So the spirit is, I want to pray. Be excited, kind of like, oh yes, are we going to pray? Yes, yes. The flesh goes, I don't want to pray, I don't want to pray. So the spirit is pulling this way. I want to pray, the flesh, no, I want to sleep. That is the renewing of the mind. But when the mind gets renewed, the mind starts to learn. It actually is actually better to follow God. That has a lot better things to a lot better results than following the flesh. Paul says, if you follow the flesh, you will die. If you follow the spirit, you will live. So the more the spirit gets renewed and start to get aligned with the spirit, now they start to hook up. And it's Monday morning, and the spirit wants to pray, and the flesh tried to drag, but you know, now the majority, there is a majority for a prayer meeting. So whether the flesh wants to or not, it has to get out of bed and put on the clothes or whatever and get ready, because we are going to pray. Because the soul, in the beginning, that was maybe hard because the mind needed to get a realigned. But when the mind gets realigned, suddenly the things that used to be a battle for me suddenly lose their strength. Not because of my willpower, but because the soul has teamed up with the spirit. And suddenly the spirit life starts to influence my soul, and when that happens, the body has to follow. So now the fall the body just has to, you know, where somebody offends you, and love just comes out because that's what's in your spirit. Somebody cuts in front of you in traffic, and you just go, God bless you, brother. That's level 10 of spirituality. Thank you. We need to realize, and this is very important for our spiritual growth to understand that we are these three parts. And if we don't understand this, either we will just leave our soul up to coincidence and we will struggle, or we will start to renew our mind. Because the life that we have inside of us can only express itself to the degree that the mind has been renewed. Because the mind is the controlling center. So to the degree the mind has been renewed, to that degree, the things that are in the spirit can start to become visible in my walk, in my in my body. Suddenly, love, joy, peace, meekness, gentleness starts to become visible. Not only those things, but suddenly prophecy, miracles, healing. It's not about me, it's about me living the life of another. When you think about the spiritual gifts, did Jesus heal the sick? Yes, we are quite agreeing on that. So we have a gift of healing, because I cannot heal a single fly. So if so so if Christ, if Jesus is going to become visible in me and he was healing the sick, then I need a gift if that is going to happen in my life. Did Jesus come with prophecy? Yes. So if I'm going to live the life of another, I need a gift. I need a Holy Spirit to come and empower me. And suddenly I can. Did Jesus come with words of knowledge? Did Jesus have wisdom? What are the other ones? Power? Did Jesus have power? Miracles? The only thing that we don't see Jesus is that he didn't speak in tongues. And now I can just leave you kind of pondering a little bit for yourself because I'm not going to get in on that now. Because if I get into that now, we will not finish today. So that is good that you have some things to pondering ponder upon. We need to realize that having this inside life coming out is very much dependent upon our minds being renewed. But here is the thing that I want, and one of the things that I want you to really grab a hold on. It is that just because your soul is still a work in progress, does not mean that that defines who you are. And this is where many Christians go wrong. Because they can see that we are born again, amen. That that is good. They see the importance of the renewing our mind, but we have a lot easier to identify with the soul. Do you get that? Do you have the same challenge? It's a lot easier for me to identify with my emotions, my with my feelings. But you know, not all thoughts that come through my mind come from me. I can see a movie and thoughts come. I can uh suddenly somebody says something and a thought comes. It's like Martin Luther says, you cannot control whether a bird flies over your head or not, but you can control whether it how to say starts to build a nest in your hair, which I don't have anything, any of. But we need to understand that just because I am a work in progress doesn't mean that I am a work in progress. I hope you got what I meant by that. My spirit is a done deal, it's born, it has the life of God. My soul still needs some renewing to do, and my flesh still needs to understand that it has been crucified and it is not allowed to reign anymore. And Ugai needs to understand that it's not what she wants. No, no, no. She needs to follow the spirit because the soul has been renewed. And you know, in some kind of way, uh I when it comes to the body, of course, the body is important because without the body, I cannot operate in this world. So I'm not saying that in that sense that you know we don't care about the body, it's only about the spirit. No, no, no, no. All three parts are important. And God cares for the body, God cares for the soul, and God cares for the spirit. He just deals differently. But I need to realize that it's my body that makes me able to operate in this world. Somebody has called it uh kind of like they have called the body uh our earth suit. And in some kind of way, I kind of lie, I think that is actually a good description. The body is just my earth sooth, it's not who I am. You know, you can look in the self in your mirror, and whether I have only one arm, it doesn't mean that I am not a whole person because I'm lacking one arm. No, because I am not my body. The body Paul, uh, some call it the earth sooth. Uh Paul called it a tent, and so did Peter. 2 Corinthians 5 1. Paul is saying that we know that if this earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house made, not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. Peter is saying some of the same things in 2 Peter 1 13 to 14. Yes, I think it is right that as long as I am in what? In this tent. What is it? Did he have a tent? Had he just been down to uh the cotlon and bought a tent and he was sitting in a tent riding uh to to the no, no, no, that's not what he's talking about. To stare up, reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent. Like, you know, what do you mean put off your tent? He's talking about his body. A tent is not a permanent dwelling place, a tent is a temporary dwelling place. You don't, but but a house that's that's more permanent thing. So there comes a time where I would have to put off this body. When that happens, I will get a building. That's the glorified body. That the glorified body is a few kilos lighter and has a little bit more muscles, six-pack. I'm pretty sure that it has a six-pack, I'm not exactly sure. But I have a one-pack or a barrel, depending on how you view it. But you know, there comes a time where this body will be put off and I will receive a new house. But you know, many Christians they identify more with the suit than the person inside the suit. They have been wearing the suit for so long that they think that the suit is them. You know, if if I were traveling to the universe, I would need a spacesuit, you know, in order to function in that environment. But you know, it would be terrible if I were in that suit so long that I suddenly thought that that suit is just me, and I would be wagging around, you know, being clumsy because I didn't understand. No, no, no, that suit is not me. That suit is just something I wear in order to deal in the environment that I'm in. This earth suit is just a suit, a tent that I have temporarily while I am here, so that I can function in this world. But I don't put my identity in the suit, I put my identity in what's inside the suit. Amen. And we need to understand that because many Christians they look at their soul. I will try to get close to the end now. Uh, many Christians they will identify with their soul, and you have some Christians who say, Yeah, we are just sinners. And then you have other Christians who say, No, no, no, we are not sinners. We we are born again, we are we are holy. And in reality, both things is to a certain degree true, depending on where you put your identity. If you have your identity in your soul, yes, that will be the reality for you. But the good news is that that's not really you. If you have your identity in your flesh, you are definitely not a saint. Sorry to say, I don't mean to offend you. But that will be the reality for you. But the good news is that God invites us to have our identity not in the flesh, but in the new creation. And when I have my identity in the new creation, I start to live differently. In uh how many know what is written in uh 2 Corinthians 5.17. Now we get to see who is really memorizing straight. So one in the back there, Tuba, Amen, brother. You know more than just playing bass. 2 Corinthians 5.17, therefore, if yeah, now it's coming, yes. Now you're cheating. You're not supposed to read it, you're supposed to memorize it. But you know, we we love that verse. But how many knows, and now please don't put it on the wall. How many knows what stands in 2 Corinthians 5.16? Yeah, I have to say the same, you're disqualified. Don, he knows all my servants' sermons because we are sitting talking about them all the time. So uh in uh 2 Corinthians 5.16, he says something interesting. Interesting. He says, Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Now, my question is did the Corinthians have some flesh? How many have been reading the letter to the Corinthians? They definitely had some flesh in that church, and that flesh did not behave always, but they were born again. I'm sure there were some of them that really needed some really strong repentance, but to that church, Paul is writing, from now on, we don't regard anyone according to the flesh. And then he comes to verse 15, uh 17. Well, he even says, even though we know Christ according to the flesh, we don't know him thus no longer. And then he comes to therefore, if anyone is no, if there is a therefore, you need to ask what's the therefore is therefore. That's really deep theology. So when the word starts with therefore, it is linking together with verse 16, saying, From now on we don't regard anyone according to the flesh. Why? Because if I'm in Christ, I am a new creation, and God invites me not to put my identity in the flesh, but to put my identity in the new creation, and that has a big difference. I will not take the scriptures because of time now, but you know, when the people of Israel, when they were walking in the desert, I should maybe also say that the notes will be posted in the group, so you can get the whole everything I didn't have time to say. You can read in the notes. But when the people of Israel, when they were walking in the desert, they came to the to the Jericho quite quickly. It actually didn't take 40 years before they came to the that actually just takes a couple of weeks. But the first time they came to the wall, what was their response when Jericho said and when Joe um Joshua said, Let's take the land. Ah, we cannot. We are just grasshoppers, they are strong, we are weak. Who am I? I I'm just a Norwegian living in Poland. I don't have a clue what they are saying here. I'm just an African living, I mean I try to follow, but you know, all the letters just looks like a complete different language. They had excuses, they saw themselves as grasshoppers. Now, could they have taken the land? That's a good could they have taken the land? Yes, did God want them to take the land? Had God said that they could take the land? Why couldn't they take the land? Their minds had not been renewed, they were looking at their self, they were looking at their flesh, they were looking at their soul. New testament, how to say putting it into New Testament terminology, because their soul had not been their mind had not been renewed, they were identifying with the work in progress. But the thing is, Joshua and Caleb, they had a different mindset, so they said, We can take it like a piece of bread because they were so strong. No, I'm sure there were giants in that land. But Joshua and Caleb they had understood if God says I can take the land, I can take the land. If God says I can do it, it doesn't matter whether it's impossible or not. Because if God says do it, I'll storm those walls, and I have no idea how they're going to come down. But if God says I'm going through that wall, I'm going through that wall. Do you follow me? It was because of their identity that kept the whole generation. And I want you to go home and read this uh later, but you know, if you read the beginning of uh the book of Joshua, it's very interesting because it says in the book of Joshua that when they were hiding the spies, this uh this uh prostitute, Rahab, she was saying to to uh to these spies that our whole people is living in terror of you because we have heard how God brought you out of Egypt, we have heard how you went through the Red Sea, we have heard the kingdoms that you conquered wandering in the wilderness, and it's it even says, We have no energy left or strength to fight, we have lost courage. Now, this is the terror, this is the tragic part. A whole generation died in the wilderness, afraid of an enemy that was terrified of them. A whole generation died in the wilderness, terrified of an enemy that was living in terror of them, and that's exactly what many Christians do. They have this amazing life put inside of them, given by God, Christ's own life. That's why Paul, when he was praying for the Ephesian church, he didn't pray for more strength, he didn't pray for more anointing, he didn't pray for more power. No, he prayed, God, open the eyes of their hearts, because if they will see what they already have, they will see that we have more than enough. And that's my challenge to you. You might be struggling right now, and you might be thinking, I I, you know, I don't have what I need, you know, I'm uh I'm struggling, it things are so hard. No, if you if God could just open your eyes and you start to see the life that dwells inside of that body of yours, you would see, I have more.