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When you come to faith in Christ, you become a completely new creation - not just forgiven, but transformed from the inside out. However, old patterns and habits may still surface because your mind needs to be renewed to align with who you already are in Christ. The key is to keep the old self dead by avoiding toxic influences and not romanticizing your past. Instead, feed your mind on God's truth through His Word and starve old thought patterns. Actively put on godly characteristics like gentleness, humility, and patience when your flesh wants to react differently. You have everything you need to live this new life because Christ lives in you.

Before Christ, we were spiritually dead, following worldly patterns and controlled by the enemy. But God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ and raised us to a new position of authority and favor. Many believers still live like prisoners even though Christ has opened the prison doors. This spiritual institutionalization happens when we forget our new position in Christ and continue thinking with our old mindset. The solution is renewing our minds through God's Word and setting our thoughts on heavenly things. The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us today, enabling us to walk in the freedom Christ has provided.

Jesus’ final words from the cross were, “It is finished.” In this message we explore the powerful meaning behind the word tetelestai and what it meant in the first century. When Jesus spoke those words, He was declaring that the debt of sin was paid, the power of darkness was broken, and the way back to God was opened. Discover how the finished work of Christ changes everything and why the cross still speaks hope, freedom, and life today.

In a fallen world damaged by sin, God still offers healing today just as He did in biblical times. Isaiah 53 reveals that Jesus carried not only our sins but also our physical sicknesses and emotional pain to the cross. The Hebrew words for griefs and sorrows specifically refer to physical ailments and suffering. Since God never changes, His healing power remains available to everyone who needs it. While God is not a formula and works sovereignly, the Bible clearly teaches that healing is part of the Gospel's good news. Jesus came to undo all the damage that sin has caused in our broken world.

When Pontius Pilate asked 'What is truth?' he was standing face-to-face with Truth Himself, Jesus Christ. The events leading to Jesus' crucifixion reveal profound truths about sacrifice and redemption. Throughout the Old Testament, animal sacrifices could only temporarily cover sin, but they all pointed to Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God. When Pilate declared he found no guilt in Jesus, he unknowingly fulfilled the role of examining the Passover lamb for defects. The choice between Jesus and Barabbas illustrates the gospel perfectly - the innocent One took the place of the guilty. Jesus' blood doesn't just cover our sin like Old Testament sacrifices; it completely washes it away, offering us true freedom from guilt and shame.

The table has always been a place of power, which is why Jesus chose it for the Last Supper. When He declared the bread and cup as His body and blood, He was revealing that all of Passover's symbolism pointed to Him. The four cups of Passover represent sanctification, deliverance, redemption, and restoration. Through His broken body and shed blood, Jesus brings us out of sin's kingdom, delivers us from its power, redeems us with His precious blood, and promises us a place at His eternal table. His sacrifice provides not just forgiveness, but complete healing for body, mind, and spirit.

Comparison is a dangerous trap that steals our identity and purpose. Through Peter's restoration story in John 21, we learn that failure doesn't cancel God's purpose for our lives. When Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, it wasn't about shame but restoration. Peter's immediate comparison to John reveals how we often look sideways instead of following Christ. God doesn't play favorites - He has uniquely created each of us with specific gifts and purposes. The key to breaking free from comparison is seeing ourselves as God sees us, trusting His work in our lives, and championing others instead of competing with them.

Rejection wounds can distort our perspective, causing us to misread situations and people through the lens of past pain. Jesus himself experienced rejection, yet was chosen by God for great honor - just as we are. The path from rejection to acceptance follows the ACCEPTED framework: Admit past rejection honestly, Claim God's unconditional love, Choose to forgive those who hurt you, Expect some rejection as you grow spiritually, Plant God's promises in your mind, Thank God for what you've learned, Encourage others from your healed wounds, and Draw on the Holy Spirit's power. When God looks at you, He sees His Son - you are defined not by who rejected you, but by the One who chose you.

The story of Adam and Eve reveals how the enemy attacks our identity by twisting God's words and making us believe He's withholding good things from us. God originally designed humanity to live in abundance with only one boundary, but Satan reframed this as restriction. When we try to define our own identity, we end up covering ourselves with fig leaves of shame and inadequacy. However, God comes looking for us in our brokenness, removes our inadequate coverings, and clothes us with His righteousness. True freedom isn't found in the absence of restraint but in living according to God's design, where we discover our identity as His beloved children.

Your identity isn't defined by your failures or brokenness, but by your original design as someone created in God's image. Before there was shame, there was purpose. Before there was confusion, there was identity. Genesis reveals that humans uniquely bear God's image, capable of relationship with Him and reflecting His character. Shame makes us withdraw from God's presence, but redemption restores what was lost from the beginning. Instead of introducing yourself by your failures, remember what Scripture says: you are a child of God, chosen, loved, forgiven, and created with purpose. Don't let shame keep you from embracing your true identity in Christ.

Life often brings discouragement through opposition, unmet expectations, and delayed dreams. The book of Haggai shows God's people struggling to rebuild the temple after returning from exile, feeling defeated when their new temple didn't match Solomon's grandeur. God's response was clear: Be strong and get to work, for I am with you. He reminded them of His promises and called them His signet ring - His personal seal of authority. As believers today, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as God's guarantee that He will complete what He started in us. When discouragement strikes, we must remember God's promises, take action, and trust that His Spirit within us provides the strength we need.

Three armies found themselves dying of thirst in the wilderness after making plans without consulting God first. When they finally sought the Lord through the prophet Elisha, God gave them an unexpected solution: dig ditches in the middle of a drought. Though it seemed foolish, their obedience prepared the way for a miraculous provision of water that not only saved their lives but also confused their enemies and led to complete victory. This story teaches us that God's solutions often don't make sense to human logic, but nothing is too hard for Him. Sometimes we must prepare for the breakthrough through acts of faith before we see the miracle.

Life has a way of pressing in on us from all sides, but these moments of pressure aren't meant to break us - they're meant to produce something beautiful. Just as olives must be crushed to release their valuable oil, we must sometimes experience pressure to release what God wants to produce in us. Throughout history, great men and women of faith understood that prayer was essential, not optional. When life gets heavy, we need to stop guarding our hearts from the burden and pray like God is the only one who can fix it. Prayer should be honest, focused on dependence rather than just outcomes, and persistent even when answers don't come immediately.

What happens when God’s Word is rediscovered and taken seriously again? Renewal begins. From the story of King Josiah, this message calls us back to wholehearted obedience. Not to earn God’s favor, but to respond to His grace. Renewal remembers what we once practiced with fire. Renewal steps into obedience we have never sustained before. Renewal also requires subtraction, laying aside what competes for first place. The fire of the Holy Spirit is already in you. It just needs tending. Join us for this timely message from Pastor Todd at Odessa First Assembly and allow God to realign your heart, awaken your hunger, and set the direction for the days ahead.

King Jehoshaphat faced overwhelming enemy armies but chose worship over warfare. Instead of relying on military might, he led his people in fasting, prayer, and worship. God responded by declaring the battle belonged to Him, not them. When they marched out with singers leading the charge, God caused the enemy armies to turn on each other. This teaches us that worship changes our atmosphere, perspective, and circumstances. Sometimes our greatest battles are won not through our own strength, but through surrendering to God in worship and trust.