Second Corinthians 5:17 is the first verse God established in my life to help me disconnect from my past.
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMPC)
Through this verse, the Lord showed me I was more than a remodeled, cleaned-up version of the old Michelle. The Greek word for creature describes a new creation that never existed before that moment of being born again. The “old Michelle” died with Christ, and the person I am today is born of God. I am a daughter of God who has never prostituted her body or stuck a needle in her arm!
Jesus said in John 3:7, “…ye must be born again.” When I was born again, I became a new person. The person I was before I accepted Jesus as my Lord was involved in crime and drug addiction. But that is not who I am today. I am a woman who is pure, holy, and righteous in the presence of God.
It took some time and the renewing of my mind, but I allowed God’s Word to identify me. In other words, accepted what God said about me as truth even though I didn’t feel different. When I didn’t feel like I had changed, I verbally reminded myself, “I am not what I did. I am born of God. I am a new creature, and old things are passed away.”
For me to try to live my new life in Christ while identifying myself as a drug addict, shoplifter, thief, or prostitute would have been impossible. I would have been a victim of mistaken identity, always presenting the old I.D. of the addicted, shame-filled woman. But God would have inspected my I.D. and said, “That is not you in that picture.”
Feelings Are Unstable Identifiers
Are you consulting your feelings and emotions to locate your identity? If so, you may constantly change the perception of who you are. Unless your emotions and feelings are governed by God’s Word and guided by your born-again spirit, they are not trustworthy.
If we base our identity purely on feelings, we will ask the wrong questions, such as: “Do I feel like God loves me? Do I feel accepted by God? Do I feel righteous?”
Well, what exactly does righteousness feel like? Are you expecting righteousness to produce goosebumps or some other type of noticeable feeling? You won’t recognize righteousness with emotions or natural feelings.
For instance, I wake up every morning married, but I don’t always feel married. What does “being married” feel like? I am married because of a covenant I entered with Philip Steele. We have a legal marriage document and a verbal commitment. It is a decision that Philip and I made. We are married, even on the days we don’t feel like it.
In the same way, we become children of God when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Regardless of how we feel, when we believe on Jesus, our faith connects us to the provision of salvation.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).
The article you’ve been reading is an excerpt from Escaping Hell by Michelle Steele. This powerful book offers deeper insight and life‑changing truths beyond what is shared here. To get your own copy and explore the full message, visit: https://michellesteeleministries.com/books/
