Will I Go to Hell If I’m Not a Virgin?
“Will I go to hell if I’m not a virgin?” a girl asked me. I wish I could scoff, “Of course not!” But the truth is, it all depends . . . More
The Gospel
Sixteen Things Christians Can’t Do
I used to (wrongly) think Christianity was all about what Christians can’t do. Here are sixteen things that made my list back then, that no longer do. More
A Bold Conversation with the Top U.S. Sex Worker
You want me to talk with a sex worker?! A few months ago, I received an email from Greg Sukert of Anchored North. He wanted to know if I would be willing to have a conversation with a sex worker on their new podcast, Honest Discourse, Why me? was literally my first question back to him. I’m no expert in the sex industry. But he said . . . More
Your Gospel Toolkit to Help Teens
Do you feel inadequate to help teens in your life? Maybe you think you need a crash course in emojis as well as an active Snapchat presence before you can influence them for good. More
The Gospel Is Never Old News
All these headlines were breaking news at one time, but now they’re old news:
- “Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg”
- “ON THE MOON! And It’s ‘One Giant Leap for Mankind’”
- “Diana Dead”
For many Christians, the gospel isn’t much different. I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, I thought of the gospel as good news for unbelievers but old news for believers. Boy, was I wrong. More
3 Ways a Star Wars Villain Points to a Greater Story
In 2017, Lucasfilm released the eighth Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. Today I’m sharing three ways Star Wars villain, Kylo Ren, points to a greater story. If you’re in Christ—no matter how dark your world may look—the dark side will not win. More
Dear New and Overwhelmed Christian
It was so good to get your email and hear that you’ve been a Christian for almost a year now:
I’ve loved it, but it is also pretty overwhelming as I am just developing as a Christian and so many things are being thrown my way. Things such as Anglican tradition, special holidays, different perspectives of the Word and Christ, ways to act as a Christian woman, you name it. More
3 Ways Darth Vader Points to a Greater Story
In order to prepare for December’s epic release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, my husband and I had a Star Wars marathon. (Yes, I was one of the few remaining humans on this planet who had never watched Star Wars, but that has now been remedied!) More
Christ or Crush? (Gives Great Gifts)
One Valentine’s Day when I was a teen, my boyfriend gave me a little teddy bear and a paperweight that said “Sweetheart” on it. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!
Maybe you wish your crush would give you a teddy bear, but you’re happy that he gave you a piece of gum once, or that he let you drink some of his pop. You’re thrilled that your crush gave you anything at all!
Well, have you ever stopped to think about what Christ has given you?
I’d love to hear from you. What has your crush given you? What has Christ given you? And what are you looking to your crush to give you that Jesus Christ can’t give to you?
Christ or Crush? (Gives Great Gifts) was originally posted on LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com.
A Whole New You
My whole life I’d struggled to defeat the power of sin—with no success. But after I began studying Romans 6–8 with a couple friends, all that changed.
Old News
Some of it was old news. You know—Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, was buried in a tomb, rose from the dead three days later, and then went back to heaven. When I was growing up, I’d rehearsed the story every Sunday at the communion table.
But I’d never connected the dots. I’d never understood how these facts about Jesus applied to me—how they changed everything about me.
New News
It wasn’t just Jesus who died—I died with Him. It wasn’t just Jesus who was buried—my old self, packed with sin, was buried with Him, too. And when Jesus burst out of that tomb with brand-new resurrection life, I, too, was given new life! Galatians 2:20 sums it up well:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
For the first time, I understood Jesus didn’t die to forgive me of my sin and leave me in it. He died to forgive and to free me from the power of sin! Suddenly I realized I didn’t have to be jealous of that beautiful woman. I didn’t have to hate that person for excluding me. I wasn’t powerless anymore.
For the first time, I understood that Jesus didn’t die to forgive me of my sin and leave me in it. He died to forgive and to free me from the power of sin!
“We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:6–11).
My New Identity
I realized that I had a new identity now: Dead to sin, alive to God, and in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11). My only job? Believing it to be so and living in light of that truth.
From that point on, I saw God begin to change not only my outward behavior but even the hidden desires of my heart. Whether I actually became a Christian at this time or not, I can’t say. I asked Jesus to save me as a young child, but this was the first time I really understood why the Good News was such good news! This was the beginning of my whole new life.
Your Whole New Life
How about you? Are you “in Christ”? If all your trust is in His righteousness and not yours, the answer is “yes!” Now it’s up to you to remember, believe, and personalize these truths. The old you is dead and buried, you’ve been raised brand-new in Christ! Believe it. Live in light of it.
What about you? Are you looking within, or are you looking to Christ?
“A Whole New You” was originally posted on TrueWoman.com.
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