Old Things Have Passed Away

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

It is a safe assumption that every family has generational “issues” they wrestle with. These are things our parents and grandparents passed to us like addiction, abuse, anger, anxiety, disease, lust, fear, and other issues. Most times we say, “It just runs in my family, I cannot do anything about it.” Yes, you can do something about it. You may not be able to do anything about your family’s past, but by God’s grace, you can change the future for yourself and your children. The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). By yourself you cannot change your family’s dysfunction, but “in Christ” you have received the power needed to go in God’s direction. You just have to reprogram your mind to think differently (Proverbs 23:7). “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NKJV). You renew your mind by saturating it in the Scriptures! The same way you soak your body in water to remove sweat and dirt, soaking your mind in the Scriptures cleanses and corrects your thinking. There is a saying that warns of the ripple effect of our thinking: “Watch your thoughts for they become your words. Watch your words for they become your deeds. Watch your deeds because they become your habits. Watch your habits because they become your character. Watch your character because it becomes your destiny.” God told Gideon, “Tear down the [old] altar of Baal that your father has” (Judges 6:25 NKJV). In its place Gideon built a new altar to the Lord, and the lives of himself and his family were changed forever. By reprogramming your mind with God’s Word, you can have a new mindset and change your life for better, forever!