Let Him Have the Keys to Your Life

2 Corinthians 5:17

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

There have been many stories told about the zero who is transformed and becomes the hero. Many of those have been made into movies with great appeal because we like to see a transformation happen in someone's life which leads to how they conquer their obstacles and win. In the 1800's French author Victor Hugo wrote the very popular story Les Miserables about a man who, after years of bitter imprisonment, was transformed through an act of kindness and went on to commit his life to helping others less fortunate.

In creation, God gives us similar examples through little creatures like the caterpillar. We often disregard these insects because we don't notice them. They seem helpless and worthless because all they do is crawl on the ground and eat. But a caterpillar is actually a beginning stage of a butterfly. They go through a natural process of rebirth to become beautiful butterflies and this time of year we see them everywhere.

The body of the caterpillar spins a protective sack that surrounds it while hormones inside break down the old mushy body and instead shape wings and legs and a skeleton that allows it to fly. A bug that was stuck crawling on the ground and could easily be stepped on, is now a beautiful flying burst of color that helps the world through transferring pollen, the essential material of growth, from flower to flower.

When you repent of your sin and put your trust in what Jesus did on the cross to save you, a powerful new birth occurs inside you and you are transformed. Your old way of thinking is changed with a desire to know God, to live pleasing to Him, to see others through the heart He has for them. The Holy Spirit changes the things you value and you see your old self as the dark, destructive way of life that you now are to consider dead.

You may, however, wonder why you still feel like sinning and you are still tempted to fall into the old habits that brought you down before you believed in Jesus. "I thought I was supposed to be transformed and a new person" you might think. The Bible tells us that we have a conflict of two natures and we will battle with their influence over us. You now have a spirit that is alive to God and listens to what He will instruct you while your flesh still wants to give in to what Satan tempts you to do.

The question then becomes, which one will you surrender to? You will give in to the one you feed. When we feed our flesh, it reaps destruction. When we feed the spirit, it produces fruit in us that looks and acts like Jesus. Surrender means turning your life and wants and desires over to the Lord. It's not like God gave you a new car to drive around as your same old self. When you surrender your life to Him, it's like you hand the keys to Him, get in the back seat and say, "Lord Jesus, you drive me anywhere you want me to go." Start your day today turning things over to Him and He will direct your thoughts and your steps. That's the new life in Christ.