What if the most powerful force in the universe is already living inside you, waiting to transform your life? Scripture says that when you put your faith in Jesus, you became a new creation — not a renovation, but a complete recreation. Part 3 of the Your REAL ID series reveals what changed the moment you were born again.
The Context
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation — the old has passed away and the new has come. The Greek behind that phrase doesn't describe a renovation or a surface-level update; it points to something brought into being by God's own creative power, entirely transformed in nature and quality. Yet many believers struggle to see that newness reflected in their daily lives, often because they have never been taught what actually changed the moment they were born again.
The Core Message
Pastor Tim Howe walks through what 1 Thessalonians 5:23 reveals about human beings: we are made of spirit, soul, and body — three distinct parts. When a person puts their faith in Jesus and is born again, it is the spirit that is completely recreated. The appearance doesn't change, the thoughts and habits don't automatically transform, but at the very core of who that person is, God places a brand new spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit Himself — the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That is the staggering reality every believer carries inside them.
The challenge, however, is that having a new spirit doesn't automatically produce a new life on the outside. The life-giving power of the Spirit has to flow through the soul realm — the mind, will, and emotions — before it can transform the body and the circumstances around it. That is why Scripture commands believers to put off the old self, be renewed in the spirit of the mind, and put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Without that renewal of the mind, believers can carry the most powerful force in the universe inside them while still living far below what God has made available — much like a homeless woman who died never knowing about the $884,000 inheritance waiting in her name.
The Application
- Ask God Questions: Make it a habit to ask the Holy Spirit what blind spots, lies, or areas of ignorance He wants to reveal in your life, because most people don't even know what questions they need to be asking.
- Identify The Spirit: Recognize that the spirit man within you was completely recreated at salvation and is now indwelt by the very Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, not a watered-down version of God's power.
- Set Your Mind: Choose daily to set your mind on the things of the Spirit rather than the things of the flesh, because Scripture says the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
- Renew Your Thinking: Spend time in the Word meditating on who you are in Christ until those truths sink past your conscious mind and reshape the subconscious beliefs that drive your behavior.
- Reject False Identity: Refuse to define yourself by what you have done, what others have called you, or how you feel, because your true identity is determined by what God has done in your spirit.
- Put On Christ: Begin each morning by intentionally putting on the new self — clothing your mind in the righteousness, holiness, and identity already given to you in Christ.
Conclusion
Take a few minutes to listen to this powerful Part 3 message and begin walking in the inheritance God has placed inside every born again believer.
Here are some of the concepts we'll be touching on in today's message:
A new creation, Your REAL ID, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Born again believer, Spirit soul and body, True identity in Christ, Righteousness of God in Christ, Renewing the mind, Power of the Holy Spirit, Putting on the new self, Putting off the old self, Ambassadors for Christ, Ministry of reconciliation, Romans 8, Inheritance in Christ, Setting the mind on the Spirit, Transformation, Soul prosperity, Living from your spirit, Walking by the Spirit
Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Ezekiel 36:26; Isaiah 26:3; 3 John 1:2; Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:9-10; Romans 13:14; Romans 8:1-17
