What is the “New Life in Christ” we are talking about? It is giving your life to Christ and accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior.
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ Jesus, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”
There are some people who interpret this section of the Bible to mean that the moment they give their life to Christ, the idols in their father’s house have automatically passed away.
They think that when they give their life to Christ, their evil foundation, covenants, or generational curses have passed away, or that they are no longer possessed by demons because those things have all “passed away.”
My dear brethren, what the Bible is talking about is that the “old things” refer to your sinful nature. The sinful nature has passed away. The mistakes you made in the past have passed away—but not the generational curses or foundational issues.
The “New Creation” speaks to your spirit man. Your spirit is instantly regenerated, disconnected from Adam’s sin, and reconnected to God. However, your mind, your physical lineage, and your earthly circumstances do not get “born again” instantly; they must be renewed.
Think of it like a new driver taking over an old car. The driver (your spirit) is brand new and perfect, but the car (your life’s foundation/history) might still have dents and mechanical issues from the previous owner (the devil). The new driver must now drive that car into the repair shop of the Holy Spirit to fix those old issues.
Your family problems did not automatically pass away; what passed away is your sin. Jesus forgives your sin and gives you a new life, so you are now living a new life in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, whoever is in Christ Jesus is a new creation; you cannot become a new creation if you have not given your life to Jesus.
How, then, do you get rid of those foundational issues, curses, or problems in your life and family? It happens after you have given your life to Christ. Once you become a new creation, you gain the right to speak to those mountains. You can say, “Oh ye mountain, be removed,” because you have given your life to Him who is able to remove every mountain and set you free. To those who believe in Him, He has given the power to become children of God (John 1:12-13).
When you become a child of God, He gives you the power to rebuke the devil. The Bible says, submit yourself to God, rebuke the devil, and he shall flee from you (James 4:7).
Many Christians try to use the second part of this verse (“Resist the devil”) without obeying the first part (“Submit yourselves to God”). Spiritual warfare operates on a chain of command. You cannot rebel against God by living in sin and expect the devil to obey your command.
The authority to make the devil flee does not come from your voice or your volume; it comes from your submission to God. When you are fully submitted to God, you wear His authority like a badge. When the devil sees that badge, he doesn’t run from you—he runs from the God standing behind you.
However, if you are still living in sin, there is no way you can rebuke your father, the devil. You belong to the devil if you live in sin (John 8:44). In the spiritual realm, there is no such thing as an orphan. You are either a child of God or a child of the devil. Paternity dictates inheritance. If the devil is your father, you inherit his curses and his destruction.
If God is your Father, you inherit His peace and power. You can only become an enemy to the devil if you leave him and let Jesus become your Father. That is when the mountain will leave; that is when the foundational issues will go away in the name of Jesus, by faith, fasting, and prayer through righteousness and God’s mercy.
When these problems leave, it does not mean they stop existing in history; it simply means they stop disturbing you. You will no longer be affected because you are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Righteousness is a shield (Proverbs 13:6), and God protects the righteous, not just the most prayerful (Psalm 37:39-40). We often treat prayer as an offensive weapon, but we forget that righteousness is our defensive armor. When you live righteously, you give the enemy no legal landing strip to park his problems in your life.
Jesus Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” If you do not come, you will not receive rest. You can only receive rest when you come to Him.
Therefore, coming to Him is the first thing. You become a new creature first, and then you have the privilege to pray and ask for whatever you want in His name, and it will be granted unto you.
Giving your life to Christ is the first step: it is redeeming your soul from destruction. That is when you start the real work, for salvation comes before absolute deliverance. The Bible says in Philippians 2:12 to “work out your salvation.”
When Paul says to “work out” your salvation, he is using language similar to mining for gold. The gold is there (your salvation), but you must dig it out to see the value.
In the context of deliverance, this means the potential for total freedom is deposited in you when you accept Christ, but the manifestation of that freedom requires your participation. Now that you have been saved, redeemed, and received, you must work toward your salvation and deliverance in every single area of your life, the same way you work at your daily job.
New life in Christ means letting go of the sinful life. Jesus washes away the sinful nature, makes you clean, makes you righteous, and makes you presentable unto His Father. He gives you the right to become a child of God. Then, you have the right to rebuke the devil and the power to pray.
When you pray, He answers you because you are in Him, and He is in you: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
The Bible says in Romans 8 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So, when you are in Christ, you are no longer condemned by your old self. The devil will not have any reason to condemn you, judge you, or deprive you of the things Christ has prepared for you.
Becoming a child of God is the first step to overcoming your foundational issues, marital issues, evil covenants, and other struggles. God is ready to take that problem and that pain. However, you must be patient with the process. You may have been in the world for a long time, and just as you gradually went deeper into sin, your deliverance from the problems accumulated during that time is often a journey.
Do not always expect a “quick miracle” the moment you give your life to Christ. Every sin carries its own consequences, creating both physical and spiritual complications. But rest assured, God will deliver you from them all as you continue in righteousness.
While some demons may leave instantly at the mention of His name, others are stubborn. As Jesus taught, there are some obstacles that require a higher level of prayer, fasting, and consecrated living to be fully uprooted. As you persist in your devotion, He will clear all the “bushes” in your life and on your path.
Personal Prayer
Lord Jesus, today I surrender my life fully to You. I accept You as my personal Lord and Savior, and I believe that You died on the cross at Calvary to set me free from all sin. Thank You, Lord, for giving me a new life, making me a new creation, and washing away my sinful nature.
I ask for the power to work out my salvation, the wisdom to walk in Your ways, and the spiritual authority to uproot every stronghold, foundational issue, and evil tradition in my lineage. Grant me the grace to live a righteous, holy life that honors You.
Father, remove every obstacle, clear every bush and mountain from my path, and give me the rest You promised. I stand today in the victory of Jesus Christ, confident that You are my refuge, my strength, and my deliverer.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Download the Audio Message Here: Audio Message: New Life in Christ by Evangelist Odince
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