My friend Randy has been working on a book, Immerse, for the past few months. This one is all about finding confidence in your faith, by learning who you really are…

… that, in turn, provides you with certainty.

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Randy and I began this conversation by talking about butterflies— and how a caterpillar enters a cocoon and emerges as something totally new— something so radically different that there’s no correlation between what was “before” and what is “after.”

So it is with us (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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That leads us to the first main idea of this discussion— faith is NOT about behaving a certain way, it’s about BECOMING who we really are, who we’re designed to be.

Randy refers to the book of Ephesians, where Paul reminds us—

✅ We were dead (chapter 1)

✅ We are not only not alive, but we are God’s workmanship— His art— His artistic expression— to this world (chapter 2).

Furthermore, we were planned before time began…

This means that God had insight into our destiny long before our mess-ups, mistakes, and mash-ups. That is, grace is bigger than any blunder you’ve made (or even any blunders done against you).

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Our unique transformation— into who we are, restores what was lost with the Fall. Adam and Eve…

❌ Lost life (they eventually died, though not at that precise moment of their sin)

❌Lost light (they began walking in darkness, their minds clouded to the truth, confused as to what was really happening)

❌Lost love (they built barriers between each other and God, distance entered relationships)

Jesus uniquely restores each of these areas…

✅ We receive life from Him.

✅ We walk in the light with Him.

✅ We experience— and then share— His love.

Randy reminds us that each of these three highlight things John clarifies as “certainties” of our faith (see 1 John 5:13).

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Furthermore, John says that— as we walk into our new creation identity—

✅ We desire Scripture, and allow the Word of God to wash over us…

✅ We love others…

✅ We don’t love the things of the world— not because we “force ourselves not to,” but because our desires, our cravings, change.

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And there’s more…

We learn that…

✅ We’re forgiven (of all past, present, and future sin) (see Hebrews 10:14).

✅ We are brought into a household, the family of God.

✅ We have a different citizenship…

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Again, it’s all based on the notion that the same grace that saves us is the same grace which ALSO empowers us to live the life we’re created for…

 

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For more info…

👉 Find Randy’s website at www.BeRefreshed.org 

And…

👉 Download by free book, Redemption, about radical faith, at www.Jenkins.tv/R 

👉 Find balance and grow in each area of your life at www.Jenkins.tv/21 

👉 Join the #HilltopHangout Facebook group at www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins