You ARE NOT Who You WERE!!

[Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMPC), “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If so, this Scripture is talking to you!! If not, all you have to do to receive the new life Jesus has already died for you to have is accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior AND embrace His righteousness – develop a personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit so you can walk out your new life!! We are made whole; we are made complete in Christ!! We are NOT who we were before!! Our past does not dictate who we are or will be in the future!! We are a new creation in Christ Jesus once we accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior!! Click here for  my teaching titled, “Do You Know Who You Are In Christ?”

God prepared a way of escape for us (ALL mankind); the way is ALREADY made – you do not have to work for salvation because Jesus already has given you salvation and along with it, EVERYTHING you need to live in this world with the victory (He has overcome the world) – Jesus has paid for salvation with His life and now all you have to do is receive it!!

Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:4-5 (AMPC) about Jesus; how He would take away the sin, sicknesses, diseases, infirmities, iniquities, sorrows, griefs, etc. of mankind and give us His peace, His love, His joy, His gentleness, His longsuffering, His faith and His goodness – among other things; through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 & 14; Galatians 5:22). Jesus also gave us His righteousness so we could become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21); this is what makes us brand new creatures in Him. Our righteousness WERE as filthy rags but now we are washed by the Blood of the Lamb – Jesus!! However, in order for this new life to be manifested in us, we MUST accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior – THEN every promise in the Book can be manifested in our lives.

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (AMPC), Paul goes on to tell you why you are a NEW creation:

“¹⁸ But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. ¹⁹ It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).”

Are you hearing by Holy Spirit, what Paul is saying? Read it again – it is great news! It is VERY important to KNOW, by Holy Spirit’s revelation, that you are not the same person you used to be! Because the enemy and some people, especially in high positions, want  to hold your past against you!! They love to label you, as the same person you USED to be - NO MATTER how much you have changed!! When that happen, you know it is nobody but the devil, trying to confuse you; trying to change your identity of who God says you are!! DON’T BE TRICKED!! You ARE NOT who you were; that was the old man, the old self, and you are NO longer that person!! You are a NEW creature, creation in Christ Jesus!! Click here for Scriptures that will show you, who you are in Christ! And Peter shows in 1 Peter 2:24 (AMPC), that you ARE healed by Jesus’ stripes – he is reiterating what Isaiah said.

God WILL NEVER bring up your past, and try to condemn you – as I said, that is the devil, and his people (Romans 8:1 – AMPC)!! And sometimes, even your own conscious, when you have not renewed your mind with the Word; allowed the Word to transform your mind to who you are in Christ!! Therefore, DON’T listen to the lies in your own conscious, from your soul, which house your mind, will, and emotions, the enemy, or people, to tell you who you are!! Listen to who God says you are!! 

It DOES NOT matter WHAT you have done in your past - that is in the past and is NOT you today!! And God HAS COMPLETELY forgiven you, because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection!! God HAS cast your sins, past, present, and future, as far as the east is from the west, NEVER to remember them again!! God IS NOT mad at you!! God loves you with an EVERLASTING love!! God loves you UNCONDITIONALLY, and NOTHING will EVER separate YOU, YES YOU, from God’s love (Romans 8:31-39 - AMPC)!! Here are some Scriptures about God’s forgiveness: 1 John 1:9; Ephesians 1:7; Isaiah 1:18; Colossians 1:13-14; Matthew 26:28; Psalms 86:5; Psalms 103:12; John 3:16; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17.

And Paul asks us  a question in Romans 8:31 (AMPC): “…If God is for us, who [can be] against you? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?” The answer is NO ONE!! Therefore, NO ONE, I am talking about the enemy, or people, can hold you in bondage to your past!! NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER!! BUT, the enemy, and scheming people, can cause you to defeat yourself!! BUT NOT if you have renewed your mind, with the Word - you will be able to hear Holy Spirit’s warnings, letting you know, who is who and helping you might the right decisions!! Reread Romans 8:31-39 - AMPC together. I also suggest you read the complete Chapter of Romans 8.

Again, if you have accepted Jesus as YOUR personal Lord and Savior, YOU ARE a BRAND-NEW creation, creature, IN Christ Jesus, the old (the way you used to behave, the things you used to do, your old ungodly desires, etc.) HAS passed away, and the NEW HAS come - NOT coming, but IS here NOW!! The reason you are not seeing it with your natural senses, is because your mind is still thinking the old way - remember your mind is housed in your soul!! And EVERYTHING good or bad that happened to you before you accepted Jesus, went into your soul!! EVER traumatic thing, every hurt, every pain, and every abuse, went into your soul!! 

Therefore NOW, so that the soul (mind, will, emotions), can come into agreement, come subject to your spirit man, which is PERFECT in EVERY way, because this is where Holy Spirit lives, and how God communicates with us, you MUST, there is NO way around it, do what Paul said in Romans 12:1-2 (AMPC):

“¹I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”

That is your next step; get into the Word of God, with Holy Spirit as your Revelator, and ALLOW Him to reveal God’s Word to you, so the fallow ground of your heart can be broken up (remove ALL hurts, traumas, false doctrines, false ideologies, unbelief, doubt, etc. ), so you can hear, and receive the truth of God’s Word; so God’s Word can be planted in good ground, and take root, so you can grow in the knowledge of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and ALL things of God!!

To help you fully understand your spirit man, soul, and body, Andrew Wommack has a great teaching titled, “Spirit, Soul, and Body.”

God’s Blessings to you, as you take the journey with Holy Spirit, to renew your mind, so you can walk in your newness of life, Jesus HAS ALREADY provided for you!!

PDF version of "You ARE NOT Who You Were!"

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks