Exhanged, Made New? Oh YEA!

By National Trainer Tricia Heflin

Hey Friends! 

As I creep (as slowly as I possibly can) through my 5th decade of life, the sound of, "Behold, He has made all things new. The old is gone and the new has come", sounds prrrretty goood tooo meeee!   

2 Corinthians 5:17  NKJV

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, (s)he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

I'm wondering, what word in this scripture grabs your attention?  It was the word, “new”, that made me first think of this scripture, but actually “BEHOLD”, is the grabby word for me today.  In fact, as I searched translations to use I came back to the ones that still used the word behold. Why?  Glad you asked!   

       be.hold: see or observe (a thing or a person, especially a remarkable or impressive one)

Do you see how remarkable and impressive the “new you” that God makes is?  It is what you behold in your leaders when you see how God has changed us, removed our shame, given us a new story and brought us out of hiding!  It is what you “see or observe” in the women on the Surrendering the Secret video; you behold the new thing God has done.  It is the work of His alive, active Word.  There is nothing else like it.  Something to behold!  And you are something to behold.  HE is making it so!!   

Take those few minutes to reflect on the things God has brought you through. Anger? Fear? Insecurity? Relationship Issues?  Feelings of loss?  REGRET? 

Let's ASK God to help us truly exchange these old things for His new;  His ways,  His thoughts, His character. Wecan ask!  When we decided to take this study, something in us beheld hope. Hope that God had something new for us here! Taking this step, you let the distress of abortion bring you to God, not drive you away any more.  Keep at it!  We are almost to the top, and God is changing you!  You are more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, and more responsible.  You can come out of this with purity of heart!  

That is something you can bet your enemy, Satan, has beholded! (forgive me, “beholded”  just sounded better than beheld) And Satan will try to get you to stop!  

But you keep climbing!!! Even you who are not 50...can handle being made new... YOU & me; God's workmanship.   Something to behold. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

Therefore if any (wo)man be in Christ, (s)he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I went back to my Bible software to find this verse again with the keyword, behold. Looking in the KJV (the old one, ya know) up came 1,298 verses with the word behold!  God seems to originally like that word a lot. 

 Oh my! What's our equivalent: "Look it!?"... Definitely "sumpin" lost in translation there!     

When God does a work, it is good!  He seems to be saying, "See! Observe! Don't forget!  Don't lose the awesome notice of what I, your God, do in you!   Behold!"       

"Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion (of blessing), and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance, and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs!"   Isaiah 61:7 

AMEN!