By Pastor Kristin Wenck
[CategoryLiving Faith Blog]
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
No matter what your natural DNA has given you, when you are born again, God gives you His own spiritual DNA. We were recreated spiritually to be like Him and to be containers for His Spirit and His glory. What exactly does that look like? Gal. 5:22-23 tells us the fruit, or the traits, that the Holy Spirit brings to us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Love: the ability to care for others and treat them right
Joy: a sense of happiness because God is with us that strengthens us in times of trouble
Peace: tranquility of mind and spirit in spite of circumstances, also—nothing missing, nothing broken; wholeness in God
Patience: the ability to keep faith and remain steady and unchanging even in the face of adverse circumstances
Kindness: treating others respectfully
Goodness: doing what is right according to the Word of God
Faithfulness: sticking with God and His calling even when times are tough
Gentleness: being careful with others, not bowling them over
Self-control: the ability to control our body and bring it into subjection to our spirit
How are these traits brought to maturity? By practicing them and living by the Spirit!
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:4
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
What physical or mental traits run in your family? People dying at a certain age, of a specific illness or problem? People having hereditary diseases that plague them? A quick temper? Unforgiveness? Harshness? Addiction? There is no part of you that the Holy Spirit can’t touch and transform into His image. We were recreated to be changed to reflect God’s glory and bring His love to the world. As long as we are in the earth, we are called to change.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says:
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Lord is able to set us free and transform us, but we need to be willing to yield to the Spirit in order for it to happen. In Christ, our heredity no longer defines us. We have new DNA and the ability to produce different results. How do we tap into that ability? Abiding and walking in the Spirit.
What does that look like on a daily basis? Getting in enough word and enough prayer time in the presence of God. The amount of time is different for different people, but if you are stuck and not changing, you know that your time needs to increase. The time you invest with the Holy Spirit is extremely profitable for you. Developing the fruit of the Spirit will change every facet of your life—your physical wellbeing, your personality, your relationships, and your faith. To overcome heredity, you need to walk in the Spirit every day.
I encourage you to make your time abiding with God your number one priority each day. Getting up early and having a morning meeting with God has the potential to change everything that happens in that day. It changes your mood, your reactions, your ability to be patient, kind, and walk in love. Don’t let your natural DNA define you any longer. Tap into your supernatural DNA by abiding in the Spirit and change will happen. It will affect every facet of your life for the better.
