Knowing Your Identity in Christ: I am Made New (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Does transformation in yourself or your family life ever feel impossible?

On this episode of 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents, host Christen Clark explores how "being made new" in Christ brings hope and real spiritual growth for parents and kids alike, even when family time feels rushed and imperfect. If you've ever wondered how to model authentic faith at home or guide your children through discipleship while embracing your own flaws, this episode offers the encouragement you need.

• [00:01:05] Discovering the Biblical foundation for being made new
• [00:05:05] Handling setbacks and showing your kids what true spiritual growth looks like in everyday family life

Resources:

• Instagram: @7minutedevotions, @christenclark
• Family Podcast: @collidekidspodcast

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to 7-Minute Devotions for Busy Parents. I'm Kristen Clark, and I'm so glad you're here. I am a busy parent just like you, and I don't know how I'm gonna make it through these last few weeks of school as it starts to wind down and all the things we have to get done and all the transitions and phases of life that are coming to an end and things that are starting fresh. It's it's a lot to think about. But there's always gonna be something pulling at our time and attention. And sometimes it's easy to just keep going without really stopping to think about what God is doing in you. And so that's why we take these few minutes together to refocus and to remember what is true, what is from God's Word. And so I'm excited to share today's truth with you, and that is I am made new. And it says, You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self created like God in true righteousness and holiness. Paul says to put off your old self, which is being corrupted, and to be made new by the attitude of your minds, to put on the new self. This is such a powerful picture because it reminds us that following Jesus isn't just about believing something, it's about becoming new. And when we talk about being made new, a lot of people think of dramatic transformation stories. You remember those amazing testimonies of people sharing how they hit rock bottom and they were rescued and their life was completely turned around. And those stories are so incredible. But not everyone's story looks like that. And so I just want to remind you that that does not make your transformation any less powerful. Because the truth is, every single one of us has been radically changed. We were spiritually dead and now we are alive in Christ. That is not small. That's everything. Paul says our old self was driven by deceitful desires, living for ourselves, following whatever felt right in the moment, our own truth versus God's truth. But now something has shifted. We are made new in the attitude of our minds. In other words, the way we think begins to change. The things we once desired to do or to have or to be, they don't hold the same weight anymore. It's kind of like when you start eating healthier after a long season of eating junk food. And at first it's really hard. And sometimes it's still a little hard if you're honest. But over time, your taste really does change. You begin to appreciate what's good for you and how it makes you feel and what used to satisfy you just doesn't hit the same way anymore. That is what happens to us spiritually. Our desires begin to change, our perspective shifts, and what comes out of our life begins to look different. Not because we're trying harder, but because something inside us is different. And this is where we see the fruit of the spirit, not something we produce on our own. It says it's the fruit of the spirit, not of us, but it's something that God is growing out of our relationship. You may hear people talk about manifesting things in their life, but that's not what this is. We're not creating something of our own power. Everything comes from God. What we're doing is allowing his spirit to shape us so that his character shows up in our lives, especially in those hard moments. When you're overlooked or hurt by someone, do you respond with kindness? Or when life is difficult, do you see glimpses of joy or peace? That's the evidence of something new at work in you. But I also want to say this clearly: being made new does not mean you will never struggle again. You will still face temptations. You will still mess up. You will still fall into old patterns sometimes. You will still make mistakes. Even the disciples who walked with Jesus in person, they learned from him, they saw miracles firsthand, right in front of their eyes. They still struggled. They said things they shouldn't say. They made wrong choices. They had moments where they followed their own way instead of Christ. So if you're like me, I feel a little relieved because I'm not the only one that struggles and falls back into my old way of life. And I can rest assured to know that transformation is happening. As soon as I accept Christ as my savior, transformation begins. But it's not going to be completed until we get to heaven. So in the meantime, we keep putting off the old self and choosing to walk in the new. And as parents, this is such an important thing for our kids to see because they don't need to think that following Jesus means being perfect. They need to see what it looks like to be transformed, to repent, to grow, to keep going. They need to see that our lives are changing, that we are changing, not because we have it all together, but because we're walking with Jesus. We're in a relationship with him. That when we mess up, we don't hide it, but we learn from it. That when we're faced with a hard situation, we're asking God to shape our response and to help us know how to respond the right way. And as parents, we can help our kids recognize this transformation in their own lives too. We can point out the growth that we see, the ways that they are changing, and we can celebrate the change in their attitude and their behavior. We can also remind them that God is working in them because they are also being transformed and being made new. Well, before we pray, I want to go over our identity rhythm. This is something we're covering in every episode of this season. So I'm going to share these three short statements of who we are in Christ, why it's true, and how we live from it. And then what I want you to do is say the identity statement one more time at the end with me so that you'll remember it. If you say it out loud, it sticks with you. So here's our identity statement for today. I am made new. Through Christ, my old self is gone, and I am being renewed in my mind and transformed to reflect him. Because I am made new, I choose to put off patterns and allow God to shape my thoughts, actions, and responses each day. Let's say the identity statement one more time together. I am made new. Let's pray. God, we thank you so much that we are made new in Christ, that we can put off the old self, that we no longer have to feel stuck or chained to our old patterns and our old addictions and our old way of life because you are working in our lives to transform us. God, I pray that we would live in that, that we would know your grace and your love for us as we work this out each day. Help us to show our kids what it's like to be transformed and to walk through this life in a relationship with you. We love you and we thank you for all you've done for us in Jesus' name. Amen. Friend, you are not stuck. You are being made new. You are being transformed. And so this week, when you feel that tension between the old and the new, remember who you are and who you belong to. Thanks so much for listening today. As a reminder, this show is listener supported. So if it's been meaningful to you in any way, I'd love to invite you to be a part of helping it grow. I'm actually personally funding this ministry because I believe in it. And so any gift that you'd be willing to share would mean so much and help these devotions reach more families. So thank you for your support. Thank you for your prayers. Come back later this week for another episode of Seven Minute Devotions for Busy Parents.