“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:3), it was a radical statement. He wasn’t offering self-improvement. He wasn’t inviting people to try harder or do better. He was declaring that real life—eternal life—starts with a total rebirth. A new beginning. A new identity.
Paul picks up that same truth and expands it with bold clarity: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Not “will be,” or “might become,” but is. The old is not on probation—it’s gone. The new is not under construction—it’s here.
This changes everything. You are not defined by your past mistakes, your weaknesses, or what others have said about you. When you put your faith in Jesus, the old you dies, and a new you rises in its place—alive in Christ, clothed in righteousness, filled with His Spirit.
But here’s the catch: many Christians still live like their old self is in charge. They carry shame from a life that no longer exists. They try to fix what God already replaced. Being a new creation doesn’t mean you always feel new—it means your spirit has been made new, and now your mind must catch up with that truth.
You’ve been given the mind of Christ, but your lifelong pursuit now is to renew your thinking to align with His. That means letting the Word of God wash away the old thoughts and teach you how to think again—like Christ. It won’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes attention to His Word. And it takes yielding daily to His Spirit.
You don’t grow into a new creation—you grow from it. God doesn’t just fix broken things—He lovingly makes all things new. That’s how good He is.
Today, take time to thank God for what He’s done in you. Remind your heart that your past is not your identity. The real you is born of God, rooted in grace, and called to live in the power of His resurrection life. You’re not a cleaned-up version of your old self. You’re a brand-new creation.
Excerpt from Follow Me As I Follow Christ by Kevin Casey. Click Here: Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback).
When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:3), it was a radical statement. He wasn’t offering self-improvement. He wasn’t inviting people to try harder or do better. He was declaring that real life—eternal life—starts with a total rebirth. A new beginning. A new identity.
Paul picks up that same truth and expands it with bold clarity: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Not “will be,” or “might become,” but is. The old is not on probation—it’s gone. The new is not under construction—it’s here.
This changes everything. You are not defined by your past mistakes, your weaknesses, or what others have said about you. When you put your faith in Jesus, the old you dies, and a new you rises in its place—alive in Christ, clothed in righteousness, filled with His Spirit.
But here’s the catch: many Christians still live like their old self is in charge. They carry shame from a life that no longer exists. They try to fix what God already replaced. Being a new creation doesn’t mean you always feel new—it means your spirit has been made new, and now your mind must catch up with that truth.
You’ve been given the mind of Christ, but your lifelong pursuit now is to renew your thinking to align with His. That means letting the Word of God wash away the old thoughts and teach you how to think again—like Christ. It won’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes attention to His Word. And it takes yielding daily to His Spirit.
You don’t grow into a new creation—you grow from it. God doesn’t just fix broken things—He lovingly makes all things new. That’s how good He is.
Today, take time to thank God for what He’s done in you. Remind your heart that your past is not your identity. The real you is born of God, rooted in grace, and called to live in the power of His resurrection life. You’re not a cleaned-up version of your old self. You’re a brand-new creation.
Excerpt from Follow Me As I Follow Christ by Kevin Casey. Click Here: Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback).
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Pastor Kevin Casey
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2026
January
Day 1: Knowing Jesus is Eternal LifeDay 2: That I May Know HimDay 3: The Supremacy of ChristDay 4: Christ the FoundationDay 5: Forgiven CompletelyDay 6: Forgive as You’ve Been ForgivenDay 7: A New CreationDay 8: Righteous by FaithDay 9: Adopted and ChosenDay 10: Accepted in the BelovedDay 11: Seated with ChristDay 12: God’s WorkmanshipDay 13: Nothing Can Separate YouDay 14: Christ in You, the Hope of GloryDay 15: The Mind of ChristDay 16: The Image of God RestoredDay 17: Grace That TeachesDay 18: The Measure of FaithDay 19: Faith Works by LoveDay 20: The Faith of the Son of GodDay 21: The Crucified LifeDay 22: Renew Your MindDay 23: Take Every Thought CaptiveDay 24: Think on These ThingsDay 25: Be Spiritually Minded