In our last blog if you recall, Restore means, to bring back to its original purpose or plan, to set back in order or into its former condition, place, or position. It also means to repair or renovate like a building to its former condition.  

Once there was an orphan who lived on the streets of Timbuktu, begging and scrounging for food every day to survive. Her parents died when she was five years old; she had no relatives to care for her. The little girl once lived the life of royalty, her father was King of New Trasser, a country outside of Timbuktu but the kingdom fell to ruins and the little princess was left all alone.

Now age eight, living in the streets and sleeping in a dark tunnel at night to keep her warm was all she knew. One day as the little princess walked in her dark tunnel, with her dirty hands opened wide waiting for someone to pass through to put money or a morsel of bread in them, a bright light came into her dark world.

A tall man came into her darkness dressed in a shimmering white robe with a golden crown upon his head. Sunlight glistened in his eyes as he gazed into hers. He was not deterred by her matted hair, dirty clothes, and the odor she exuded. All he wanted was to reach out and help her. But when the princess saw the face of the kind man, she looked away and held her head down because of the shame she felt living and looking as she did. The kind man reached out to her anyway and took her soiled hands, kissed them, then lifted her up from the ground. He took the little princess to his royal carriage outside of the tunnel. He put her in it and shared with her the most luscious fruit, bread, and cheese she had ever tasted. The man asked her, “My little one, there is so much more I have for you, would you like to join me in my home up on the hill?” The little princess was so afraid; the streets was what she became accustomed to. She thought about the things she learned to survive as her mind raced on and on for a few minutes. The patient gentleman didn’t rush or pressure her, he just sat eating and awaiting her final response. The little princess finally responded, she asked him, “What will it be like for me to live in your house?” These are the things he told her:

• In your NEW home, I will take care of your every need; you never ever have to be anxious about taking care of yourself again.
• In your NEW home, you will always be FREE to choose.
• In your NEW home, everything I have is yours, however, you must be willing to leave the old behind to enjoy your NEW home fully and completely.
• In your NEW home, life will be different. You will long for the past and even struggle with old beliefs and ways of thinking. If you bring them to me, I will always point you to the TRUTH of what is your NEW reality and NEW LIFE WITH ME.

After 10 minutes, the little princess said yes and off they went to live in a NEW home with the one who found and who loves her.

Like the little princess in the story, we have a NEW life, NEW home, and a NEW purpose. Jesus came to bring us back to our original purpose or plan, to set us back in order or into our former condition, place, or position. Our old life and house were destroyed by sin but our Lord Jesus came to do more than just repairing our old house, He came to give us a brand NEW house to live in… IN HIM. He is aware of our old beliefs, old ways of seeing life, and our stinking thinking, but they never deter Him from His love and faithfulness toward us. However, we must be willing to bring our thoughts, feelings, and emotions to Him in order for Him to bring them into the light of our NEW reality.

Here are a few scriptures from the Amplified Bible which depicts our NEW house or NEW life:

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if anyone is In Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a NEW creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, NEW things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a NEW life].

Romans 6:4  – We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in NEWNESS of life [abandoning our old ways].

Romans 6:13 – Do not go on offering members of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. But offer yourselves to God [in a decisive act] as those alive [raised] from the dead [to a NEW life], and your members [all of your abilities—sanctified, set apart] as instruments of righteousness yielded to God.

Hebrews 10:19 – [A NEW and Living Way] Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus, by this NEW and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh.

BY FAITH

Thank you, Jesus, for bringing us back home to live with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, but how do we experience all that’s ours in Your Kingdom? The answer is “By Faith.”

I want to simplify what faith means, it just means, I believe and agree with whatever our Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit say is TRUE. IT IS FINISHED! EVERYTHING our Father will do, everything our Lord will do, and everything the Holy Spirit will do… is DONE. Our response is to agree and say, “Thank You.” We pray for a lot of things we already possess. Our journey is a journey of discovering, uncovering, and revealing. We are:

Discovering – All that is ours In Christ and the Fullness of the Kingdom of God within us.

Uncovering – All the lies we have believed about our Lord and ourselves, then change our minds about them.

Revealing – The wonders of His Life, Grace, and Love in us and through us to the world.

By faith, we are learning to enjoy all that is ours In Christ! He has Restored our souls, yet we are in the process of discovering, uncovering as He is revealing more and more to us each day.

Thank you, Lord!