Today’s Faith Workout on faith bigger than your fears was written by Kelly Barcol, our Chaplain Role Champion, Owner of CrossFit Winnersville, and Pastor at Winnersville Community Center. 

 

Before Jesus showed up on the scene things had been the same for about 400 years (between Old Testament and New Testament)…  waiting for the Messiah was normal, hoping for the Messiah was normal and praying for the Messiah to come was normal… After 400 years normal was comfortable, normal was all the Jewish community, the Israelite knew…  In chapter one, John said:

14, The Word became flesh, (the law became flesh, the Ten commandments became flesh) and has made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, (there was none before Him and there will not be another one after Him.  He is the one and only)  who came from the Father, (here is the NEW NORMAL, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, Word became flesh, JESUS is) full of grace and truth.

 

Then, let’s sum up the beginning of John 1 in verse 17.

Here was the NORMAL:

v. 17- For the law was given through Moses; 

 

Here’s the NEW NORMAL:

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

 

This New Normal is going from being right with God through the law to being in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ! 

 

Normal was, you could change things on the outside and nothing on the inside would have to change.  You could look good doing the right things for all the wrong reasons and look good on the outside, but be miserable and dying on the inside without Jesus.  Normal for a lot of people is creating their own standard of “GOOD” and being good enough according to their own standard to get to heaven.  However, at the end of your life, “Good enough” will never be enough…  There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)

 

The new normal would change a person from the inside out!  The new normal is to put our trust and our hope through faith by God’s grace in Jesus Christ.  I would no longer be good by trying real hard to be good, But, by the power of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ it is no longer I who live, but now Christ who lives in me.  I am no longer righteous because I do right things, I am righteous because the righteous one lives in me.  

 

A new normal won’t happen simply by making some changes to your life.  People will just say you’re a changed person…  You can do things differently in your life and they’ll say you’re a different person…  You can do more good than bad and they’ll say you are a pretty good person… 

 

But when you fully surrender your life to Jesus, the Bible says you’ll become a new person.  Only Jesus can make you brand new.  Not good, not better, not changed, not remodeled, or rebuilt.  Jesus makes us NEW

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

There are some old things we need to never go back too!  However, instead of focusing on what we need to run from, let’s start focusing on Jesus and what He wants us to run to.  Because you can run from something and still end up being lost!  I see in the movies all the time…  People just start running from trouble and still end up lost.  

 

Look to Jesus.  Run to Jesus, Trust in Jesus, Live for Jesus!   My New Normal needs to be so wrapped up in what Jesus wants me to do that I won’t have time to even think about what I shalt not be doing. I’m not looking to get back to normal, I’m looking forward to my new normal!  How bout you?

 

Some things that felt normal only felt normal because that was all we knew. Normal was normal, because we had done it that way for so long… or when we looked around, it was the norm right? So we convinced ourselves that it was normal and must be good…  I’ve got a feeling, your New Normal won’t look Normal to most people!  

 

We’ve spent the first few months in Exodus… The Israelites in Exodus were on their way to the promised land… but on the way… and they wanted to go back to what?  To Normal…  Back to what was comfortable, what was familiar, what they were used to, its’ all they knew… Some of y’all wanna get back to normal for all the wrong reasons…

 

The new normal might take more discipline (walking every night with Polly and the dogs), the new normal might mean making less money because you stop working overtime (which means eating out less), those of you dating and you’ve spent way more time together than you used too…  it might mean saying no to something that was good in order to say yes to something BETTER.

 

For some of you listening there were some things you were doing and places you were going that you really didn’t enjoy.  Matter of fact you told yourself and probably other people how tired of it you were, how draining it was…  Maybe it was a job or maybe it was an activity or maybe it was a person, a relationship, and the only reason you want to go back to that normal now is because its familiar.  It’s all you’ve known for so long.  

 

For some of you, if you’ll seek God and put him first, He’ll show you that He has something better and if you’ll trust Him and pursue Him, He’ll open doors.  It’ll be scary, the process may even be uncomfortable, but the outcome will be better!

 

As long as things are normal, people are comfortable and as long as people are comfortable they’ll stay normal.   But sometimes we have to get shaken up, to get out of our ole’ mundane routine.  Sometimes life has to throw us a curve ball to help us see that normal wasn’t really working for us, normal wasn’t really best, it was just comfortable.

 

God has a promised land for you and me to enjoy.  A new normal with family… A new normal with relationships… a new normal with our time…  A new normal with our work.  A new normal in our relationship with God.  Don’t get so wrapped up in wanting to get back to normal, don’t get so focused and so persistent on getting back to normal that you miss Gods personal promised land He’s preparing for you in your New Normal!!!

 

And let me encourage you who are listening from all over in your living rooms and bedrooms and kitchens on iphones and android, iPads, TV,’s and who knows what else, there is going to come a time when ALL that is normal as we know it will be made new!! Jesus said in a revelation to John in Revelations 21:4 That, ’He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

 

Jesus says when I return again it will be once and for all.  All those who have believed in me by grace, through faith will rise with me in the air to the ultimate New Normal we call heaven that will be for all eternity.   It’s in this New Normal that you won’t be sad, you won’t ever cry again, you’ll never feel lonely, you’ll never experience loss.  All things as we know it will be made new!!

 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5

 

If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus and you want Jesus to be your New Normal, I want you to type that in your chat right now.  I want to pray with you first right now.  If your already a Christ followers, I’ve got something for you too so hang in there and lets pray with these people first.  Those of you making this decision hundreds of people are praying for you.  PRAY

 

If you’re a Christ follower ask God to tell you, to show you what He wants your New Normal to look like.  What does it mean to really put Him first in your life.  What does it mean to really love others?  What are some Godly habits you can build now to be a part of your New Normal?  Where does and how does God want you to serve and give?  Let’s bring a New Normal back to the church when the doors open.