Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

– 2 Cor 5:17 NKJV

We also learnt that we do not earn salvation.  Salvation is God’s gift to us.  (Eph 2:8-9).  So like any gift we value and cherish, we need to maintain it. This is particularly important since our physical bodies do not die immediately our spirits are born again.  More often than not, we continue to live on this earth for a long while, even after we give our lives to Christ. So the Apostle Paul asks:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!                    

– Rom 6:1-2 NKJV

We definitely cannot continue to live in sin.  We are born again and like any new born baby, we need to grow in this new life.  A new born baby grows by the day; and the child that continually fails to grow, ultimately dies.  So the Scripture says this to us:

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

– Romans 8:13 NKJV 

This death mentioned here is certainly not a death of the physical body, but the spirit man.  In this same Scripture, we learn that the spirit man grows, as we continually mortify the desires of the flesh!

So as new believers, we are expected to walk in “newness of life” and our lives must begin to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. (Rom 6:4)  This does not all happen in one day!  No. The entire Christian journey here on earth has to do with subduing the desires of the flesh and yielding to the will and purposes of God for your life.  It is a progression, and it’s expected to get better with each passing day.

You and I definitely cannot achieve this in our own strength; so God has empowered us to do so, through the baptism of His Holy Spirit! When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, an overflowing dimension of His presence comes upon your life and empowers you to yield the members of your body to God.

The Spirit of God now in you is continually at war with your sinful nature – your old man.  So for every situation you face in life, you have to choose an action that will either gratify the desires of your flesh or gratify the desires of the Spirit of God in you. Therein is the continual struggle in our walk of faith.  What your old nature desires, is contrary to what the Spirit of God now in you, prompts you to do.  Let’s see the Scripture below:

For the flesh DESIRES what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you. 

– Galatians 5:17 NIV  (Emphasis mine)

So probably typically, in the past, if someone hurt you deeply, your immediate reaction would be to seek an avenue to take revenge; but not so now.  The Spirit of God in you will dissuade you from doing so, and probably remind you of God’s word regarding such reactions.  The decision would now lie with you, whether to react like you would before you came to know the Lord, or heed to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and let sleeping dogs lie, praying rather to God to help you forgive that person.

The choice really is yours!  Whatever we do, we ought to realize that we become the slave of whoever we choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. The Living Bible puts it this way:

Don’t you realize that you can choose your own master? ….. The one to whom you offer yourself-he will take you and be your master, and you will be his slave.

– Rom 6:16-17  The Living Bible

So what are these desires of the flesh that the Scriptures urge us to mortify?   Galatians chapter 5 outlines the various aspects of our sinful nature.  We will begin with examining the sin of sexual immorality in today’s post.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

– Gal 5:19-22 ESV

Sexual Immorality

Some versions of Scripture in this text, refer to sexual immorality, as adultery and fornication. Indeed, both adultery and fornication can be classified as sexual immorality.  While adultery, is having sex with a married person who is not your spouse, fornication has to do with a sexual act between two consenting people who are unmarried.

It is sad today, to see sexual immorality downplayed even among believers. The world says it is ok to have sex with one another, so long as they are two consenting adults; but God says the act of sex is reserved for the institution of marriage; marriage between a male and a female. (Gen 2:15-24)  Whose voice will you obey?

Maybe you found nothing wrong with having sex with a friend or a married person before you became born again.  However, once you give your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit who now resides in you, will prod you any time you are tempted to succumb to that lifestyle.  The more you yield to Him, the more control He has over your life and the more you are transformed to become like Christ.  However, if you continually ignore His prodding, the less control He has of your life and the more control your sinful nature has over your life. Your continual disobedience to the Holy Spirit grieves Him. (Eph 4:30)

Remember, you choose your master – whether sin leading to death, or God, leading to righteous living. (Rom 6)

We are however urged to put to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; (Col 3:5-11) and not be consumed with matters of sexual immorality.  So the apostle Paul puts it this way:

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 

– Eph 5:3-4  NKJV

When we become born again and God’s Holy Spir. comes upon us, our bodies become the containers of His presence and we need to be conscious of that as presence, here on earth.

God in His own wisdom, knowing that it will be difficult for man and woman to resist the sin of sexual immorality, since it is mostly an act between two consenting people, says to us to FLEE sexual immorality!  I define flee as to move your body away quickly from a scene or situation.  You cannot resist sexual immorality, you flee, as this Scripture states:

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.           

– 1 Cor 6:18-20 NKJV

When we live in consciousness of the fact that we live our lives to please God, we will by the power of the Holy Spirit, desist from such acts if we were engaged in them before we came to know the Lord.  For as the Scripture says:

This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 

– 1 Thess 4:3-4NKJV

We need to remember that, in as much as it may not be possible to overcome these sins overnight, we can overcome them progressively. The more we yield to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, the more control He has over our lives and vice versa. This continues until we get to the point in our lives when “we are led by the Holy Spirit” in almost all our dealings.  At this point, we do not make a practice of sinning.

I pray that we will yield more to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in us so that we can grow in our new life in Christ.  This is possible when we study His Word and stay connected to Him in prayer.

This write up is the 3rd  in a series of  10 teachings on Our New life in Christ first published in year 2020 and revised in 2026.

(Written by Pearl Ampofo – a minister of the Gospel. She is also the visionary of Women of Fragrance – an interdenominational gathering of women bound together by their love for Christ.) Pearl pastors at Gracefields Chapel alongside her husband Simon Ampofo in his capacity as the General overseer.

The post Our New Life In Christ – Series 3 appeared first on Women of Fragrance.

Indeed, we need to heed the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives – primarily through the word of God, for the more we yield to His promptings, the more authority over our lives we invariably yield to Him.

Prior to committing our lives to Christ Jesus, each person is primarily controlled by his natural man – what the Bible refers to as our “old man” in the book of Ephesians. I will quote excerpts from the Living Bible for a clearer understanding.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 

– Eph 4: 20-24 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

Not just does Scripture describe the life we lived before being born again as the ‘old man’ but it also compares this previous lifestyle to a garment which we are expected to put off or remove, once we become born again; and in its stead, put on the ‘new man’.  The expression ‘put on’ again suggests that this new life is like a garment already provided for us by God that we are to wear.  Our salvation therefore is a gift bestowed to us from God once we are born again.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

– Eph 2:8-10 NKJV

Remember, that you have NOT EARNED your salvation, you received it, and like any gift you receive and value, you need to keep it.   In as much as you have a part to play in maintaining this gift, it is important to realise that you cannot do it on your own and must be empowered to do so. God in all His wisdom has made provision for this by giving us His Holy Spirit.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

– Rom 8:12-13

Let us keep in mind the Scripture in John 1:12 that we receive the power to become children of God when we believe in Christ and confess Him as Lord.  Unfortunately, we see so many people who claim to have given their lives to Christ, but whose lives simply do not give credence to having “put on a new man”.  Sad to say, a lot of professing born again Christians maintain their old lifestyles because they do not grow in the Christian faith.  It is as if they consider being born again as their destination instead of their starting point.

We can recall that the disciples of Christ also found themselves at this point after the death of Christ.  In John chapter 20, we read that as Jesus breathed on his disciples, He imparted a deposit of the Holy Spirit to them.

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.                      

– John 20:21-22  NKJV

Like the new-born Christian, the apostles also received a deposit of God’s power, but this initial deposit did not embolden them to testify of God’s grace and power.  (John 21) However, after Christ had ascended into heaven, we see these same previously timid disciples walking in so much authority and demonstrating the power of God wherever they went.  The key to this change of life can be found in their obedience to Jesus’ command to them:

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

– Acts 1:4-5 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

Jesus said to them to WAIT for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for it was only then that they would receive the power needed to live this new life and be witnesses of Him.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

– Acts 1:8 NKJV

Isn’t it common place to find many people claim to give their lives to Christ, but with nothing to show of a new life in Christ?  I believe that just as Jesus said to the disciples that, it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that would empower them to be effective witnesses for Him, in much the same way does every believer needs the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be an effective witness for Christ in our present day and age.

To be an effective witness for Christ, is to live a life exemplary of the character of Christ Jesus and to boldly share your faith in Christ with all around you.  That is a true disciple. The believers in Berea were first called Christians by the people around them, because they observed that the lifestyles of these disciples resembled that of Christ Jesus.  They no more lived like they used to but clearly lived a new life in Christ Jesus.

Why do we not see this situation in our lives today?  Why do we not see a clear difference in the lifestyle of people who claim to be born again?  Truly, without the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, there is little one can do for the Lord! The first answer to this question, I believe is because we do not WAIT ON THE LORD.

Let me recount my own life story years ago, as a young lady in her early teens, when I gave my life to Christ.  I recall confessing Christ as Lord more than once because I got convicted anytime I heard the Word of God being preached so powerfully, yet I did not see any difference in my lifestyle until I learnt of the need to desire to be baptised in the Holy Spirit.   I began to desire for the Holy Spirit and pray to God for this baptism.

I was in a boarding school at that time and one day, during the compulsory afternoon siesta period, I decided to read a few Scriptures and pray for a while before taking my afternoon nap.  As I was praying, I suddenly realised I was speaking in a strange language!  I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4).  What a beautiful experience it was.  I was so enthralled and excited, full of praise to God.  That was the beginning of my walk with the Lord.  Thereafter, I just wanted to live my life to please my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Being baptised in the Holy Spirit is an experience that every person who has confessed Christ as Lord must desire.  For it is only when you are baptised in the Holy Spirit that you will be able to live a victorious Christian life.  When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, an overflowing dimension of His presence comes upon your life and empowers you to yield the members of your body to God.  The reason why some believers are unable to overcome sin is because we do not nurture the desire for the Holy Spirit, nor do we wait on the Lord or even ask the Father for Him. Let’s see what Jesus said about this.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.   For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.   If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”                       

– Luke 11:9-13 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

Let us learn to ASK the Father for an overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and like the early disciples, also learn to WAIT upon the Lord through prayer and the study of His Word for an outpouring of this Presence.  He will empower us to be victorious over sin and enable us to put away the old man!

This write up is the 2^nd in a series of  10 teachings on Our New life in Christ first published in year 2020 and revised in 2026.

(Written by Pearl Ampofo – a minister of the Gospel. She is also the visionary of Women of Fragrance – an interdenominational gathering of women bound together by their love for Christ.) Pearl pastors at Gracefields Chapel alongside her husband Simon Ampofo in his capacity as the General overseer.

The post Our New Life In Christ – Series 2 appeared first on Women of Fragrance.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

– Romans 6 :1-4 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

The Christian life is like a journey, and it begins at the point of salvation: by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary, and by confessing Jesus Christ with your mouth. This is the starting point of the Christian’s new life. For when we give our lives to Christ, we become “new creations”. What this means is that the spirit of such a person is ”born again” (John 3:3). Of course, if a person who gives his or her life to Christ Jesus were to physically die immediately after being born again, that person would go to heaven. Similarly, if Christ were to come by appearing in the skies the day you give your life to Him, you would be raptured. For indeed … it is “by Grace are you saved through faith”

Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus.

– Eph 2:8-9 (The Living Bible)

This is really good news. The fact however is that often, a person continues to live on this earth even after he gives his life to Christ. We continue to live on for a long while. So how is this “new life” in Christ experienced here on earth? The Scripture in Romans chapter 6 earlier quoted, clearly explains that in this new life, we cannot continue to live in sin and be controlled by our sinful desires and passions; rather our lives must begin to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives.

To explain further, it is important to note, that the spirit of a person lives in its body and this body is primarily controlled by its mind and emotions. The Scripture says “as many as believe in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and receive Him into their lives, “He gave them the power to become children of God” (John 1:12). This means each person who is born again receives a deposit of the Spirit of God in him or her; and as we go about living here on earth, it is our responsibility now to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in all we do. This is how the apostle Paul puts it:

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

– Romans 8: 12-14 NLT

The fact that a person is born again, does not mean he or she is automatically led by the Spirit of God in all his or dealings. No. Being led by the Spirit of God is a gradual process. As earlier explained, per the Scripture in John 1 :12, we receive the power to become children of God when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives. The question then is: What happens in between the point when we receive the power to become the Children of God and the time when we are classified as children of God because we are led by the Spirit of God?

The answer to this question lies in Romans 8:12-13 quoted earlier. It is important to note that the deposit of the Holy Spirit in our lives at our initial stages of being born again, is latent. When something is latent, it lies dormant or hidden, until circumstances are suitable for its manifestation or development. Similarly, the Holy Spirit lies dormant in our lives at our initial stages when we accept Christ into our lives. The more of God’s word we study and the more of God’s Presence we seek in prayer, the more room we give the Holy Spirit in our lives to prompt us in all our dealings.

In this way, we can by His power, say NO to the dictates of our flesh and continually yield to His promptings and as we continually do this we invariably yield more authority of our lives to Him. In this way, we begin to live our new life in Christ Jesus.

This write up is the 1st in a series of 10 teachings on Our New life in Christ

(Written by Pearl Ampofo – a minister of the Gospel. She pastors at Gracefields Chapel alongside her husband Simon Ampofo in his capacity as the General overseer, and is also the visionary of Women of Fragrance – an interdenominational gathering of Christian women).

The post Our New Life In Christ – Series 1 appeared first on Women of Fragrance.