I'm Not Who I Used to Be

Jun 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Bank Statements Don’t Have the Final Word

God’s ability transcends financial reports, health diagnoses, and generational cycles. His power rewrites stories where human logic sees dead ends. Cancer cells bow to His voice. Dried-up organs revive at His command. The same creative force that formed galaxies now whispers hope over your most impossible situation. Stop staring at receipts and start declaring His "more than able" nature over every anxiety. [44:08]

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”
(Psalm 103:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: What “final report” have you been accepting as unchangeable? How might declaring “He’s more than able” shift your prayers today?

Day 2: Sleeping in the Same Pajamas, Waking Up Royalty

Salvation isn’t just a ticket to heaven—it’s a status change from outsider to family. Like swapping a customer’s receipt for a stockroom key, believers gain access to divine resources. You might still feel like the same person, but your spiritual DNA now carries royal authority. Those old cycles? They’re trespassing on property you no longer own. [01:03:30]

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
(1 John 3:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still act like a beggar when God calls you heir? What one “employee benefit” of salvation will you intentionally use this week?

Day 3: Your Benefit Package Includes Organ Renewal

Salvation’s benefits go beyond forgiveness—they include cellular-level restoration. God doesn’t just pay your debt; He renews your strength like eagle’s wings. That laugh you lost? He’s rebooting it. The weight crushing your shoulders? He’s shredding the invoice. Stop dragging expired burdens—your account was settled with resurrection power. [01:08:51]

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
(Isaiah 40:31, ESV)

Reflection: What worn-out part of your life needs to hear “your youth is being renewed”? How can you cooperate with His renewal today?

Day 4: The Holy Spirit Pause Button Beats Comebacks

Belonging to God means trading clapbacks for divine pauses. That moment when insults fly? Your new identity triggers a spiritual circuit breaker. Biting your tongue isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom from the stockroom of heaven. Every withheld harsh word declares “I’m repping a different Kingdom now.” [01:21:43]

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
(Ephesians 4:29, ESV)

Reflection: What conversation requires you to activate the “pause button” this week? How might speaking grace instead of grief change that relationship?

Day 5: Friends Don’t Let Friends Destroy Cities Unchecked

Friendship with God means bold intercession. Abraham didn’t beg—he negotiated Sodom’s fate because he knew God’s heart. Your prayers for Oakland aren’t wishful thinking; they’re boardroom discussions with heaven. When you stop settling for “God, help me” and start declaring “God, save them,” you’re walking in your friendship privileges. [01:42:33]

“So the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’”
(Genesis 18:17, ESV)

Reflection: What situation have you been praying timidly about that needs Abraham-level boldness? How does knowing you’re God’s friend change your prayer posture?

Sermon Summary

John 15 speaks first, and it is loud and clear. Jesus puts his own joy inside his people so that their joy is full, then he commands love measured by his cross. That order matters. His joy fuels God-sized love. Then Jesus names a status change. Disciples are not just servants kept in the dark. They are friends who are chosen, appointed to bear fruit that remains, and invited to ask the Father for anything in Jesus’ name. Before anyone chose him, he chose them. That grace redefines identity.

The doctrine of salvation sets the starting line, not the finish line. Salvation makes a new creation, but discipleship follows Jesus into surrendered obedience, and the Spirit fills believers with power that exceeds human willpower. The Spirit breaks the cycle of try-fail-shame and lifts life above natural ability. From there the image shifts. A new uniform gets put on. Status changes. Access changes. Benefits change.

Psalm 103 lays out the benefit package that comes with adoption. God forgives every iniquity, heals diseases, redeems from destruction, crowns with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies with good, and renews youth like the eagle. Forgetting those benefits leaves believers carrying weights God never asked them to carry. Let it go. Lay down the bitterness that blames God, and notice what the Father is already doing.

Romans 12:2 insists that identity must sink in through a renewed mind. Without mind renewal, the church lives beneath what God already provided. God clothes his people in a robe of righteousness, so he sees who they are becoming in Christ, not who they used to be. That new identity plays out in three ways. First, belonging to God ends living for people’s approval. The body is the Spirit’s temple, bought with a price, so life is lived as ambassadors who represent another kingdom with a Holy Spirit pause before every word. Second, adoption gives a new family and a new Father. The Spirit cries, Abba. Heirs with Christ inherit more than needs met. Children ask big. The nations are on the table. Third, friendship with God gives proximity and access. Abraham’s intercession shows what friends do. They know God’s heart, they reason with him, and they pray prayers that are not anemic. John 15 loops back. Joy is what Jesus gives. Love is what joy produces. And the daily confession lands where the text lands. A disciple belongs to God, is a child of God, and is a friend of God.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus’ joy enables God-sized love The text puts joy before love because divine love runs on Jesus’ own joy, not human optimism. When joy is borrowed from him, love can lay its life down without burnout or scorekeeping. The command is impossible without the gift that precedes it. Stay near his voice and love will stay costly and real. [49:13]
2. Salvation starts, discipleship and Spirit empower Salvation is the miracle that begins a life, not the medal at the end of one. Discipleship makes Jesus Lord in the ordinary costs of denial and obedience, and the Spirit supplies power where willpower keeps failing. Freedom comes as the Spirit breaks shame’s cycle and lifts a believer above natural limits. [57:18]
3. Do not forget your benefits Psalm 103 is not poetry for plaques, it is policy for sons and daughters. Forgiveness, healing, redemption, mercy, satisfaction, and renewal are part of the package, not rare exceptions. Remembering keeps believers from carrying burdens the Father already claimed. Forgetting breeds bitterness and small prayers. [65:02]
4. Belonging to God ends people-pleasing Bought with a price, a disciple no longer lives for the crowd’s approval or reacts from old pits. Ambassadors answer to one King and practice the Holy Spirit pause, speaking what represents his kingdom. That freedom steadies work, conflict, money, and reputation with an audience of One. [79:47]
5. Adoption invites bold asking and intercession Abba does not raise beggars. Children inherit with Christ and are taught to ask for the nations, not just the next bill. Friends of God move from timid requests to Abraham-like negotiations that mirror God’s heart for cities and family lines. Love prays big because belonging is settled. [101:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:27] - Faith for the impossible right now
[47:43] - Know who you are to advance
[49:13] - Joy that remains and love’s command
[50:44] - Chosen, appointed, and lasting fruit
[53:46] - Four game changing encounters
[55:37] - From belief to costly discipleship
[57:18] - Filled with the Holy Spirit’s power
[59:05] - Status change and new access
[65:02] - Forget not his benefits
[75:49] - Renew your mind, live above
[79:47] - Belong to God, not people
[90:27] - Adopted children and joint heirs
[92:55] - Ask big, nations as inheritance
[99:06] - No longer servants, called friends
[101:06] - Abraham’s audacious friendship with God
[103:27] - Belong to God, child, and friend

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 15:11-15 (ESV)
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Psalm 103:2-5 (ESV)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Observation Questions

According to John 15:11-15, what two things does Jesus connect to His joy being in believers? How does He describe the relationship between love and friendship with Him?
Psalm 103 lists specific benefits of belonging to God. What are they, and how do they contrast with the burdens people often carry?
In the sermon, what practical examples were given to illustrate how a renewed mind changes daily decisions (e.g., work, conflict, priorities)? [23:09]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize His joy as the source for believers’ joy before commanding them to love (John 15:11-12)? How might relying on human effort instead of His joy lead to burnout?
The sermon states, “Salvation starts the race; discipleship follows Jesus into surrendered obedience.” How does Romans 12:2 challenge believers to move beyond initial salvation?
Psalm 103 warns against forgetting benefits. What might cause believers to overlook these gifts, and how does this forgetfulness affect their prayers and perspective? [10:48]

Application Questions

What area of your life feels like it’s running on “human optimism” instead of Jesus’ joy? How could staying near His voice (through prayer, Scripture, etc.) shift your capacity to love sacrificially? [49:13]
Identify one burden (bitterness, fear, shame) you’ve been carrying that Psalm 103 says God already took. What step will you take this week to “let it go” and trust His benefits?
The sermon says, “Belonging to God ends people-pleasing.” Where do you most struggle with seeking others’ approval? How would living as an “ambassador of One” change your next interaction at work or home? [25:15]
Adoption means asking boldly. What “small prayer” have you been praying that God might want to expand (e.g., for a family member, city, or nation)? Write it down and pray it daily.
Friendship with God includes Abraham-like intercession. Is there a situation where you’ve settled for timid prayers instead of “negotiating” with God’s heart? How can you pray more audaciously this week? [41:06]

Sermon Clips

37s

#KingdomCitizen

“We we we are ambassadors. We are representatives of a different kingdom. I got a blue passport, but my that is not who I am. I am a child of the most high God. I am a kingdom citizen. My allegiance is first to Jesus and nobody else. Amen. My life is him. My identity is found in Jesus. Come on. Right where you're at, praise the lord that you belong to god. All of us gotta come back to that truth. I belong to god.”

34s

#GodPaidForYou

“God doesn't play about you. You're so valuable that he bankrupt heaven for you. He sent the best that heaven had, his one and only son to die on the cross for you. He hung on a cross for you before you ever believed in him. He said, I'm going to show you. I don't play about you. I'm gonna send my son to die for you. I'm making a deposit. I am pre buying you. I'm just waiting for you to come to me.”

27s

#PrayForNations

“Ask, and I will give you the nation. Your prayers are too small. Are you praying for the nation? Every Christian, I believe, should have a passport because God's given you the nations as an inheritance. Tell your neighbor you got better recognize. Quit praying those pathetic victim slave prayers. You are a child of the most high God.”

30s

#JointHeirsWithChrist

“You've been brought into a family, the family of God. And if you're a child, then you're not just only child. You our Bible says joint heir with Christ, which means that everything that belongs to the son, to Jesus Christ, has been given to you. And I want you to understand that truth is so big, it's gonna take you your whole life to ever step into the realization of that, of who you are in Jesus.”

20s

#SpiritLedNotDreamLed

“How did you know we were in this moment right now? How did you know the challenge we were going through? Come on. We are called to be not dream led, not driven led. We are a spirit led people. Why? Because my ears are towards heaven. Why? Because I belong to God. Tell your neighbor, I belong to God.”

31s

#RememberYourBenefits

“Why would tell God tell you not to forget his benefits unless he knew we got the tendency to forget the benefits we have in Jesus? It's like God saying before you start living beneath your privilege, let me remind you what is included with your status change. Look what he says. Your benefits, forget not your benefits. What does he do first? He forgives you of all your iniquities because of the blood of Jesus.”

28s

#TakeUpYourCross

“But Jesus tells us in our word in his word, take up your cross and follow me. What does that mean? You're gonna have to deny some stuff. You're gonna have to live different than the world. Tell your neighbor, I'm okay with that. I see what the world has. I don't want it. I want everything God has. We're gonna have to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Tell your neighbor there's a cost, but it's so worth it.”

33s

#NoMoreBarelyMakingIt

“We don't ever step into everything God has for us. The Bible speaks of some that yet so through the fire, meaning that we make it to heaven by the skin of our teeth. Tell your neighbor, god doesn't want you to make it by the skin of your teeth. He he doesn't want you to go through life barely making it. God has so much more for you. He doesn't want you to just like you just they're closing the door to heaven and you squeeze on in.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Shiloh Church Oakland This sermon · AI assistant

What are the four life changing encounters?

What benefits accompany a believer's status change?

How does the Holy Spirit enable joyful love?

I'm Not Who I Used to Be

Devotional

Day 1: When Bank Statements Don’t Have the Final Word

Day 2: Sleeping in the Same Pajamas, Waking Up Royalty

Day 3: Your Benefit Package Includes Organ Renewal

Day 4: The Holy Spirit Pause Button Beats Comebacks

Day 5: Friends Don’t Let Friends Destroy Cities Unchecked

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

I'm Not Who I Used to Be

Share