From Two Hours to Freedom by Charles Kraft:

When we come to Christ, the result is a “new being” or “new creature” (2 Cor 5:17).  This newness, then, is a transformation of our innermost being, the part of us that we call our “spirit.”  The Holy Spirit comes to live in this part of us, and that is wonderful.  We are saved for time and for eternity.

That is the good news.  But there is bad news as well.  We have four other parts that may not be transformed when we come to Christ.  Most of us still have to fight to bring about transformation in our body, mind, emotions and will.  These are the parts where such things as sin, hurts and un-Christian reactions and habits dwell, even after we come to Christ.  And these parts, though they may undergo some change, rarely get transformed to the same extent as our spirit when we turn to Christ.

Unfortunately, this kind of dampened Christian experience is so pervasive among Christians that it is considered normal.  But Jesus intended the Christian life to be so much more: life in its fullness, life in its abundance, life that does not hurt, life that does not make us long for heaven in order to escape a Christianity that has not lived up to the promises of Scripture.

When he speaks of a life that does not hurt, he is not arguing that we can avoid pain in this life, or that we won’t still long for heaven because of the fallenness of this world.  What he saying is that freedom in Christ means we do get free from much of the self-inflicted pain that takes away our hope for an abundant life here.  The longing for heaven in that case is more of an escape from our wretchedness than a longing to be with God.

This is the life that I want!  A life of freedom, abundance, and seeing His fruit in my life and in the lives of those around me.  But the wounds and disappointments from our past, and most importantly, our reactions to them, keep us in bondage.  Please pray for my freedom as I pray for yours!

The Two Hours to Freedom Conference in Huntington Beach is coming up on September 28-29!