Remember the Titan

The concept of "putting off" the old and "putting on" the new is reinforced in Ephesians chapter 4, which tells us to:(22) put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

This is an example of living life from the inside, relying on the riches of Christ which have been deposited in our hearts by the indwelling Spirit.   If we're living in the power of the "new man", the new person, the new creation formed in the image of Christ - our attitudes can change, we can have a hopeful mindset, and we can walk in the power and peace of a renewed spirit.  That is very helpful for confronting the outward expressions of ways not pleasing to God and facing the external circumstances of life, which can weigh us down and make us less than productive and fulfilled in our Christian walk.

2nd Corinthians 4 highlights for us the perspective of "inside-out" living:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Chelesa Fearce is a senior at Charles Drew High School in Riverdale, Georgia outside Atlanta - she's the valedictorian of her high school class, she completed high school with a 4.466 GPA and scored a 1900 on the SATs.  She tested high enough in school to enroll in local college courses for her last two years of high school.   When she starts Spelman College in the fall, she will already be a college junior

That's pretty remarkable, but there's more...Chelesa spent most of her high school career living in shelters, the occasional hotel, short-term rented apartments and sometimes the family car -- when the family had one -- with her mother and three siblings.

Fearce told ABCNews.com, "I would just pray...My mom, whenever we're in that situation, she always finds a way out of it. So I would just tell myself, tomorrow it will not be like this, so take your time, do what you have to do now so that you get the future that you want tomorrow."

Fearce's school counselor, Razelda Killen, told ABCNews.com that, "Chelesa is an outstanding young lady. She's very conscientious, always going over and beyond and is a very humble young lady...She has overcome some obstacles...She has been homeless, but in spite of those obstacles she has still done an outstanding job academically, socially and still has goals to go even beyond."

Her mom said she always emphasized education with her kids.  On Saturday, Fearce's 18-year-old sister will graduate as salutatorian from a different high school.

She said, "Our mascots are the Titans, and I feel like the Titans are very influential...They're strong, and they need to be strong despite their hardships."

This teenage girl has a lot to teach us as believers in Christ.   She obviously believes in prayer, which is so essential for us in the challenges we face each day.   And, there's a lesson about perseverance in this story - even though they had no home, she didn't become despondent or allow those circumstances to hold her back.   She kept working and stayed strong.

Our externals don't necessarily have to determine our destiny.   I talk on the program about inside-out living, and for a believer in Christ, we can know that we have His resources to strengthen us, even when outward circumstances might be falling apart or working against us.  We have the power of the indwelling Spirit to rely on daily and if we allow Him to shape our attitude, to give us direction, and to help us to develop a correct perspective, then we can know that He will do beyond what we could ever imagine.   The externals can bring us down, but the internal strength of the Holy Spirit can sustain us and enable us to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.