How God Transforms Us
Many believers live frustrated spiritual lives. They desire to see themselves changed but see little to no progress. One reason they fail to see change happen is they think they are the ones who must change themselves. Walk into any bookstore today, and the self-help section is the most extensive one in the store. People are desperate to change, and they struggle to see positive, lifelong character development happen in their lives. This leads to years of frustration and disappointment.
Religious people place tremendous effort on self-effort as a way to conform to what they believe is acceptable behavior before God. Performance-based Christianity is a horrible trap that many sincere believers fall into. This isn’t an unusual phenomenon. Paul wrote an entire letter to the Galatians who were seduced into trusting in their self-effort to earn God’s righteousness, favor, and blessings. They had forsaken the gospel of grace, and all Jesus had accomplished for them in His death, burial, and resurrection. Paul pointed out to them they had experienced miracles in the beginning because of their faith in Jesus. Now, they had been deceived into trusting in their self-efforts to be blessed and maintain their righteousness and favor with God.
God is into transformation; the world is into people being conformed.
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]. (Romans 12:2 AMP)
True spiritual transformation happens at the heart level; our beliefs in our hearts govern our behavior and actions. Paul teaches the church in Rome that renewing our minds to God’s truths enables us to experience His transforming power working in our lives.
When people are conformed to the world, they think like the world and act like it. They adopt the world's standards and morals. However, the world can’t change their hearts like God does when we renew our minds with His Word. As believers, Jesus tells us that we are not of this world.
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).
Transformation will cause you to be hated by the world, but you will exist and experience something they don’t have: living in the love God has for you. Your renewed mind will bring you into the reality of God’s kingdom, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). People who live their lives from a kingdom perspective will walk, talk, and see things the world is blind to. Consequently, we know who we are in Christ, and no matter what happens in the world, we will always have peace with God. And we can live in the fullness of joy when the world is filled with anxiety, fear, and confusion. This is the beauty of living lives transformed by God’s glory. I pray you don’t miss out on this glorious transformation He desires to birth in you.
