The Secret to Godly Transformation
Many years ago, I came across this verse, and the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to study and meditate on this powerful scripture. As I did, a life-changing insight opened my eyes and heart to how God transforms us to live and function in His will.
I have used these insights to help thousands of people over the years to connect to the grace of God so they can experience their own personal transformation.
Religion has a way of complicating or refocusing our attention on ourselves, instead of what God desires us to fixate on. Also, religion uses the emotions of guilt and shame as qualifiers to judge whether we deserve God’s help and blessings. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yet, people all over the world walk in a degree of deception, never knowing the freedom that truth can bring to our lives.
“Delight yourself in the LORD, And He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
As a new believer, I had heard the above verse preached many times, but the emphasis was on our performance. If we lived to bring delight to the heart of God, we would be blessed by Him to see the desires of our hearts. Those desires were often related to material things such as a home, a new car, etc., but that isn’t what this verse talks about. Nor is it teaching that our good behavior or holiness earns us material gain from God. This verse is far more amazing and life-changing than a new car or house could ever be.
God is showing us powerfully what happens when we enter a healthy relationship with Him. As we delight in His presence, He now has access to our hearts. He can give us new desires that become His desires for our lives. I have seen believers who struggled with their sexual identity experience freedom by stepping into a loving relationship with God. His power and grace transformed their lives by changing the desires in their hearts. This is what God is talking about in this verse. He wants us to know that His presence is a safe place to come to and enjoy who He is, which allows Him to work wonders in our hearts by syncing with His heart.
Therefore, let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. (Hebrews 4:16 AMP)
