“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.” (Philippians 4:21 NLT)
There are many avenues of incentive when it comes to change for a human being. Some come naturally as the result of aging, some good, some not so good. Many come as a result of neglect. We get in a pattern of eating what is destructive to our body, but we too often ignore the clear signals until permanent damage is done. The pounds begin to mount up, but we dismiss them until we have a heart attack or stroke.
We do the same thing spiritually. We like to run on the energy of the flesh until there’s a crisis we can’t handle, then we beg God to help us, pledging to do better, and we do, until we don’t. We so easily slide back into old patterns, our proverbial “blind eye” never seeming to “see” our spiritual life isn’t designed to coast any more than our physical life.
They’re called spiritual disciplines for a reason – they demand ongoing discipline. Yet, discipline must be a choice, a change in the pattern of our daily process that we invite, embrace, and allow to inspire us to be better, more effective as a child of God, living a life that honors God and glorifies our Savior. True, Spirit-directed change must come from within, motivated and prompted by the Holy Spirit, not simply by a human desire to improve.
Lonnie Free writes: “A change of behavior only glorifies God if it is motivated by a change of heart.” Repentance sets us on a course to life change that is prompted, fueled, and driven by the Holy Spirit. It is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart and life that is Spirt-directed and God honoring. If we’re not sensitive to the Spirit’s leading, what began as a very good intention can quickly become simply another fad we soon forget and from which we fail to benefit.
Motivation for change can too often be merely a means to impress others, rather than an opportunity to honor our Savior. Adam Ramsey reminds us: “We hide weaknesses because of a desire to impress. And we desire to impress because we fear weakness. So, how can we know what change is needed and that the change we desire is for the right reasons?
Mo Isom gives us a clue when she writes: “When we invite the Holy Spirit to censor our lives and make sensitive our eyes, His response changes our vision.” True, lasting, spiritually beneficial change must be motivated and led by the Holy Spirit in order to effect lasting change.
When considering needed change we must ask the Lord to sensitize our understanding, illuminate our spirit, and inform our mind. The questions to ask are: Why? “Lord, why are you leading me to change in this way at this time?” Then consider what’s going on in your life that may be motivating the necessity of this change in this season, making sure it’s the Lord leading the change.
Then ask: “What change(s) are You seeking to make in and through me?” Is it a change personally? Diet, exercise, schedule, routine, study, leadership, etc. or is it more global, in the sense You’re asking me to relocate? Consider foreign missions? Vocational change? Etc.
Change is rarely easy, but needs to be prayerfully evaluated, considered, weighed in light of what else the Lord is showing or teaching you, then pursued with full intent to carry out the Lord’s will in the matter.
Ultimately, we change to more effectively honor and glorify our Savior.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 