Prayers2Persevere

One aspect of the Christian faith that’s not emphasized enough is the process to being transformed into the likeness of Christ and the cost of surrendering to Him. Coming into the faith is easy: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9). But what do we do next?

The life of a believer is one that if we truly desire to know and see the will of God, we must let go of our sinful nature, our past, parts of our identity that are contrary to who God says we are. We have to see ourselves as God sees us, and most times our views are at odds. So how do we do this? 

We must submit to being molded and transformed by the power of Holy Spirit that’s inside of us. I’m not saying that when you wake up tomorrow you’re instantly going to be a different person. That all of a sudden you need to start rehabbing your life, stuffing down your emotions or masking your appearance to fit your idea of the “perfect Christian.” This would be an impossible task. And even if we had some mild successes with flipping the switch on our lives, we wouldn’t have the tools or ability to maintain it in our own strength. God knows our limitations- even if we don’t. That is why it’s vital that we understand our role and the role of Holy Spirit as our helper.

Here are a few scriptures that describe the function of Holy Spirit in us. I encourage you to study the Word and ask God for personal revelation.

““If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our role is to seek God daily, moment by moment, as you read and obey His Word, pray, fast, worship, rest, fellowship with likeminded believers, connect with spiritual counselors or wise believers, be still and listen for His voice and instructions, seek to understand who God is and who He’s called us to be. These habits spark the transformation and you’ll start to see traces of a new life beginning in you. God replaces our desires for His if we allow Him to do the work within us. And, the more time you spend in His presence, the less you’ll desire to live like the rest of the world. 

The life of a believer is not easy, but it’s worth it to know that the Creator of the Universe loves you, sees you, has called your name, and desires His best for you — which knocks every invitation from the world out of the park. God gives us His best all the time. He gave us His best when He sent Jesus, when He gave us Holy Spirit, and when He created us in the womb in His image. The cost of following God doesn’t compare to the cost Jesus paid when He died for our sins. And not just for the sins of today, but also of the past and the future for everyone who believes in Him. I’m grateful that when God looks at us He sees His Son and not our sin. 

If you’re struggling to know where to begin with surrendering to God and desire to be transformed from the inside out, start with telling God with a sincere heart that you’re ready to let go and let Him have His way. And keep saying it until your heart and mind align. Then, expect Holy Spirit to move and be ready to follow His promptings day by day, step by step, and moment by moment.