You don’t have to be a biblical scholar or preacher in order to have the Bible speak to you.
Phew! That’s great news, because I’m neither!
And chances are, neither are you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want God to speak to us, and we don’t want to experience personal transformation in our heart and soul.
What’s so amazing and incredible about the nature of God is that He desires to know us, to be in relationship with us, and to transform us through his son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
That’s what we want!
But let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t really feel like we’ve been transformed, even after accepting Christ into our hearts or even after being a Christian for many years. And let me tell you, the length of time you’ve been a Christian does not determine your level of spiritual maturity. It’s a process, and one that you need to be actively engaged and involved in.
So HOW can we experience these things? How can we experience the transformation process that the Bible talks about?
I was reading my Bible last night, reading about the life of King David. I know he was not always a king, so I wanted to learn more about his history and how he lived in order to be considered as a ‘man after God’s own heart’ (see 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:16-41).
And as I was reading I kept coming across scenarios and situations in the text that I felt God speaking to my heart about. It was so fascinating to me that while I was initially desiring to read about the life of David, purely to know more about how he grew up and how it came to pass for him to become King. But there were side stories and comments in the text that were actually speaking to my heart about completely different issues.
And that’s when it hit me.
God, in His infinite wisdom and power, can reach you in any way He likes.
It may be through a person, something you read, something you see on tv, a comment someone makes to you, a dream — it’s endless. But in your heart and soul, you know you’ve been given a message and you know that it’s God trying to speak to you and get a message through. It’s hard to explain, but you just have an innate knowing that that message was for you. And that’s what happened last night when God gave me these ‘4 Steps to Transformation.’
So regardless of what your needs are, and what your questions and desires to learn and grow may be, simply start with reading the Bible. Start anywhere. And through that, God will begin to show you, speak to your heart, and guide you where to look next.
The Bible is the living, breathing, active and life-giving inspired word of God.
And what’s so incredible about this book is that God uses it to speak directly to you, more than just what’s written on the pages. It’s a key to your heart and an open channel of communicating with God — your Creator. The one who has loved you before the beginning of time and ‘knit you together in your mother’s womb’ (Psalm 139:14)
So here are the 4 steps He revealed to me last night:
I. Acknowledge
Acknowledge that God is God, and we are not. That His ways are above our ways and there are things we cannot fully comprehend (Isaiah 55:8-9). That is why we require faith. Hebrews 11.
II. Receive
Open your heart and mind to actually receive communication, connection, love and forgiveness. So often we feel unworthy of the good things in life that God wants to give us, because we don’t feel we’ve measured up or we are lacking the faith to believe that a holy God could actually love us as we are. But until we open ourselves to receive His blessings (grace, love, mercy, joy, abundance, forgiveness etc.) we actually hold ourselves back from it. Matthew 7:8, Matthew 10:8, Matthew 21:22, Mark 10:15.
III. Repent
Which is why we need to repent (ask for forgiveness). Even for the things we didn’t realize we needed to repent from. But when God places it upon your heart, or you have a new awakening and understanding of something that requires your repentance, you must humble yourself and ask. Yes, we have to ask for forgiveness. God knows all, sees all, and knows our hearts, but He still wants us to acknowledge Him and enter into a relationship where we are recognizing our need for Him and voicing our desire to be with Him.
It is when we humble ourselves before Him, ask for forgiveness of our wrongdoings or whatever else He has revealed to you, that He sees if our heart and motives are pure. If they are, He then forgives us and washes us white as snow. That means He remembers our transgressions no more! So when He looks at us, He no longer sees our sins, He sees His perfect son in our place — Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:7, 2 Cor. 5:17, 1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19, Eph. 4:31-32, Matthew 6:14-15, Colossians 3:13.
IV. Act
The final step of the transformation process is not complete until we ACT upon what we’ve learned. The actions we take would flow from what it is we’ve just learned or been shown. How would you act after you’ve just had the realization that whatever sins or transgressions you’ve repented of are now COMPLETELY FORGIVEN? What types of actions would flow from that place? Love. Grace. Mercy. Happiness. Delight. Servitude. The list goes on. But if you keep your new revelations and peace to yourself, how can it help and serve others? They need to know what you’ve just experienced.
Just as God had revealed things to you in your heart while you were reading His Word, He will do the same for anyone you share it with! As I said before, His Word, the Bible, is the living and breathing, active word of God. Simply by opening it and beginning to read. Be curious, ask questions, find answers, seek counsel. You will begin a deeper path of knowledge, understanding, wisdom and spiritual maturity that your transformation requires of you. Isaiah 55, James 1:22-26
For further reading, here’s another great article on How to Act on God’s Word.
I hope these simple 4 steps have helped you to step further into the transformation you’re seeking and desiring in your life.
We serve an amazing God, and the best way to truly experience the freedom and peace He offers us, after receiving His son Jesus Christ into our hearts, is to be an active participant in learning and growing. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve been a Christian for many years, yet are still finding areas you need to grow, expand and mature.
Life is an incredible journey that doesn’t end when we die — it actually gets better as we move into eternal life with God in Heaven! But God understands our spiritual maturity is a process, and desires to have us be a part of His divine plan for our lives and in the world.
Blessings to you,
~Dr. Melody
P.S. Would love to connect further with you on social media and/or via email. Feel free to contact me with any questions or prayer requests. Comment below, or message me through Facebook, Instagram or email me @ melody@fitplusfaith.com
P.P.S. Here are some other articles I’ve written that might also help you on this topic:
When God is at work and you feel CRAZY! (You’re not alone)
When Lack of Gratitude is stealing your Joy — and how to get it back!
God is working all around us — 3 questions to ask if it seems like He’s not there
Eating healthy can be hard sometimes! Especially if you don’t plan ahead, or there’s an unexpected office party, and for goodness sake the holiday temptations will be at every turn in less than a month!
Sometimes what we need is a perspective shift.
In this video I talk about just that. The perspective shift that’s needed to make navigating those sugary temptations or going on that run so much easier!
Stepping into our calling and responsibility to care for our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit they were created for is the most noble of job descriptions we can fulfill.
And that’s the key phrase, “we CAN fulfill.”
It can be done.
And it starts today.
With a decision.
With a calling.
With owning the responsibility.
With stopping the self-sabotage.
With taking joy in God’s creation.
With making better choices.
With choosing to plan ahead.
With choosing to pass the drive-thru.
With taking joy in eating from the earth.
With showing love to your body by keeping it active and healthy.
With each little decision adding up to a healthier body and a healthier you.
I hope you took the 5 minutes to watch the video above, as I’m truly sharing from my heart what each of us are capable of. If not, take that time right now.
Stepping into a healthier lifestyle is really answering the call to love our bodies and show that love to God through our actions.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Cor. 6:19-20
~Melody
P.S. Wanting more step-by-step actions you can take to recognize and overcome healthy eating sabotage? You’re invited to join me on a free Live call this Thursday, 11/5/15 @ 7pm PST where we will go into specifics on how to recognize healthy eating sabotage, and how to stop it!
I look forward to sharing these nuggets on inspiration and wisdom with you to help you succeed on your path of caring for the body God has entrusted to you to the best of your ability.
P.P.S. How to get the access to the Live call:
- Leave your email in the comments below -or-
- Email “Live call” to melody@fitplusfaith.com
>>Bookmark your calendars for THIS THURSDAY 11/5/15, 7pm PST. See you there!
