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
It’s so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life and we’re running at break-neck speed all hours of the day and we barely have a second to stop and breath, let alone cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
That’s just supposed to go without saying, right? God knows we love Him, so even if we’re not outwardly praising Him every hour of the day, He still knows how we feel on the inside.
So it’s all good, right?
But what about when we start to get stressed, and life begins to overwhelm us.
Who or what do you turn to first?
Stop and think about that for a second, and be really honest with yourself.
It can be really easy to turn to 100 other sources before finally turning to God in our hour of need or desperation.
I know I’ve certainly done the same, so I wanted to share two quick points on how to find God in our daily lives.
-
Make small changes to create quiet time on a daily basis.
This can be as simple as not putting the radio or ipod on when you’re going to work. Instead, begin to take that commuting time as a special time to talk with God. Showing Him you want to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship by creating the time.
-
Listen to that still, small, voice.
Once you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior and the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart, the communication is more like a heightened “intuition” or “conscience.” It’s a silly reference, but if you’ve ever watched Disney’s Pinocchio, then recall Jiminy Cricket’s song, “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide.” This actually is a great way to look at it! The Holy Spirit helps us to determine right from wrong, but you have to begin to listen to those inklings and inner “pullings” or “callings” and your confidence in trusting it will build your faith and your bond with God.
These simple changes, when made deliberately and regularly, can really begin to help you see God in your daily activities. You will begin to feel more confident that He has always been a part of your life, every day, if you just take the time to begin to recognize it. 🙂
Your Sister in Christ,
Melody
