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Discovering Authentic Transformation

By Kimberly Davidson Leave a Comment

What do Christians mean when they say, “I’ve been called by God” or “I’m seeking my calling?” Clearly, God Almighty doesn’t call us on our cell phones. “God called me” is a popular phrase in our community. So, what does it mean?

When we speak of “our calling,” most of the time we think we are being asked to do something, such as change careers, go to the mission field, go back to school, or have a child. What I can tell you as a Bible teacher and spiritual development coach is once we accept the call to be a Christian, a supernatural transformation process begins—resulting in a call to do something.

The good news is every believer can experience a unique freedom and a new identity through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:1). The truth is: You have a destiny. You’ve been called—so answer!

The Bible says in Romans 8:29 NLT, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” That is God’s principal call on our lives. He desires we work constantly to live holy, righteous lives, which is called “sanctification.” This doesn’t mean we become Jesus, but as his creation we can mirror many facets of his image.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4). “Sanctify” means to make holy or set apart; to conform to the likeness of Jesus Christ (see Eph. 4:24; Heb. 12:10). Early twentieth century minister and teacher, Oswald Chambers, wrote, “We are not here to be God’s showroom, we are here to exhibit one thing—the absolute captivity of our lives to Jesus Christ.”

We are told throughout our lives that we are a product of our past, which is true. Our biological makeup and distinct personalities come from our ancestral line. Our thinking processes, our behaviors, every flaw, what we like and don’t like, is a result of our upbringing and social environment. Therefore, you can say what we are today is the result of a previous condition. Yet, when we become a Christian, Jesus tells us our thinking must be renewed and our behavior must be based on becoming more like him. Salvation is just the beginning. Spiritual growth must come next.

Our call and primary motive as a believer in Jesus Christ is to be conformed to his likeness. We are products of God’s kingdom today and not our past, which means we have the ability to live with joy, passion and purpose. The Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

In the Bible, the result of the relationships Christ formed were usually a positive personality change in the people he knew. The formation of a close, trusting relationship with Jesus had a great effect on their self-esteem. We see this clearly in the lives of the disciples. They were ordinary men whose lives were transformed by the power of God. I like the paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17 in The Message translation, “Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!”

There is a saying that goes, “When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.” We have a choice to either live with the attitude that imitating Christ is impossible or not. We can tell ourselves, “I’ve got so much baggage from my past that I’ll never be able to live like Jesus,” or we can tell ourselves, “I’ve had some bad breaks, but Jesus is living in me now. He’s working in and with me to get rid of that old garbage. I choose to see myself as a new creation—just with some rough edges.”

Authentic transformation requires a long-term commitment, a solid partnership with God, the willingness to grow through pain and hardship, and the fortitude to live a countercultural life. As we are slowly transformed into the image of Christ, the old self shrinks. As our behavior changes, our brain chemistry changes for the better. Science now proves what the Bible has said all along; God designed us with the ability to change our own brains. We actually can “rewire” our brain which means we can change our thinking (called plasticity or neuroplasticity). It refers to the actual rewiring of the structure of the brain for a new type of use through developmental and damage repair.

God transforms our lives by renewing our minds, which he does through his truth—the Word of God (John 17:17) contained in the Holy Bible. His desire is that our minds and hearts are changed in such a way that our old negative values, beliefs and practices of the old life, the old mindset and old thinking patterns are rewired. This is a learned behavior. It is a discipline. Any one of us can cultivate it.

Paul, a classic example of a transformed person, said that the only thing that matters is being transformed by God into a new creation. The apostle said, “It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not [a Jewish custom]. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation” (Galatians 6:15 NLT). Jesus defined the destination of the journey (our call) when he taught his followers that the most important exhortations from God were to love God and his people with all of their heart, mind, strength, and soul (Mark 12:30-31). Sanctification is the process that enables us to gradually die to sin, self, and society in order to fully and profoundly love God and other people.

Ask yourself:

Am I willing to look at the things that are hindering me from my call as a believer?

Do I have an attitude of willingness to expose and examine obstacles of my old life—spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally?

Christ came and he gives us an incredible gift: transformation into new creations with a new nature. Give God permission to tenderly begin his conversion process. Give him permission to clean out all the old yucky cobwebs of your heart and mind. Let his grace permeate your life. Pray as David did, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:8-10 NIV).

Thank God for beginning his amazing transformation process and promising you an incredible future!

 

We are products of God’s Kingdom today and not our past which means we have the ability to live with joy, passion and purpose.

Photo by Lucas Andrade from Pexels
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Filed Under: Grow, Growth & Maturity Tagged With: Issue 14

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Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on ou Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on our own is in vain. We can never hope to achieve the same level that Jesus was on while we are still here on Earth. We’re like little kids, struggling just to walk. But that’s why Jesus gave us an example of redeemed followers in the form of the Apostles, who were his close group of students here on Earth. He chose a group of broken, sinful men, and ultimately shaped them into the group responsible for continuing his ministry here on Earth. ⁠
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✍🏽: Tim VanDeWalker in "Running By Example" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's th "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." –Desmond Tutu
The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not t The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not to become like it. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom. 12:2a). Some have interpreted this as an instruction to reject anything that isn’t explicitly Christian. But I don’t think that’s what this verse is getting at. I think it means much more.⁠
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✍🏽: Lindsey Beharry in "Choosing Wisely" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
If you desire to serve, seek to form groups withou If you desire to serve, seek to form groups without age distinction. Maybe you want to form a group in your church. Avoid just inviting members from your age group. Seek out people older and younger than you to invite to meet together. Find that person who sits alone and talk to her or him. Instead of a focus on building groups that have the same characteristics to “relate” with one another, you center your discussion in the work of Christ. He will bring the group together. ⁠
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✍🏽: Russell Almand in "Community and Age Diversity" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"If we put our faith in temporal things, they will "If we put our faith in temporal things, they will inevitably let us down. They were never meant to be enough for us. Not alone. When Barnum finally does hit bottom, he recognizes that his heart has been led astray, fooled into thinking that fame or fortune could satisfy him."⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "The Greatest Showman" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the ex "Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the extent of its effects on the brain, relationships, and society at a time when sexually explicit content is just a click away. Christians have recognized pornography’s negative impact for decades, yet it is still often considered a “male” problem within the Church. This can leave women who struggle with porn addiction feeling isolated and alone. The organization SheRecovery (formerly Dirty Girls Ministries) aims to change that and has become a resource for women with porn addiction. You can read more about their ministry at the link in our bio. ⁠
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✍🏽: Lisa Gagnon in "Dirty Girls Ministries" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The presence of my sin reminds me of my great nee "The presence of my sin reminds me of my great need for grace, and good works are the outpouring of a grateful heart; being a good child is not a means of earning the favor of God."⁠
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✍🏽: Sally Blotzer in "Forgiving Failure" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by "As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by how we handle our daily lives, much like those around us, but also by an added component: our faith. How we pray and worship and spend time with our fellow followers provides additional meaning to our lives."⁠
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✍🏽: Matthew Hamilton in "Does Your Form Determine Your Function?" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
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Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others an Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others and not to judge. I forget that when he said, “Come follow me,” he wasn’t just inviting us to a strict set of rules but to a real and exciting life whether you turn out to be a pastor, a doctor, designer or simply “Dad.” Sometimes I forget one of his main messages was that he came to give us a better life than we could ever dream of—life to the fullest. Jesus wasn’t locking us down to a vocation or job title. It’s as if he was saying, “Real, vibrant life is available to you now. Following me, loving me and living like me is your real calling…the rest is just there to aid you in following, loving and living.”⁠
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✍🏽: Wendy Van Eyck in "Living For A Purpose" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” There is yet another parallel between the Christian story and The Matrix, simultaneously the most foundational and the most captivating. It’s that something which is missing, something which is not quite right with the world. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know that it’s there. At the outset of the first film, Neo is searching for it. Trinity asserts that “it’s the question that drives us.” Morpheus claims that “you can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.” The question is: What if I’ve only ever scratched the surface of all that life has to offer? What if there is a deeper, truer current of reality, ever-present behind all of my life’s experiences, to which I might awaken at any moment?⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Tumbling Down The Rabbit Hole" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because "I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because we all struggle with temptations to sin. And we all struggle to live in a way that honors God. Like Augustine we all feel the tug of our past sins that say, 'Don’t you want to enjoy us?' And Augustine’s story relates to Galatians 5:16-26 where Paul tells us about how the Christian life is like a walk. In a way, walking is a metaphor for the Christian life." ⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like livin "The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like living, and for serving others." Where in your life or in what ways has the Spirit enabled you this week? We'd love to hear, tell us in the comments below!⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott  in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
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