Inside Out Change
Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor 5:17 NKJV
Lots of things have crossed my mind this past week regarding how lasting change occurs in a person’s life, namely mine. First, for my golf game, I bought a new driver (for non-golfers this is the golf club that has the biggest head and the longest “stick”) in hopes that a new piece of equipment would turn my game around. Secondly, I had pictures taken for my new website. In both of these instances, the focus was on outward appearance to either 1) make my golf shot better or 2) to make me look good in a photograph. However, these outward gestures (better technology with the golf club and for the pictures, reliance on makeup, lighting, etc. for the best look) do not provide lasting change. Instead they are merely temporary fixes to deeper problems.
The Pharisees in the New Testament were experts at making themselves look good when in reality they did not have hearts for God. Their focus was on outward appearance. Outward appearances in both our attitudes and behavior patterns are the easiest to fake, aren’t they? At least for awhile anyway. The unfortunate thing though, is that if we are faking our good “behavior”, we will inevitably slip up because when we get squeezed by life’s circumstances, our real selves always emerge.
The good news in all of this, is that when we become Christians, by Jesus Christ living inside of us through the Holy Spirit, we have been given the power to change from the inside out. Scripture says that the old things have passed away and all things become new. There are numerous examples in the Bible of how God has changed the hearts of mankind. To name one, take a look at how God changed Saul to make him king. The prophet Samuel says to Saul in 1 Samuel 10:6
And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them and be turned into another man. (NKJV)
My favorite passage about how God can change our hearts is from Ezekiel as God speaks through this prophet regarding how his people, Israel, will be changed someday:
Ez 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. (NKJV)
Dear readers, how are you on the inside? Do you need a heart replacement? Does your thought life mirror your outward persona? If you are a “faker” (and a lot of us are in one way or another) there is hope. God can change us from the inside out if we ask Him to. What are you going to ask Him today?
During my vacation the Lord worked on the same thing within me, and I compare it to open heart surgery. But what he takes out, he replaces with something much sweeter.
I praise God that he never gives up on me, instead he says “child let me help you get rid of that (attitudes, insecurity, etc…) for you can not do it alone.”
What an awesome God we serve =)
Thanks for sharing this, bless you.
I don’t come over here much anymore because I have experienced much of the ‘persona’ and not much ‘heart’…but I came to visit because of you dear friend…always speaking truths…and not much for ‘appearances’…no matter if you do have a new driver!!! The pastor at my ‘new’ church has felt compelled to stray from his ‘scheduled series’ to speak on the ‘revival of our hearts’ these past two weeks. His words echo much of what you wrote here. Although by accepting Jesus into our hearts we are filled with the Holy Spirit..we often don’t give the Holy Spirit enough room to breathe as we crowd Him out with ‘appearances’ and other worldly things. Once we give the Holy Spirit room in our hearts…for me this means repentance of my sinful nature (I have to do this more often than I care to admit)…then I am able to have room for the Holy Spirit to expand in my heart…when I am truly filled with the Spirit (and not just a corner of me)..walking in the Spirit is natural..and the outward evidence is very clear. What am I going to ask God today? to help me be honest with myself and rather than apologize for my sins…repent for them..so that I can give my all to God as He does for us. Sorry so long…got a lot on mind these days 😉
I’ve been thinking about this very thing lately. I want so much to be “real”, but I’m afraid it is all too easy to “fake it” at times. I want to be very sure that my faith is the real thing. Thanks for this Janna.
Janna~ Thank you for speaking such words of Truth.
Janna,
Outward appearances in both our attitudes and behavior patterns are the easiest to fake, aren’t they?… They are indeed. I want transparency. In myself, my friendships and my online presence. I pray I may be transparent because that is how we truly change. One person at a time, being real.
Wonderful post. Thank you.
I want transparency too. Much to think about, thanks Janna!
Hi Janna! Thoughtful post on a much-needed truth. So many of us start out as determined Christians, wanting to ‘do right’ for God. We’re also concerned with what others may think of us. When we struggle or fail, we sometimes hear the advice, “fake it til we make it.” I actually heard a TV preacher say that once. {cringe} But God isn’t in the behavior modification business. He’s in the business of changing hearts. He doesn’t want to patch up the old–He wants to give us a new heart. His heart, for ours. Sorta heart-transplant surgery. So when our facade wears thin–it’s a good thing, because we have the opportunity to come to the end of ourself, and to the Cross. Only then can Christ take our heart and do what He needs to do.
Your post causes me to reflect. Maybe pride motivates us to behave well in front of folks. We want ’em to think well of us. Eventually our heart issues blow up in our face because we don’t have the strength to keep up the facade—we blow it and have to admit we were never fooling God in the first place. Ah, but when HE gets ahold of our heart, the real inner change begins.
You know, I really loved that you included Ezekiel 36:27…”I will put my Spirit within you and *CAUSE* you to walk in my statues…” This is grace. It’s all GRACE and nothing of ourselves–not even the changes we try to make. We need to let Him do it. When we walk in full surrender, He causes us to walk in His ways.
Beautiful posting, my friend.
Relying on His grace,
Vicki
Powerful words, Janna. I think that we all have something in our lives that He needs to shine His light on.
Blessings to you and yours.