The Grace for Change

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

We all need to change. God is a picture of perfection. We can never be perfect but with God and His Word, our minds can be gradually transformed such that we start to think like him. I don’t know about you but I am grateful for God’s grace. With His grace, I am shown areas in my life that I need to work on. I get the tug in my heart by the Holy Spirit to adjust my attitude and my temperament when I am tempted to go my own way. It is God that gives us the grace to change so it is important that we welcome the conviction by the Holy Spirit with humility and gratitude. Some are never convicted. Their consciences are dead to the Spirit. So be thankful that God is prompting you to change – for the better.

There are three crucial elements to lasting change – Grace, Truth and of course, Time. Grace and truth go hand-in-hand. We cannot have truth without grace because then we become judgmental. In the same token, we cannot have grace without truth as that will bring liberty to sin. Then there is the important component called Time. Any real change will take time. Fast change will never last and it is often very shallow and cannot withstand strong opposition. When we invest time in our change process, we give the roots of change to run deep. And when our roots in God run deep, our mind is being transformed and we begin to resemble our God. We will not be frail in the face of opposition. We will be able to stand firm in the midst of adversity.