What Happened?

What happened to Kirsten? Kirsten, my sweet spirit, quiet giggly, absolutely adorable (OK I am bias) 13 year old granddaughter one day woke up and was this moody, broody, "whatever" kind of girl. Where did the other Kirsten go? Having raised her mother, I am afraid I know where she went and it may be a while before she comes back.

There is a side of transformation that is not pleasant, not easy for all those involved. As Kirsten grows through teenagehood and into a young adult she will decide who she is, what childish habits to leave behind, which new ones to embrace. Over the next 10 years she will make many decisions that will dramatically impact her future.

Spiritual transformation is not so different. Like Kirsten’s journey through teenagehood, a Christian journey through spiritual transformation is a process that does not happen overnight. It takes time and there are no real shortcuts. There will be times God will give you a awesome victory and you will have a mountain top experience but most of the journey will require faith, obedience, perseverance and discipline.

I have to say that many times I have almost given up and been content with the “status quo” in my life. Gratefully the Father was not content to have me remain “status quo”. Through a well timed friends nudging or a Bible verse the desire to experience spiritual change was built back up in me. I have learned my obedience is in direct proportion to my desire for the Lord. That desire is most present when my intimacy with Him is strongest. When I do stay connected with Him (abide in Him) I want to obey Him in this journey called spiritual transformation.

For me, staying connected to Him requires discipline therefore spiritual transformation requires discipline. This is particularly true in the area of yielding and lordship. I am a strong woman and I must constantly keep before me that I am to yield to the Spirit and not the other way around. Spiritual transformation happens not because we read God’s Word but because we yield to what it says. Like Kirsten's decisions over the next 10 years will impact her future, as we go through spiritual transformation so will ours.

TJ

God's Word

"Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25 - The Message

You got to love the Message. It seems that when I can't get my head wrapped around a passage in God's Word, the Message clears the cobwebs away. Not that it is my study Bible - it is not. It is more my inspiration Bible. It makes me ask questions of myself. Toni, how inventive can you be in encouraging your husband, your sister..... Toni, are you avoiding worshiping your Lord through acts of service or tithing?

Eugene Peterson has also written other fine books like Eat This Book. In that book he quotes Kafka "If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skull, why read it?....A book must be like an ice-axe to break the frozen sea within us." (page 8)

That is what I have come to look for God's Word to do - to break something frozen within me. Regardless of the translation I am reading. It is hard to transform something frozen.

TJ

Transformed

Richard Foster said

"I know the Lord is speaking to me when I carefully consider the spirit, the quality, and the content of the voice I am hearing. The spirit of the voice of God is a spirit of gentleness. It is the Spirit of Jesus. When He speaks, He will not crush the needy or snuff out hope. The quality of His voice is one that draws and encourages rather than one that pushes and condemns. The content of His voice will be consistent with what He has already revealed in Scripture. That is why we must know Scripture. He will never contradict Himself."

As I have been studying "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer I was stopped by this quote she uses in the book. How do I really know God is speaking to me? In the past, has it always sounded gentle? But wait, the "spirit of gentleness" is not always gentle sounding is it? After all Psalm 29 talks of God's voice being powerful and majestic. It says His voice thunders over the mighty waters, breaks the cedars, shakes the desert and twist the oaks. Truthfully, while I can say the Lord is more gentle with me than I deserve, there have been times when I felt "twisted" under His voice. When my "spirit" (i.e. pride) was broken like the cedars.

But there have been many times too, that I felt His gentle presence and heard His sweet encouragment. Even now, I smile as I think of the intimacy of those moments. Those moments that have the power to transform.

TJ