Been mulling over a few things lately. Care to mull with me?

How are we changed? Transformed?

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.

^“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” 

Romans 12:1-2 TPT

When I read this verse I think of the Transformer character Optimus Prime. Whenever the fight is on, he literally transforms from one thing to another.

I also love how the Passion translation puts our struggle to transform into modern context. “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you.”

Are we getting too much of our wisdom and solutions for worldly ideas? From our culture? Wouldn’t we be better served to tap the Greater One living in us? The Holy Spirit!

In order to change and heal, we have to run into His power.

Form of Godliness

Paul wrote this to Timothy:

^“They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these!”

2 Tim 3:5 TPT

Here’s the verse in the NASB:

“…holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

Ever wonder who Paul was addressing? Me too.

Here’s how the chapter starts:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

2 Tim 3:1-4

He talking to us!

Paul is talking to Timothy about Believers. People who profess to be Christ followers. Yet, they are denying His power.

What does that look like?

A friend was telling me about a very cool answered prayer relating to her business. “I know it’s selfish to pray for my business to succeed but—”

“Since when?” I said. “Didn’t God give you the business? Didn’t He call you to it? Doesn’t your success in the market place impact others? Doesn’t it bless your family?”

Her mindset was stuck on church-based ministry being the only kind of “ministry” for God’s kingdom. Because her calling was market based, it was not kingdom based. Hey look, we can’t all be missionaries or preachers or evangelist in the church. Most of us are called to the world, our jobs, our neighborhoods and communities.

Anything God calls us to is His gift to us. He will bless us.

Do you only bless your kids because it benefits the whole family? No, you bless each one because you love them.

Prayer Is Power

In a way, she had a form of Godliness yet mentally denied it’s power. However, she entered into agreement with God through prayer. And he answered. That is accessing His power. We simply need to recognize all the ways His power flows in our lives.

A good friend of mine said this, “The world can get free from addiction and pain. You don’t need to be Believer to get over something. But only Jesus can deliver you from yourself. I suggest to you the number one addiction of the human race is self.”

“I suggest to you the number one addiction of the human race is self.”

Stuart Greaves

SELF! We are addicted to ourselves. What we want, when, where, why and how. We even want to act as our own lawyers and healers when it comes to sin and sickness, or our wounds and hurts.

Waiting on the Lord is hard! Letting Him take control can be terrifying.

“But lasting change comes from an encounter with a living God.”

I’ve been there. Hurt, wounded and afraid. When I got hit with anxiety in the middle ’80s, I told the Lord, “Heal me or kill me, but I’m not living like this.”

He said, “Deal.” Obviously, I’m not dead. He healed me but it was a journey we walked together. I’d not change it for anything.

Do we know who we are in Him and what we have? Can we let go of ourselves long enough to let Him speak and move?

I’m not saying stuff our pain. Or be silent against injustice. Don’t tolerate abuse. Seek help and fellowship of true believers. But I am saying, “Let’s run into Him first.”

Are our churches a place of encounter and revelation? Is there space to just seek and soak?

Mach 10, Hair On Fire

I want to be Mach 10, hair on fire for Jesus. I want to see HIM move, not me or my solutions, or empty, vain, worldly philosophies. I don’t want to have a form of Godliness that denies His power.

It’s all talk otherwise.

Oh, Lord, visit your people. We need You.

I guess that’s enough mulling for now.

Be blessed.