God began a painful transformational process in me over ten years ago. Recently He’s been targeting ingrained habits, priorities, and mindsets. Each day I must choose to let Him kill the old sin nature. I must choose to walk in a new direction. And I must choose between bondage and freedom.
The Lord’s most effective way to get my attention is to allow physical weariness. He knows me so well. Choices I make largely are based on how I feel physically. I cannot ignore how I feel nor can I push myself or rush His process. I learned long ago to request that He allow a trial to last as long as necessary so I could learn the lesson and prevent enduring it again in the future.
He has been faithful, but trials wear me out when they continue endlessly. It’s as if the Holy Spirit has embarked on a remodeling project. Maybe I should wear a shirt that says, “Under God’s Construction.” That would explain my grimace. I can feel the old nature dying as the Spirit chips away. This reminds me of the passage in Romans 8:36-37 – “As it is written:
‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
To truly be more than a conqueror through this miserable process, I must throw myself at Christ’s feet in submission and receive the good work He’s doing within me. Then I will reap the rewards of deeper spiritual maturity, increased faith, greater character, and fulfillment of His plans for my life. Each day brings the opportunity to do a new thing, reject bondage, and choose freedom.
What is God doing within you today that you want to resist? Let Him place you on His Potter’s wheel and mold you into the beautiful creation He designed you to be. The results will be worth it.
