Have you ever doubted Christ’s ability to transform you? Have you pondered what a new life in Jesus should look like?
I confess I have, especially in seasons of my life when I felt severely broken or like a complete failure as a Christian woman.
If I am honest, I kind of feel that way now.
Maybe I was having difficulty obeying God or submitting to His plan.
It may have been during those times that I felt like an emotional hot mess.
Possibly it was when I was battling jealousy or unforgiveness.
Or maybe it was during those seasons when I wanted to be my own avenger and knock someone out.
At any rate, sometimes we can wonder if we will ever become who God wants us to be.
An Annoying Feeling!
It’s hard when you want to change, but cannot seem to do it; that feeling of being stuck can be overwhelming, leaving you frustrated and disheartened.
Have you noticed that a sense of urgency often accompanies your desire for Christian growth and improvement?
Yet the actual process can feel like an uphill battle!
Part of that battle is often self-doubt and disappointment.
We get tired of our own selves…or is that just me?
Forgiveness AND Transformation
The Bible is overflowing with promises to help us change. It’s practically a heavenly cornucopia where you can sample everything from eternal life to the occasional divine intervention, all while trying not to spill your drink!
Seriously, God’s Word is chock-full of reassurances that we are not alone in our transformation journeys!
He is with us every step of the way… renewing our lives as we submit to Him.
Hey, if you’re an “old head” like me, let me remind you that spiritual renewal comes (and can be needed) regardless of how long we have walked with the Lord.
Hard times are like sandpaper
Renewal and restoration happen in the struggles you go through.
At least that’s what I think.
It’s buried in the pain and the problems of life.
As He guides us through our struggles and illuminates our paths, He is changing us.
In the same fashion, He is providing spiritual renewal as He uses life’s challenges as a buffer to remove the sinful, carnal parts of ourselves that need to go.
My former pastor used to say that God uses hard times (and hard people) as spiritual ‘sandpaper’ to smooth out our rough edges.
He’s still teaching in retirement—on YouTube!
Go, Pastor Westlake! Be sure to check him out.
Anyway, I think God offers us His divine transformation power and does not waste one struggle.
He uses it all …every last bit of it…for our good.
New life in Jesus – There will be pain
Being whole by the power of Christ means you will have broken areas of your life.
By no means does being whole indicate life is a cake walk.
You will break.
You will crumble at times.
I’m a walking version of cookie crumbs right now.
Jesus uses the gross fragments of our lives
One of my favorite scriptures is John 6:12. It goes like this:
“When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.“
In this all-too-familiar scene, Jesus fed a multitude of folks, and each one was satisfied.
That’s just like Him, right? He blesses us beyond what we can “eat!”
He really is the God of more than enough!
In John 6, next, He said, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”
Jesus is so amazing!!! He fixes things!
But that’s not all!
Jesus is the ultimate efficiency expert!
He wastes NOTHING! He values the fragments and broken pieces.
Jesus loves the part of you that is “left over” after the world has chewed you up.
Don’t be ashamed of those pieces.
They are part of you and part of the tool you will use to testify to God’s love and the power of Christ.
Those broken pieces are the foundation and material for your new life in Jesus!
Just Ask – Just Receive, Christian Woman
I pray I’ve introduced some and reminded others that we all can have new life in Jesus, whether we are new to Him or have walked with Him for years.
So, why settle for a life burdened with fear, regret, or stagnation?
I believe too many of us wander about, letting our scattered “pieces” diminish our sense of identity in God.
We let them define us.
We do this all while trying to be good wives, mothers, girlfriends, sisters, and ministry leaders.
There is no need to be fragmented when we can have new life in Jesus!
Jesus cares about us so much. He’s concerned with what makes us feel shattered.
Ask yourself: “What makes me feel broken?”
Write about it in your journal. Pray about it.
Maybe you’re a bunch of small pieces now.
Humor me for a second.
Imagine for a moment that you purchased a set of shelves for your home.
You carry that long, heavy, skinny box inside your house. Shelves always seem to come in these types of boxes.
As you carry it, you hear the small pieces inside jingle and jangle, and you wonder how all those pieces will transform into the shelves depicted on the box.
Nevertheless, you proceed to open it.
Eagerly, you begin to sort out the pieces and analyze their functions.
As you remove the contents of the box, what is the first thing you search for?
The corner piece?
The screw? Bubble wrap?
NO! You look for the instructions (or at least you do if you have any sense!)
After all, the instructions are the ONLY logical way to assemble the item you saw displayed at the store.
You simply can’t do it without them!
The instructions are crucial, right?
You unassembled shelf, You!
In our brokenness, we’re a bunch of “pieces” jingling around in the box.
Let’s say the box represents our body, soul, and spirit.
Inside us are anxiety, stress, and, sometimes, a broken heart.
We are broken. We need renewal.
Consider the renewal as the “image” of the completed shelves on the box.
It’s your desired end result.
There is only one way to reach your desired end result: by 1) knowing what it looks like and 2) reading your spiritual instructions.
You know where I’m heading and exactly what I’m talking about.
Yes, I’m talking about the Word of God.
The Bible is our divine set of personalized “instructions!
In other words, God’s Word leads us to the complete state of wholeness we all long for.
The power of Christ works through these Spirit-breathed words to make us entirely whole and renewed in Him.
Get yourself assembled, Christian Sister!
To walk in or rejuvenate your new life in Jesus, you have to refer to those instructions.
Read His Word every single day – even when you don’t feel like it.
You can even listen to it – it doesn’t matter.
You just need the Word in your life so God’s assembly can ensue.
Don’t forget to pay attention to the instructive elements of scripture and do what it says.
Again, even when you don’t feel like it, we have to do it! We must obey to have our new life in Jesus!
Thanks for reading. I love you!
Have you ever doubted the power of Christ to renew you?
Tell me in the comments!
