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The Change Within
After my surgery back on August 16, 2006, I knew I would be going through some fairly tough times, both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Little did I know of the strength, courage, and knowledge that I would be receiving from God in all those areas during this time. And certainly I didn't know I'd be spending time each week sending out these little "accountability" nuggets. Bottom line: I was being once again being changed on the inside. I also didn't realize the amount of strength God would give to me to continue on with things that the world would try and take away. For example, even after being approved for physical therapy, after only two months, the physical therapist came to me saying that they would have to stop my PT due to lack of payment by the insurance company covering my injury. What a blow that was. But God continued to wake me up each morning reminding me to not give up, but to press through this on my own, using His strength to get me through. And to this day, I go to the gym every other day and do those exercises that the PT folks had me do. And because of this, I have now received reports from the surgeon that I continue to do exceedingly well !
I tell you of this as an encouragement that God has a much bigger plan for each and every one of us and we need to pray and do as He tells us to do; if not simply for our own good but out of discipline to His word. In the Valiant Man participants manual, in the journal section for Day 25, Dr. Meyer writes:
"Dr. Neil Anderson in his book Victory Over The Darkness (pg. 68) writes. "God ... knows you can't solve the problem of an old sinful self by simply improving your behavior. He must change your nature, give you an entirely new self - the life of Christ in you - which is the Grace you need to measure up to His standards. "That was part of Jesus' message in the Sermon on the Mount: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). The scribes and the Pharisees were the religious perfectionists of their day. They had external behavior down to a science, but their hearts were like the insides of a tomb, reeking of death. "
Valiant Men of God, God really isn't interested in our outward appearances but rather on changing us on the inside. Besides myself and my testimony, I know a dear brother a few years ago that while still cheating on his wife, looked me in the eye and tried to convince me that everything was going great with his relationship with his wife and that the other woman was long gone. Having already gone through all of that myself (been there, done that), God gave me the ability to see right through to his unrighteous heart and smell the stench of death that still reeked from his words. But all I could do was love him as the sinner and hate the sin. And we prayed, the church continued to pray, and eventually a new person emerged from inside of him. One that now stands for marriages and family values and can testify to others that God is real and can change anyone on the inside.
Once we allow God to change us on the inside, changes on the outside begin to emerge. These are changes that other people will not only see, but will feel the presence of something different in us, about us, and surrounding us. This is the Spirit Man that God wants us to become. It's no longer who we are on the outside that matters that people see and hear, but rather a new identity that God has created within us that others will be drawn to.
Dr. Meyer's continues by asking: "Have you really asked Jesus to come and take control of your life? If not, take some time right now to get honest with God, to ask Him into your heart, to ask Him to infuse your with His nature, to truly begin a [new] work in you. Do it in your head, out loud, or write it down, but do it !
When I gave my life to God, something began changing on the inside of me. Once that work was complete, God gave me another challenge to face and I ask to be changed again ... and He changed me ... and with each new challenge a new change took place. That cycle continues today, and will continue to continue as long as I stay faithful to His heart and to His word. Won't you do the same.
Until next time, keep
your eyes on Jesus !
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