Are you still being transformed by the Spirit of the Lord?

Are you still being transformed by the Spirit of the Lord?

The prayer of salvation is merely a starting point. It is the beginning of a process that continues throughout our lives until we’re transformed into the very image of Jesus. The lives of many people have been changed by faith in Jesus but many of us fail to continue to change. It seems nearly every stage of development has its own plateau or obstacle to overcome and if we don’t face that obstacle we increase our chance to fall back to what we have already overcome.

This most clearly illustrated through the plight of Israel through the exodus. Once the Lord had freed them they were forced to make a decision; depend on the Lord to help them overcome a seemingly impossible obstacle of crossing the Red Sea or face the Egyptian Army and once again become bound in slavery. If Israel would have decided to not cross and remain stagnant between the Red Sea and the Egyptian Army they would have fallen back into bondage because they decided no to move forward.

This was merely one of many obstacles Israel would have to face before entering the promised land and like Israel each of us are in danger in falling back into our old lives by simply not moving forward. Remember when Israel complained that God has pulled them out of Egypt to let them die in the wilderness? They simply didn’t recognize the next obstacle to their journey and many of them wanted to return to Egypt because they failed to remember what obstacles the Lord has already moved for them.

With all this in mind, the Lord impressed on me to create an exercise to help believers remember what obstacles the Lord has helped them overcome and to keep them moving forward in Christ. This exercise comes in four easy steps that will help us overcome the new obstacle in our lives by reminding us what the Lord has already done for us individually:

Step 1: Make a list and write down the way you used to live before you were saved, the old you, obstacle you once had to face, etc.

Step 2: Make a list of the way you live now. This list will help you see what the Lord has already done in your life by comparing it to List 1.

Step 3: Make a list of things you want to overcome in your life, things that you need to work on, or goals you feel the Lord is leading you to accomplish. This list will proved direction for you moving forward in Christ. If you can’t think of anything simply take some quiet time in prayer and ask the Lord to reveal anything you need to remove or improve in your life.

Step 4: Read each of these lists daily, most preferably first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. Thank God for everything on List 2 that He has helped you to overcome. Pray that He will help you overcome or complete the things on List 3, remembering if He helped you to overcome List 1, He will definitely help you to overcome List 3.

Recommended reading: Face to Face With God by Bill Johnson.