How to be Changed by God

The Holy Spirit has transformational power! Jesse emphasizes that transformation often involves change and growth, which can sometimes be painful but is ultimately beneficial. The Holy Spirit is a relationship that can lead to shifts in one’s life, requiring trust and surrender. Reflect on your personal growth over the past year and identify areas where they want to become more like Christ. Are you ready to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit?

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Transcription:

Welcome to The Bonfire. We’re wrapping up season three today as we’ve been talking about the Holy Spirit. And how are we going to finish off this season? Let’s talk about transformation. Because when people ask, what’s the Holy Spirit doing? In one word, transformation. And transformation is something that sometimes we resist, sometimes we don’t want. We want the status quo. We want everything to stay the same. We want to be in control. We want to call the shots. And when the Holy Spirit leads, there’s going to be change. There’s going to be growth. Sometimes it might be painful, but ultimately, it’s good.

And this transformation can be seen on many different levels. When you talk about the Holy Spirit, this is a relationship. And the Holy Spirit, living. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is powerful. And when the Holy Spirit not just resides, but also presides, when the Holy Spirit is truly the one leading, there’s going to be some shifts in your life. And in these shifts, trust is going to be essential. If you don’t trust the Holy Spirit, there won’t be the transformation that God wants to bring.

And God wants to bring transformation, I believe, on many levels. Deep inside, we know this. In terms of our personal development, we know it. Our relationships, our families, our churches, the nation, we sense things could be better, things could be different. This isn’t how God wants it. How often do you feel that? And what are you doing in terms of listening to God? And then God empowering you to be part of that solution, to be part of that change? We can’t do it alone.

The Holy Spirit is the one who’s going to make it happen. And it’s in collaboration. You have a role. I have a role, but we can’t do this apart from the Holy Spirit.

At this point in this series, I hope that your appreciation for the Holy Spirit is growing. I hope your awareness of the Holy Spirit is growing. You’re listening, your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is growing.

We live in a world where people have a lot of pride, and individualistic, and, “I’ve got the education, I’ve got the experience, I’ve got the training. I don’t need God’s help anymore.”

That’s not a wise posture, to say, “Well, God, thanks for blessing me and creating me, but I’ll take it from here.”

When you don’t listen to the Spirit, what you get is the flesh. And the flesh doesn’t produce the fruit that we’ve been talking about in this series. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We all run out. But with the Holy Spirit, there’s no lack of those fruits. There’s no bottom of the well. There’s no running short on those things, and we all need those. Without those, our lives get kind of gray. Our lives get kind of monotonous. Our lives get stuck. We have negative cycles, negative ways of thinking.

And we want to break free. And the Holy Spirit brings freedom. Where the Spirit is, there’s freedom. Where the Spirit is, we come alive. People are going to see you full of the Spirit and think that’s you at your best. Yes, it’s who you are designed to be, who God’s created you to be. And now you can’t do it alone, but God empowers you.

And look at your gifts. There’s the character, right? There’s the fruit. But you know, this isn’t you getting the glory. You’re not the ultimate source. You know God is working in you, and through you, and beyond you. And that’s when life gets exciting.

So, let’s talk about transformation on a few different levels today. And the first one’s a personal level. The Holy Spirit is committed to making you more like Christ. That’s going to be a painful process sometimes. And here’s where it gets difficult. There’s going to be a crushing of your pride, that self-reliance, self-sufficiency. When everyone tells you, “You can do it, you’ve got this. It’s all you,” no it isn’t. And if you are in the humanistic performance trap, it leads to pride and shame, and you don’t get the same results. You’re not going to be aligned with Heaven. And when God starts to change you, Jesus was filled with the Spirit. Jesus was led by the Spirit. God’s going to empower you and do far beyond what you could even ask, think, or imagine. And part of that deep work that God’s doing in your life is with character. Part of the growth in character is seeing where you fall short, seeing your sin, seeing your selfishness.

What do we do at this gap? God knows you fully and he loves you fully. He knows you completely and he doesn’t love you any less. That brings security. Through Christ, sins are forgiven. You’re in God’s family, of peace with God. No one can take away the love of Christ, that brings security. You can have security before you grow.

God doesn’t love a future version of you, or a cleaned-up version, or a perfected version of you only. No. God loves you right now, as you are. And you’re to receive that love, be secure in that love. And that love helps motivate you. That truth helps move you forward. It inspires, so that you want to grow. You want to become more like Christ.

Christ died for us while we were sinners. And then Christ is at work. It’s called sanctification, becoming more like Christ, and the Holy Spirit is going to be at work, around the clock. Pride is going to get crushed, self-sufficiency, and all the lies. Instead, the Holy Spirit’s going to bring truth. The Holy Spirit always communicates truth, crushing the lies, the deception, and then discouragement, discouragement and despair. The Holy Spirit’s going to bring comfort. Instead of just the same patterns, the Holy Spirit’s going to show us new ways, new ways to respond. In all of these things we’re becoming more like Christ.

And I’ll tell you who grows fast spiritually. It’s whoever submits to the Holy Spirit. Whoever wants to be more like Christ, whoever’s teachable, whoever’s humble, God can do great character changes in a short amount of time, if someone surrendered.

Some people take a false approach, approach that’s not going to be effective. And they think, “If I just study more, and I get more principles, and more insights, then I try harder, That’s when I’m really going to grow.”

And I’m telling you, it’s great to know The Word. It’s great to have revelation that’s fresh. It’s great to have knowledge. Those are important, in terms of your growth. But don’t take that foundation and then kick it into, “All right, now I’m going to do it. Now, I’m going to have more resolution. And now I’m going to have more perseverance.”

Yes, that knowledge, but also that reliance. And the more you know about God, the more you rely on God. The trap is, the more you know God, the less you rely on God, because you have answers. No. The more you have answers, the more you also need the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Because the answers give you a picture of God, and the information, and the Scripture gives you a vision for your life, and you understand your calling, and the potential, and it’s exciting and The Word it does, it renews you on the inside. But the real change doesn’t happen with self-help. It happens with God’s help.

And you know it’s happening when people start to comment to you, “What’s going on in your life, you’re different? That isn’t how you used to respond.”

They’re going to make comments like that because what they’re seeing is that God is doing a new work in your life. In this growth, the Holy Spirit brings conviction. And the Holy Spirit, during the day, is going to come alongside you and say, “Don’t do it. There’s going to be a temptation, don’t do it. There’s an old pattern, don’t do it. Go back to guilt and shame, don’t do it,” right?

“The view that, this looks hopeless, don’t do it, don’t buy into that narrative.”

The Holy Spirit’s going to say no to a lot of traps. And then the Holy Spirit’s going to say, “Do it.”

You’re going to look out, and see someone, and you’re going to think, “Well, I’ve got a schedule. I don’t have time for them.”

And the Holy Spirit says, “Do it. Care for them.”

And there’s going to be a lot of things you’re like, “Well, memorizing scripture. I don’t know. Is it really worth the time?”

And the Holy Spirit’s going to say, “Do it.”

You’re going to look at your schedule again and say, “I’ve got a full day. Should I stop and pray?”

And the Holy Spirit’s going to say, “Do it. Do it.”

The Holy Spirit’s going to communicate to you. And as you’re saying yes, when God says yes; and no, when God says no, there’s a deeper transformation. It goes beyond just behavior. It goes even deeper than character. It’s a spiritual work. It’s at your core, it’s in your soul. And the Holy Spirit is like a spotlight shining the light on Jesus. So you see Jesus, you appreciate Jesus, you worship Jesus, and also, you become more like Christ.

Let me ask you a question. With personal development, how have you changed in the last year? And if you don’t have an answer, it could be time to take some reflection, to go deeper with God, and to appreciate, what is God doing in your life? It also might be a time to recognize that maybe you’re going the wrong direction. Or maybe you’re just in a plateau.

So then let me ask you, how do you want to grow? How do you want to become more like Christ? Is it more humility, more boldness, more courage, more compassion? Which areas of your life? Is it purity? Is it kindness? Which areas of your life do you want to say to the Holy Spirit, “Come in and change me, so that I’m more like Christ.”

Now, you’re still going to have your makeup, and your style, and your sense of humor, and your voice inflection, your appearance. A lot of things are going to stay the same. But then, these other areas, where you’re becoming more like Christ, that’s going to be different. And it’s going to end up resulting in your character, and your words, and your behavior, your schedule, your priorities, there’s going to be a lot of shifts. My encouragement to you is, don’t fight the shifts with personal transformation and growth.

You’re going to hit points where you’ll say, “I don’t know if I can do it.”

That’s all right. That just means you’re going to walk by faith.

You’re going to hit points where you say, “Well, I’ve never done this before.”

That’s okay. God’s going to lead you into new things.

You’re going to hit points where you say, “Well, this isn’t really how my family does it.”

That’s okay. It’s all right to be different. There’s some family patterns that don’t just line up with Heaven. You’re going to be different.

Or there’s going to be points where you say, “People might not like this. They might disagree.”

That’s okay. People disagreed with Jesus. There was conflict, not the unnecessary conflict, but the necessary conflict in following God. There’s opposition. There’s a spiritual battle.

You might say, “Well, the spiritual battle is getting more intense as I’m serving God and becoming more like Christ.”

Yes, the spiritual battle might be getting more intense. Don’t let any of those things stop you. Don’t stop from growing. Have a passion for growing, a lifelong learner. And the Holy Spirit helping you to become more like Christ, that’s when life is rich, that has purpose; and ultimately, it’s going to lead to passion. You’re going to have that passion of Christ.

This personal work. That’s where I wanted to start today. Transformation, the Holy Spirit. Pay attention to what God is doing in your life. Celebrate it, and then continue to say yes to God, even when it’s not easy to grow, because there’s a calling on your life to become more like Christ. And the Holy Spirit is fully committed to that calling.

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As you participate, this is what will happen. Villages will be transformed far beyond where the road ends. And children and families will receive the love of Christ. You can make a difference. Go to WorldConcern.org, let’s be part of the solution together.

Now, let’s keep moving forward as we think about, not just our own lives, but now, the people around us. Just like what we talked about with you becoming more like Christ, you’re going to be an instrument, a vessel, that God’s going to use to help others become more like Christ, because we don’t do it in isolation. We do that in community. If you’re in isolation, you’re not going to grow as much spiritually. We all need community. Love one another, serve one another, care for another, pray for each another. Hold each other accountable. All these different areas, it happens in community.

\Your words are going to spur someone else on. You’re going to bring out the best in some other people. Your accountability is going to help someone grow and say no to temptation. You serving others is going to help them, and it’s going to inspire them, and it’s going to move their hearts. And the way they serve others is going to be changed by the way that you serve them.

If you’re in a role where you’re mentoring; or you have someone who reports to you at work; or it could be in your family, or your parenting; people are going to be watching, how you respond? And the deeper you go with Jesus, the deeper you can lead them with Jesus.

Think about where that happens for you. Maybe it’s in a Bible study, maybe it’s on a missions trip. Maybe it’s in your church. Maybe it’s a team you’re serving with, or in the community where you’re making a difference. Do you have some of those teams that have a culture of growth, and development, of leading people to Jesus? Growing more like Jesus. And the love of God is starting to take over in exciting ways. That’s when you come alive. It’s more than how much money you have. It’s more than what clothes and brands do you have? It’s more than what car do you have, how big is your house? This is what life is all about. It’s that closeness with Christ, change in the character, doing it in a community. The culture changes.

Your family can change. As the Holy Spirit works in your life, now your family starts to change. In the Bible, there was a man, he was a jailer, he wanted to take his own life. He felt like a failure at work. He felt like he blew it. He knew his employer, he knew he was in trouble, might lose his job. He felt despair and wanted to take his life.

What happened? He was around a couple people, Paul and Silas, that changed the culture in they worship, their gratitude, their faith, their attitude, it was noticeable and then their words.

And they told him as he was about to take his life, “Don’t do it, don’t take your life.”

And he heard words of hope. And as he heard those words, they sank deep into his soul. He didn’t kill himself. And in fact, he turned to God. And he started to receive God’s love. And then his family. And his family was baptized. And then from his family, now a church is there in the city. Now the church spreads around the region. Now the church goes beyond, to the nations.

What happens? It all pivots. It all shifts. Why? The Holy Spirit wants to transform lives. And when you start to walk with God, things might start to shift in your family and amongst your friends.

Have you ever been in a group where, let’s say, the spiritual temperature was kind of medium, kind of warm? There’s some good things happening. Then, all of a sudden, someone catches fire and everyone else is like, “That’s what I want.”

And things start to move that way. And you feel God’s presence so thick when you’re praying, when you’re serving, when you’re worshiping, when you’re seeing God change more lives. And one person, then another person, and then another person. And in this community, something’s starting to grow.

I saw it on a college campus, when I served at University of Iowa. And it was a campus where it felt so spiritually dark. And then all of a sudden there’d be one life that changes another one, another one, another one, another one. Now there’s this gathering. Now it’s hundreds of people. Now it’s happening every week. Now it’s taken over into the dorms. And there’s just no stopping God. That’s the movement. When you pick up the Bible, notice it’s a movement. God is moving. And it starts in individual hearts. And then there’s friendships, families that start to change, and then churches, they rise up.

Look at God’s passion for churches. Look at the book of Revelation, seven churches. Look at what God says to each one. He knows each church. He knows what they need. He knows where they need to change. He knows where they need to repent, and develop, and grow, and He’s passionate, and He’s committed, and the Holy Spirit will move those churches, if they trust Him, if they surrender, that’s at the core. And God wants to do amazing thing in churches.

As I look across the nation at churches right now, during the pandemic, a lot of people left. Things are shifting. Now, churches need to go to people. They can’t just stay within the four walls. Churches need to be both present in person, and then also look creatively online, and digitally, and social media. It’s all the above, because God wants to have the churches shine the light in a dark place.

And God’s plan has always been through the local churches. I encourage you to find a church, get involved, get connected, serve, and start to pray for your church. Start to be part of the solution. If there’s going to be a change in the nation, it’s going to be a change in the churches. It starts in hearts. It starts in homes. But then it comes into the church.

And as that health grows spiritually, that health starts to develop, it starts to multiply. It’s exponential. God’s hope starts to grow. This is a transformation that God can bring.

When you look at the Bible, look at the revivals that God brings. Look at the cultures that start to change. The families start to change. The churches that start to change. And that’s how a nation changes.

People today are saying, “What’s going on in America?”

And people are trying to figure out, what’s going to happen. Is it politics? Do you really think politics this year can change everything? I do think politics are important. I do think we should vote. I do think we should pray for politicians. I do think it’s important with policies. The laws of land are significant, absolutely. But what we need is a move of the spirit. What we need is a work of the Holy Spirit, a transformation that brings healing, that brings unity, that we return to God.

The Holy Spirit brings that conviction, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit is not wimpy. The Holy Spirit is strong. There’s a spiritual battle that rages. The one who’s in you, the Holy Spirit is greater than the one who’s in the world. We need the Holy Spirit today. Overcoming strongholds, overcoming footholds, overcoming addictions, delivering people from lies, from traps.

There needs to be a shift in where we place our hope, in getting rid of idols. We have a lot of idols in America. It’s time to get rid of idols and turn to the true and living God. Why do we resist it?

You think of Pharaoh in the Bible. He just keeps resisting God. Why? Because he has his plan. He has, as he looks out, his palace. Pharaoh has what he wants to do, in terms of the laws. Pharaoh has a sense of his control.

That’s all true with us. Study the Book of Exodus. And look at Pharaoh in how he keeps hardening his heart. And that is the same wrestling America is doing. Look at our education. Look at our prosperity. Look at our homes. Look at our food. Look at all that we have. Why would we need God? That’s Pharaoh. But we don’t want to be Pharaoh. We don’t want to be in the flesh. There’s a battle that rages. And we are trusting the Holy Spirit.

When you think about this transformation, look at how God works, on a personal level, with you. That’s where it starts. Think of the old illustration. I’m going to draw a circle where I’m standing right now, and I’m going to cry out for revival. I’m going to turn from all my sins. I’m going to repent, be filled with the Spirit, I’m going to live this way daily, and that’s where it starts. It starts with me.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if followers of Jesus just turn down the complaining, turn down the criticizing, turn down the worrying, turn that all down, and just turn to the Holy Spirit and said, “Start with me, God.”

And we take out the log in our own eye before we go for the speck in someone else’s eye, we say, “God, move in my heart.”

God says, “When My people are called by the name, will humble themselves and they will turn from sin. And they will turn from their wicked ways.”

And as they bow down, as they repent, what’s going to happen? God’s going to show up. God forgives. God brings healing in the land.

VII Chronicles 7-14, 1 verse. It gives us a clear path forward, clarity that’s compelling. What our nation needs right now is to turn from sin and turn to the Savior.

How is that going to happen? It starts with individuals. And then you gather some people who share that same passion, and commitment, and start to really live it out, not just doctrine in terms of what we say we believe. Yes, doctrine needs to be solid. But doctrine, that belief, it comes in. When it comes in, and you own your faith, and now you’re walking with the spirit. Now, there’s no limits to what God can do. God’s going to give you eyes to see people the way he sees them. And it’s going to start to change things in your friendship groups, in your Bible study, in your church, in your family, things are going to start to shift.

How hungry are you for transformation? That’s at the core of what we’re talking about today. How hungry are you for transformation? Are you comfortable with the status quo?

The flesh in us says, “Everything is good enough, everything’s fine. This is good. Let’s just keep things as they are.”

But the Spirit says no to the status quo. There’s a commitment to transformation. It’s a deep work. It’s more than just behavior modification. And we need this in churches today. We need this in America today. That’s what I’m praying for.

I hope that as you’ve gone through this season with the Holy Spirit and we’ve been talking about the joy and the peace, the love, the comfort, the wisdom coming from the Holy Spirit, I hope, in my prayer, is that your relationship with the Holy Spirit is just becoming more and more full. And when you taste and see that the Holy Spirit is good, you’re not going to want to settle for less. During the day, you’re going to want to have it be a spirit-filled day.

I came to know the Lord through, what was called Crew. And part of this is four spiritual laws. And learning how to start a relationship with God. And that is the greatest miracle of salvation. The Holy Spirit does that work.

But then the next question I have is, how do you live this Christian life, because I didn’t grow up with it at all? And there’s a simple booklet called The Spirit-Filled Life. And they’re simple pictures. Either I’m on the throne or the Holy Spirit’s on the throne. And that’s a daily decision. And the more you have of the Holy Spirit, the more you want of the Holy Spirit. And God’s fruit, God’s gifts, they’re going to flow in your life. But this is a relationship where you decide who’s on the throne?

And maybe you haven’t decided that. Maybe it’s been a while. Maybe there’s some areas where, you started out with the spirit leading, but now you’ve come back and you said, “This is my throne and I’m going to be on the throne.”

That’s Herod at Christmas-time killing all the babies. Why? “I don’t want a new king. I want to be the king. I want to be in control. I want to call the shots. Let’s just get the other options out of the way so it can be more of me.”

Well, we don’t say it like that, but it’s the same desire of the flesh to say, “I want the throne. I want the throne.”

And so when we own that, and we repent and we say, “God, forgive me for trying to be God. Forgive me for trying to be at the center. Forgive me for trying to be the ultimate leader of my life.”

The world’s going to tell you, “Lead your life. Go with your heart. Do what you want to do. It’s all about you. If it makes you happy, do it. If it makes you feel good, do it. Just feel good right now and do whatever you like because all it matters is this world, and you, and how you feel.”

It’s not the message of Heaven. The message of Heaven is, all that matters is not just this life, but eternity. All that matters, it’s not just you but the people around you, and God, and bringing out the best in the people around you. All that matters is becoming more like Christ. And that’s the transformation the Holy Spirit wants to bring.

I want to close with prayer, as we’ve been not only talking about the Holy Spirit and celebrating what the Holy Spirit does in our lives, but I want to close with prayer for this season. And let’s pray together.

Father God, I thank you that You are good. Jesus, we worship you and Holy Spirit. We are so thankful, we trust You and we worship You. One God, three persons, we praise You. We want to honor You in spirit and in truth. And I pray, God, as we’ve been talking about You in this series, I pray now for a feeling of the Holy Spirit. I pray for a deep transformation.

God, we want to grow. We don’t want to go backwards. We don’t want to go sideways. We want to grow. We want to become more like You, Jesus. I pray for an acceleration of your work, God. I pray for a multiplication of the impact. May the Holy Spirit truly take over in our attitude, our words, our actions.

God made us be daily. We thank you that your kingdom is unstoppable. Your work is so mighty in our lives. And God, we’re praying that we would find churches, that we’d be a blessing in the churches You’ve called us to be. And God, we would make a difference there, that the culture would change, the churches across our cities, the churches across our country. God would be healthy. It would be full of the Spirit. There would be Your Word and the Spirit. There would be love. There would be, going beyond the four walls of the church. God, the church would be vibrant. We need this today.

God, we’re asking. We see the condition of our nation. We’re praying for something different. We’re praying for revival. We’re praying for transformation. We’re praying for reformation. God, we’re praying for a new work of Your spirit that we can’t plan. No method’s going to do it. No person, God. There’s not going to be a new song that just ushers all this in. We need Your presence. And we’re not settling for anything less.

God help us to live a spirit-filled life. We step off the throne today. We repent of our sins and we say, “God, lead and guide as we honor you. We thank you for new starts, new beginnings, new joy that You bring through the Holy Spirit. And we will trust You for this transformation.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thank you for journeying through this season, as we grow in our relationship with God, depths with the Holy Spirit. If this has been a blessing in your life, please share these episodes with other people. And I didn’t know the Holy Spirit until I started to learn about the Spirit. And then that knowledge and led to a relationship. Knowledge leads to relationship. We need both. Let’s keep in step with the Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, and trusting the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for checking out The Bonfire. Again, rate and review is helpful. And let’s spread the good news to more people.