Living in Increase (Part 1) - Increase in UnderstandingIhe Atụ

The Power of Change

Reading and studying Scripture through the power and work of the Holy Spirit changes us. We learn about the plan of salvation through Christ and God’s pursuit of a broken people. Christ came to mend our broken relationship with God the Father and left us His Spirit (John 14:15-31). We don’t work for salvation; it is the gift of God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The result of salvation, however, is transformation. God’s Spirit transforms our thinking, which changes our actions. This process of change is referred to as sanctification throughout the Bible. In Leviticus 20:7, God declares, “Sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” In 1 Peter 1:16, Peter reiterates this by saying, “For it is written: Be holy because I am holy.”

God’s work in us doesn’t end at salvation. We are to devote ourselves to the God we claim to love, allow that love to permeate us, and lead us from faith to faith and glory to glory. Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you (James 4:8)! The enemy wants to deceive God’s people into believing that our way is better than God’s way, but this is not true. His ways are better and higher. Christ has saved us from the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). He has saved us to be His true disciples and to go out to make other disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The more we are transformed into the image of Christ, the more we become our true selves, who God intended us to be. After all, we were made in His image (Genesis 1:27), so He is the only one who can transform us into His likeness!

Ruby Washington

Action Step: Pray this prayer: “God, thank you for the gift of salvation. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit at work in my life. Please help me walk by the Spirit and fight against the urges of my flesh. Renew my mind to think in ways that glorify you. Lord, heal me in every way. Mold me into the image of Christ. Please give me the wisdom to make the right decisions and identify the wrong choices. Sanctify me in Your truth, Lord. In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.”