The idea of “Thoughts from the Heart” was born out of a love for the word of God which grew in me as I spent time in the Word. Romans 12:2 is the verse which opened my eyes to the transformational power of the Word as God intended it to be. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The idea of transformation caught my attention. I knew that other scripture teaches that we are being made into the image of God. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” The idea of being transformed into the image of God means that we are to be His image bearers and the fact that we cannot make this happen on our own made me question how this change occurs in the everyday life of a follower of Christ. Genesis 1:26 explains that, from the beginning, God intended to make man in His likeness. My desire was to better understand how this transformation takes place in my personal life where the rubber meets the road.
The study of Romans 12:2 led me to understand that the word transformed comes from a word meaning metamorphosis, “a change in the form or nature of a thing or person.” Websters says it means “A startling change as if by a supernatural power.” The idea behind transformation is our changing on the outside in such a way that we make clear or prove the inner change brought about by our salvation” as stated by John MacArthur. It really is an amazing thought, that we can be on the outside what we are on the inside through Christ. I don’t know all things insects but the picture we can relate to is one of caterpillars transforming into butterflies. Once a caterpillar transforms through an amazing display of God’s creative ability, the butterfly is quite a different insect. It does not even eat the same food and it flies instead of crawling. One theory espoused by an evolutionist named Heinrich says, “that the butterfly is actually a new organism” and that, in actuality, “the first one lives and dies and then the other emerges.” Now, I don’t buy into Heinrich’s secular thoughts on evolution, but I love how God’s ways are so evident in nature. We, too, should be different after we meet Christ. There is in our relationship with Christ, a call to death before we can live.
Death and new life are foundational truths in Christianity. Dying to the old and becoming all things new is a beautiful theme of salvation and is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” Just a note here. The Greek grammar “indicates that this newness is a continuing condition of fact.” John McArthur Study Bible. We continue to be made new, transformed more and more into the image of Christ. So, getting back to my original question of how this happens in real time let’s go back to Romans 12:2. This verse tells us not to be conformed to the world. Charles Swindoll in Swindoll’s New Testament says, “To be conformed means to be molded according to a pattern.” So, we are not to be molded to the pattern of the world but be changed in nature as evidenced on the outside by the renewing of our mind.
I am a Social Worker by profession and a past job allowed me the opportunity to counsel others in a clinical setting. One of the techniques I used in counseling was a cognitive behavioral approach which challenges individuals to change their thinking to change their behavior. This is a secular approach which is really based on a biblical truth. The transformation of our outward actions begins with a transformation of our minds, and it is the Word of God which changes our thinking. It is not just reading the Word, but it is through the study and meditation of the scripture that our thinking is changed. Once our thoughts are different then our emotions and behavior follow. Obedience to the Word is the result and change is seen in our lives.
The supernaturality of the word of God to transforms us is an amazing thing.
I no longer counsel others in a clinical setting, but I am still involved in teaching and discipling women to love the Word and to study it with the intent to be transformed. Thoughts From the Heart will be an attempt to continue to teach and disciple women in a different and broader way. My heart is to share spiritual truths for everyday living since this is where the rubber meets the road in this life with Christ. My hope is that the Word of God will become the plumbline it is intended to be in the life of every believer. The secret is in the obedience to that Word. You see, even in the secular world, change is brought about by actually taking the steps toward the desired goal. Transformation of one’s life cannot occur if one is not obeying the truth which enables that transformation.
Thoughts From the Heart will be a humble and transparent attempt to speak truth from the Word and provide steps to take in obeying that truth. The theme for this writing is based on 1 Corinthians 2: 12-13 which says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” My hope is that as the Spirit uses His Word to impact our thoughts, we will be transformed to walk in change; change which lasts as image bearers of Christ.