Be Changed (Day 1)

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which was corrupted by lust and deception. Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God- truly righteous and holy." Ephesians 4:21-24

As we look through the above scripture we see a process.  In order to really know God and know his love, we have to complete all the steps in the process. We have to hear, learn and act on what we know. Then we let the Spirit work within us to make changes that we cannot make on our own; we have to have changes made within us that only can be made by the very hand of God in order to be truly transformed. 

Hearing involves both auditory and reading of God's word. We are exposed to his word by others' messages, testimonials, and encouragement. We take in the word of God! 

Next we are called to learn the truth. Learning involves more than just hearing. I can hear a message and walk away totally forgetting what I heard. Learning involves memorization and seeking understanding. We take the stories and lives of the people in scripture and break them down to know the message that God wants us to hear... the message of his love, grace, and mercy. Learning is an internalization of the Word.

Finally, we have to act on what we know. If we know scripture tells us that cursing is offensive to God, we have to stop doing it. If we have learned that gossip breaks the heart of God then we have to make a conscious effort to stop gossiping. As we hear and read the Word we will know that God wants us to care for the hungry. So we must make changes in our life to reach out to those who are both physically and spiritually hungry. We have to 'throw off' the sin of our former life. 'Throwing off' is an action. Real faith acts on what it knows!