I was sitting at my desk one day, doing my normal work stuff, and the phrase,”first life, then change,” popped into my mind. Most thoughts I have during a day race through my head and then quickly disappear. This one stuck. It turned out to be one of those “aha” moments for me.
First life, then change is the process God works in our lives.
So many of us short circuit the process. We leave the life part out of the equation, and focus merely on the change we hope and pray God can bring to our lives. In other words, we view Christianity as a self-improvement program. God is there to help us better our lives. At least that was the way I viewed Christianity. Like so many, I cried out to God time and time again for His help, but nothing changed. If anything, my feeble efforts made matters worse. I didn’t know that I needed life.
However, Scripture is very clear. I was dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Not just me, you too were dead in sin. This is the spiritual condition that was passed on to you by your mom and dad. This ancestry trail traces back to Adam and Eve. They forfeited spiritual life in exchange for the chance to be like God. The decision plunged them and all of mankind into the realm of sin and death.
We hear the echoes of this reality at times. We sense deep down that something is terribly wrong, or feel emptiness inside, or experience an unexplained restlessness. All of these are symptoms of spiritual death. Some ignore these indicators. Others charge out to find that one thing to fill the void. But money, power, prestige, fame or anything else the world may offer are never enough. They leave us still wanting. Death needs to be turned to life.
Calvin spent much of his life trying to fill the emptiness of his heart. He had tried almost everything imaginable, but nothing worked. He turned to drugs and alcohol to mask the underlying pain and emptiness. Even then, he could hear the echoes. Something was wrong. All his prayers seemed to go unanswered. His struggle to change led him to a point of desperation. He turned on his radio hoping to find answers. Scanning the dial, he landed on the station that airs our program in his area. Something caught his attention. He picked up his phone and called our toll-free number.
You could hear the weariness in his voice. “I’ve tried to do the right things. I pray for God’s help night and day, but I keep going back to my old ways. Is there hope?”
I had the privilege of sharing with Calvin God’s process, first life, then change. It struck a chord with him. Thousands listened in as he expressed his heart of faith through prayer. That day, God raised Calvin spiritually so that he could live in the newness of life. I could hear the power of what was happening in his voice. Calvin, just minutes before was dead in sin. But now he was alive in Christ.
The offer of the Gospel is life. Jesus made this abundantly clear throughout His teaching ministry. Listen to His words: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Once we are alive in Him, the change begins.
I agree with what you said, yet I still struggle with my flesh and have found myself falling back into old, bad habits I thought I’d never go back to. Yet, I KNOW I have Christ’s life in me, and I know while on this earth that we are never free from our flesh. I do NOT know how to reconcile this in my soul.
That said, I get despondent and spiral down into depression. Yes, I realize all bad thinking or wrong believing…but I AM re-born and don’t understand the struggle to live it out and think I’m a hypocrit. Yes, there are areas that are better in my life, but I’m not always living how Christ would have me live.
I can’t believe I’m even posting this since many of my friends read this forum. Yet, when I question “how?” I’m told to relax and let God do it for me, through me. When my struggles worsen, I’m not sure that is a real answer. Just being real which I think so often we are not expected to be…I still think I need to put up a happy face even when most decidely not happy and worse yet, find no way out of it. Aack. Still, my hope and life are in Him. What now?
Suz, first of all, you are not unique. Every Christian experiances exactly what you have described. But the word of God declares that to be transformed, we must have our minds renewed.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…..
As long as you conform to the pattern of this world, you will not be transformed, you will stay the same, even though you have been born again.
But when you replace the wisdom and philosophy of this world, which is all erroneous, with the truth that sets you free, then and only then will you be transformed.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
For instance, the New Covenant declares that God remembers your sin no more. If you condemn yourself, as a result of your sin, then you are not walking by faith in what God has declared.
If, on the other hand, you praise God for his provision in that Jesus did away with that sin by his sacrifice, your attitude toward that sin is thankfulness to God, which is his will for you.
1Th 5:18 Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU in Christ Jesus.
This is how God’s grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness.
Tts 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldy passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age.
Suz, I see that God wants us the believers in him to stop trying to quit sin for noone can and noone has been able to ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. So God sent his Son Jesus to die on a cross for the sins of the whole world taking the place of any sinner that knows they need a perfect savior for they cannot be perfect in and of themselves in need of a new life and this life is found in the resurrection not the death, therefore we are to die to ourselves and become alive to God as God raises us from the dead as he did his Son so go there Suz if you have not already and trust God to do in you what you can’t
Romans 6:1-11 is a good explanation of who you are as a child of the living God and if you have not done what Paul says was already done in the Romans please ask God to do this for you and the Baptism that is spoke of there is not water baptism it is baptism of the Holy Ghost with fire to burn out the flesh Carnal nature that we all have been originally born with so then recieve the love of God as in first Cor. 13
Love you Sister in Christ
Bob May I put your post on my url godjustloveyou.blogspot.com of coarse you need to out www. first
Great eye opening post
There’s a wonderful program called Celebrate Recovery.
I’m siding with Suz on this one. When you pass from death to life, your vision doesn’t get better, your congestive heart and renal failure does not improve, neither does your prostate CA, Alzheimer’s, and coronary vascular heart disease. And finally neither does your allocation of dopamine and serotonin receptors in your CNS tissues. Jews demand miraculous sighs, documented by our senses, Greeks look for wisdom, authenticated through logic,But we preach Christ crucified, believed through faith. Period. Can you be depressed, with heart disease and Parkinson’s and still have the life of Christ? I’m betting my eternity on it. In fact, if my life in my flesh and blood starts to appear logical and sensible, I’d believe I’ve got it all wrong.
Thank you, Holy One’s for your encouragement and responses. I will utilize the resources/suggestions you gave me. I also want to call out to Frank who reminds me even if nothing in my flesh on this earth is “fixed” as I (yes I recognize the irony…”I” not God!) sees it “should” be, that makes me no less God’s child. Actually, all of you reminded me when I condemn myself I am not seeing myself as God sees me but the world…Thank you for you help. Sorry to “jack” your post, Bob!!!
Hi Suz, just want to let you know that ten years ago I was experiencing depression for many of the same reasons you are. Despondent, depressed and hypocrit were all words I used as well. People to People Ministries sent me a book called Victory Over Depression by Bob George. Bob goes through Scripture and uses real life stories to explain these feelings and how to shift our dependency upon Jesus and off of ourselves. Truly life changing. You can find this book at Bobgeorge.net along with a new book by Bob called Jesus Changes Everything.
Hi Suz
I found it clicked for me once I changed WHO I was thinking about!
No longer dwelling on my bad habits or what I was doing, but Instead, focus on The Lord – how huge He is, how powerful He is, how He changes us on the inside by the power of His Word before we start seeing these changes on the outside.
Trust His strength in your times of weakness.
Really believe that there is no condemnation for you – even from YOU yourself!!
Like a little plant, the roots have to grow deep and strong in good soil before the plant changes, flowers and bears fruit.
Keep your thoughts tuned-in to His nature and Truth and roots will grow deep, then in time, you’ll relise you just don’t want to do the same things anymore. Your focus changes.
It’s all about Him… His ability to get through to you, you’re the dear daughter of His heart… He will, you can trust Him to do it.