May 21

“ As you walk with Jesus daily, let the witness of the changes taking place in you come from others and not from you.  If you have to prove to someone that God has really changed you, He has not.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 5/21

This is another argument against self-reflection.  We could quite easily become consumed with our appearances and start making adjustments as necessary to “prove to someone” that God has really changed us if what we see doesn’t match our idea of what a Christian should look like.  Instead, we must rely on the prompting of the Holy Spirit to bring those unholy things in our lives to our attention.  It is in being convicted by the Holy Spirit that we are then able to change.  Any attempt at changing in the flesh will be temporary.  As soon as we forget about them our old habits of the way we always were will take control.  But if the Holy Spirit convicts us of our transgressions and we humbly repent, then the Holy Spirit can transform us in an instant.  This is why you hear stories of people instantly losing their desire for something that had controlled their lives before.  But this also means we must maintain this attitude of submission to the Holy Spirit.  The moment we allow our flesh the upper hand even the things that were instantly taken away can reappear.  This is why Blackaby says, “As you walk with Jesus daily...”  We were made to respond to God, so we must remain humble in order to respond.

“For thus say the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite.’”  Isaiah 57:15