Transform into Something Beautiful Through Christ
What if you were meant for so much more than who you are right now?
I think that is true for every single one of us. I truly believe that no matter where we are today, we are to continue to grow and impact the world around us MORE each and EVERY day. Don’t get overwhelmed. God is always there to guide us, but is our lack of vision impeding what God would use us for?
We see a caterpillar and we could NEVER dream that God designed it to metamorphose into a butterfly!! I mean that transformation is pretty unimaginable if you think about the reality of it. A caterpillar doesn’t seem to resemble a butterfly in any tangible way at all – and yet this is God’s plan for the caterpillar. What if God has the same kind of unimaginable plan for you? I can guarantee that he does. No matter how devastatingly low or euphorically high your life is at the current moment, God has more for you.
The above picture is of the cross within a butterfly I have tattooed on my arm. A very talented friend designed and tattooed it for me. It is a daily reminder of my ongoing transformation through Christ into something more spectacular.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
God didn’t leave me where I was! THANK YOU GOD! He has plans for the trash I’ve been through and even now I can see that none of it has gone to waste. If I had to live through it again, I surely wouldn’t want to, but I am grateful for the strength and understanding it has imparted to me.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
I am so glad that God has used the trials in my life to transform me (and continues to do so on a daily basis). It is so exciting to see what he is going to do next. It is amazing that God could turn my heart that was so broken and so ugly into something healed and beautiful – just like an ugly, naked caterpillar emerging from a bland cacoon as a breath-taking butterfly. If God can do that for a caterpillar, he can do so much more for you.
Are you dwelling on your past OR reaching for your purpose? You can't do both at the same time. - Ben Courson
Dang! That stings a bit doesn’t it? You can’t be reaching for your destiny if you are rehashing the past and living in unforgiveness. The Love of God post may help to give you a healthier perspective on those that have caused you pain. We all need to stop the constant replay of injustices in our mind WHILE “attempting” to pursue God’s purpose for our life. You have to take your eyes off the past, forgive, and focus on the future. (With that being said, if you have experienced some type of trauma I highly encourage you to participate in a support group or seek professional therapy. You need tools to overcome what is not yours to bear.) God does not want you weighed down by past circumstances. YOU do not want to be weighed down by past circumstances. Set aside the weight that is keeping you stuck and keep your eyes on Jesus!
Hebrews 12: 1-2
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus
I know it is terrifying to reach out and ask for help, but isn't it more terrifying to live the rest of your life NEVER getting relief and moving beyond the sin caused against you.
Today is the day! Don’t let another day pass. I am here cheering you on and so is God. Don’t let the enemy keep you defeated, you are a victorious creation of the Almighty God and it is way past time to break free of the chains holding you back.
Sometimes it isn’t unforgiveness of others that haunts us, but the inability to forgive ourselves. Are there sins that you have committed that you carry guilt or condemnation for? Repent. Be free of the burden. If you have honestly repented before God, he isn’t holding them against you. God remembers them no more. If you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins, it is only YOU that is holding them against you.
Isaiah 43:25
I [the Lord], even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
If you need to ask forgiveness AND it isn’t going to further harm someone, then take action to reach out and ask for forgiveness. This does NOT include excuses why you behaved the way you did, it is a simple ask of forgiveness. This may require an accountability partner to participate in the conversation if there is any doubt that this will lead to further unforgiveness. I would encourage you to pray before and after for a softening of hearts so that they too could receive healing from the wrongful situation. It is that person’s choice whether they will forgive you or not, this should not be an expectation. You are only in control of yourself, not their reaction.
Regardless of whether you are granted forgiveness or not, you need to honestly repent of your actions before God and receive God’s forgiveness. Repentance is asking for God’s forgiveness for your behaviour and accepting God’s strength to NOT commit the same sin again because you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon you. A truly changed heart exhibits CHANGED BEHAVIOUR. These aren’t just words that have been uttered they are a declaration for a changed life and future.
Forgiving ourselves and others for past sins allows us to move forward without the shackles of shame and condemnation. We are to learn from our past mistakes, not be stuck with them as if they were a cement block tied to our ankle holding us at the bottom of the ocean. Isn’t this so often how we live? Chained to our past, unable to influence the guilt of past sin or the shame of past injustices….we just remain there at the bottom of the ocean slowly drowning in past despair. Does that sound like you are living in the POWER of GOD as a CHILD of the ONE TRUE KING? Not so much.
Time to break the chains.
Time to transform into a new glorious creation – the one God created you to be. Quit letting the devil win and keep you stuck in the past. God has big plans that ONLY YOU can fulfill. Plans that He created you and YOU ALONE for. Are you ready? Are you ready to break out of your ugly cacoon and metamorphose into God’s intended purpose for you? It’s way past time. Let’s break some chains.
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
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