Allow the Holy Spirit to Change You:

These past few weeks of church have been the start of a new sermon series.  This series is going through the book of Galatians, which is a wonderful book including a lot of information about the Gospel and how to best be stewards of Christ.  This is also wonderful because this is the same book I have been studying with my Christian mentor, Stacy.  It has been really fruitful for me to get a lot of this wisdom out of this book of the Bible. 

The sermon this morning was really good about discussing the Holy Spirit and its role in our lives of Christians.  We are called to be followers of Christ and to be therefore changed by the Spirit.  We can not be justified by our own works.  We can not take credit for being saved because of who we are, but rather through who Christ is and what he has done for us.  

This also being said, My pastor Peter mentioned sometimes we as people and as Christians will claim, there will be nothing that can be changed about a particular personality trait we may have.  For example, “I am always going to have a temper.  It is just a part of who I am.”  Some may claim they won’t ever be gentle or kind.  They are too brash and harsh.  Others may claim they have no self-control ability.  They indulge in whatever is in front of them.  

Yes, while I do believe it is important to know there are certain people who will be different from others.  We are all created differently.  We have all been created by God who did want to make us a little different than everyone else.  He is a Creator.  He is creative, and he enjoyed making us all unique.  However, there are still important characteristics, such as the fruit of the spirit he wants us all to possess as believers.  These fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.  We shouldn’t get to choose or cherry pick which of these fruits we can possess as a person.  It is an all or nothing kind of change.   

For me, I know I am not very patient.  It is not my strength.  I am also not the best at keeping peace when it comes to my mind.  I have always struggled with my own peace. I am a very anxious person, and this can really start to affect the other areas in my life.  Through my anxiety, I can let it ruin my state of mind and my trust of the Lord.  However, in those times when I am struggling with my Christian walk or with certain fruits of the spirit, I know I can lean on the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy spirit is mentioned about 90 to 100 times throughout the Bible.  There are then many verses that reference the Holy Spirit and its great work in our lives.  One of the verses referencing the Holy Spirit is Romans 8:26 which says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit can give us the words we need in order to better pray.  The Holy Spirit will help give us advice when we don’t know what we should best do, and how we should best pray. 

There are two challenges for you this week.  The first is, of course, to try to be reflective of whether or not there is anything that you believe you can’t change?  Is there a particular characteristic you believe won’t ever be something you will possess?  Are there negative beliefs you have about yourself?  Are you very convinced your sin is a part of your personality? Maybe, are there any sins that you are secretly proud of?

Then the second challenge is to spend a long time in prayer.  To spend this time in prayer and to really believe and think you can be changed is the best way to develop this particular characteristic and to therefore grow closer to God.  Through the prayer and belief in God and the Holy Spirit, we really can be changed and more sanctified.  I have often spent a lot of time in prayer, focusing on my patience.  I am constantly asking for help when it comes to my patience.  I know I can lose my temper and can become irritated and frustrated regularly, and I then ask the Holy Spirit to help me out.  

Let the Holy Spirit change you.  Let the Holy Spirit make you more brave, more bold, more patient, and more kind.  We are called to be conquerors of Christ.  We are called to be faithful followers.  Even when we don’t believe we can do this, we can remember, we have Christ and the Holy Spirit in our corner.