Seeking Transformation.....Denison Ministries

 Seeking Transformation

Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview

We serve a God of powerful transformations. All throughout Scripture God takes those whom the world deemed the lowest, the hopeless, and the helpless and uses them to change the world. You are not beyond transformation. God longs to break off that which inhibits you from experiencing fullness of life. He longs to heal you, deliver you, and set you free. May your life be forever changed as we spend time discovering God’s heart for transformation.

Scripture:“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Devotional:    

As humans burdened and suffering from both our sins and the fallen nature of the world around us, we are in desperate need of transformation. We are in desperate need of help from a God who has the power to not just clean us up on the outside but to transform us at the core of who we are. But this God doesn’t force transformation on us. He works when we make space for him to do so. If we’re going to experience the freedom, joy, and purpose that can only come from the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we must be those who seek transformation.

Psalm 51:10-12 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Here in Psalm 51 David exemplifies the heart of one who seeks transformation. He models for us a posture of humility that will lead to powerful encounters with God’s transformative love. He doesn’t sit back and merely live with that which plagues him but goes to God with his problems that he might be changed.

David begins as we all should in asking for God to do a mighty work in his heart. And in this act of asking God to create in him a clean heart,David opens himself up to receive the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. To receive transformation from God we have to come before him humbly and honestly that he might have space to do the impossible in our lives.

Often we spend a majority of our efforts trying to convince others and ourselves that we don’t need help. We work tirelessly to build up a facade that we have it all together. We do everything we can to maintain a sense of control in our lives—even in regard to our spirituality. But in doing so we place appearances above reality. We allow that which is destroying us from the inside to persist simply because we are unwilling to acknowledge that we have need. It’s as if we tried to cover up an external wound with jewelry expecting the surface-level beauty of something to contain the power to heal what’s underneath. We don’t need that which covers up. We need the healing that comes from going with an honest, open heart to the one true Healer.

God’s heart for you and me today is that we would put down our guards, take an honest look at our hearts, and recognize our need for transformation. He longs for us to take a moment and call out that which is robbing us of the abundant life he so willingly died to give us. Your God is willing and able to transform you. That which has plagued you for so long will be healed and broken off your life if you will continually seek transformation from your loving heavenly Father. May you experience powerful transformation today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of seeking transformation. Allow Psalm 51:10-12 to be your model.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12

2. Take an honest look at your heart. Where do you need transformation? What lie, habitual sin, perspective, or fear is robbing you of abundant life? What’s chaining you to the ways, cares, and burdens of the world?

3. Declare your need for transformation in that area to God. Tell him you need his help. Ask him to come and do a mighty work in your heart. Listen to whatever he would speak over you, and trust that he will transform you if you continually seek his help.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

We all have areas in which we need transformation. We all are in need of God’s help. Not one of us is perfect. Rather than spending all your energy trying to keep up appearances with others, yourself, and with God, devote yourself completely to living honestly and humbly. Stop exhausting yourself doing that which is of no value and seek help. If you will commit to seeking continual transformation, your efforts will produce life and peace rather than more burden. May your heart be filled with hope as the Holy Spirit works in your life today.

Extended Reading: Psalm 51

Knowing the Heart of God.....Dr. Charles Stanley

 Knowing the Heart of God

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

Most people long to be understood. We may have many acquaintances, but we all have a deep need to feel truly known by those we love most. This is because we were created in God's image--He also desires to be intimately understood and loved by us.

Just as you don't want to be known for only the superficial details of who you appear to be, it's not enough to know about the Lord. He wants us to learn how He thinks and feels, what's important to Him, and what His purposes are. Of course, it's impossible for man to completely know the mind of the Creator of the universe. In Isaiah 55:9, He tells us, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." The depth and breadth of His mind is so great we will never be able to fully grasp it in this lifetime.

However, we can better understand God's heart and character by seeking Him and learning day by day from His Word. If we genuinely desire to walk in His ways, we must first genuinely know Him. We come to know our friends better by sharing more experiences together. Similarly, we will also understand God better the longer we walk with Him and meditate on what He has revealed about Himself in the Bible.

God wants you to seek Him with all your heart, and He promises that when you do, you will find Him (Jer. 29:13). So, the next time you're feeling a need to be better understood, turn to the One who understands you perfectly. Even more importantly, ask Him to help you know Him better.

Look Up.....by Sarah Phillips

 Look Up

by Sarah Phillips

But he answered and said to his father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving  you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came , who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.” ~ Luke 15:29 – 31

I recently ran across a forum discussion about being single that stuck with me, a fellow single. The original posting went something like this:

"I really want to be married. I've waited years and years to be married. I've saved myself for my wedding night and lived a life pleasing to God. So it really pains me to see all these people who compromised their purity getting married and having children when I’ve lived chastely but remain single and dateless. They are being rewarded while I stay sad and alone. It's just not fair."

Have you ever felt this way? It's natural to feel frustrated when we make good choices and get burned while those who made poor choices seem to have it easier. Yes, most of us have empathized with the older brother of the prodigal son at some point. After all, he is the son that did everything right. We understand his pain in the opening verse.

But truthfully, the older brother wasn't much different from the younger. Both brothers believed a fallacy: If I do things my way, I'll win out. The consequences of a prodigal son's actions are often obvious – life often crumbles around them as they break away from God’s truth and embrace reckless living. But what exactly happens when we embrace the attitude of the older brother?

We may still attend church, continue to make righteous decisions, and maintain the appearance of wellbeing, but we begin to rot on the inside as we internally pull away from the Father's life-giving love. As I observed this forum thread unfold and reread the scriptures above, I saw three subtle dangers to the soul who suffers with Older Brother Syndrome:

Loss of spiritual clarity. When we embrace the stance of the older brother, our spiritual vision darkens because we turn our gaze away from Christ to fixate on someone else’s life. The older brother travels down an ungodly path because he fails to see things from his merciful father's perspective. From his corner, he cannot see that the prodigal brother suffered for his transgressions and repented with sorrow, nor can he see his own blessings clearly. He festers with envy over the celebration, and misinterprets his father’s forgiveness as a personal slight. While the older brother may justify his anger in light of the pain his younger brother inflicted on their father, the oldest son only increases his father's pain with his bitter, ungrateful heart.

Pride finds a foothold.  Let's face it - comparing our "goodness" to another's faults can only lead to a full-blown case of spiritual pride. And pride is deadly to the soul. It causes us to lose gratitude towards our Father, obscures our own need for mercy, and misleads us into thinking God owes us something. We may make ineffective -- even destructive -- attempts to grasp at the blessing we no longer trust God to provide for us.

Misery settles in. "Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.” (Luke 15:31) Unlike the prodigal, the eldest brother had access to his loving father for his entire life. Yet his response to his father's joy does not reveal a joyful heart. Pride, envy, judgmental attitudes and perfectionism squeeze peace and happiness out of our lives. My sister wisely pointed this out to me recently: there's no point in comparing your life to another, "unless you are bent on being miserable."

So what can we do to find peace when we feel life treats us unfairly? When your frugal family reels from job layoffs while the Jones' still enjoy stable employment? When your godly parenting skills fall on deaf ears while the neighbors boast over their accomplished kids? I think its okay to acknowledge feelings of sadness, frustration, and even confusion. But at the end of the day, it's best to stop looking at others, and start looking up.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" (Gen 4:6). Cain and Abel are another set of brothers who suffered from envy. Cain’s sin ultimately mastered him, and he murdered Abel. Is there anything you’re holding onto in your heart that is causing you to “look down,” away from the Father’s loving gaze? Ask God to remove it from your heart.

A Prayer for When Things Don’t Go as Planned.....By: Kristine Brown

 A Prayer for When Things Don’t Go as Planned

By: Kristine Brown

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” - Proverbs 16:9 NIV

I had big plans. With our youngest child out of the nest, I began sorting through the many ideas I had for the next phase of life. What would all this newfound free time bring? The possibilities seemed endless.

Only, I never considered the word cancer to be on that list of possibilities.

Suddenly my anticipation for the weeks and months ahead took a drastic turn. Hopes for the next season didn’t hold the same promise as all the things written in my planner. The adventures waiting for me to check them off one-by-one, now erased and replaced with treatments, doctor’s appointments, and rest.

When the plans we’ve made in life change course, our feelings can also change. We trade our excitement and anticipation for dread or discouragement. But even in the hardest situations, God will offer blessings in the most unexpected ways.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Planning is important. The ability to chart a course for our future is a gift from God. We set goals and hold onto dreams, hoping one day we will be able to say we reached them. Yet so many times God will guide us in a new direction. One we never expected.

The steps he establishes for us may take us somewhere we never intended for ourselves. They may even take us somewhere we don’t want to go. But we can be sure of this. God’s blessings don’t stop just because our circumstances change.

We can walk in assurance and live the abundance God promises, even when it looks nothing like we planned. The years I spent through cancer treatments and recovery have been the hardest of my life. And honestly, some of those adventures on my goal list had to be erased. But through this time God has blessed me with closer relationships, different priorities, and the chance to share my journey of restoration. Something I wouldn’t trade for any plans of this world.

Let’s thank God today for those times when things don’t go as we planned. We can trust Him as we anticipate the steps he establishes for us.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your guidance and direction. Because you are designing the path ahead of me, I have nothing to fear. I enjoy setting goals and having dreams for the future, but you know what’s best for me. You are the author of my story.

Your Word says that you “establish my steps,” even when I make my own plans. I may write things on my calendar, but I will also remain open to change when things don’t go the way I expected. Help me to accept your path, even when it looks nothing like what I thought or takes me places I didn’t want to go. Your ways are not my ways, and I trust you in all things.

Lord, today open my eyes to the blessing on this journey you’ve chosen for me. Help me see the truth of your promises. You will never leave me, and you have great plans for my future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

New Life for Us All.....Greg Laurie

 New Life for Us All

Greg Laurie

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
—1 Peter 1:3

A couple from Chicago was planning a vacation to a warmer climate, but the wife couldn't join her husband until the next day, because she was on a business trip. Her husband scribbled down her e-mail address on a little scrap of paper, but upon his arrival, he discovered that he had lost it. He wanted to send off a quick e-mail to let her know he had arrived safely. So trying his best to remember her e-mail address, he composed a brief message and sent it off.

Unfortunately, his e-mail did not reach his wife. Instead, it went to a grieving widow who had just lost her husband, a preacher, the day before. She had gone to her computer and was checking her e-mail when she let out a loud shriek and fainted on the spot. Her family came rushing in to see what was on the screen: "Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P. S.: It sure is hot down here!"

The good news is that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we don't have to be afraid of that real place that is hot down there. In fact, we don't even have to fear death. Because Christ died and rose again from the dead, we know that for us as believers, there is life beyond the grave.

If that were all the resurrection did for us, it would be worth the price of the ticket. Of course, we didn't buy the ticket. Christ did. But if all that Christianity offered was the hope of life beyond the grave, it still would be worth it to be a Christian.

But there is a whole lot more that the resurrection has for us. Our risen Lord will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us (see Ezekiel 36:26). He will give us new knowledge, new comfort, new peace, and a new life in Him.