There are few people who are quick to change. Most of us need time to adjust to new concepts or ways of doing things. None of us welcome correction or rebuke, whether it’s from the Lord or a person. We are skillful at building walls of resistance to change and correction.
Our world is constantly changing. Seasons, times, and events move forward whether we like it or not. We can’t stop the leaves from falling, the temperatures from dropping, the frost and snow from occurring as fall and winter approach. In much the same way, when we “sign the dotted line” to serve Christ, we can’t stop His love from descending on our hearts to change, mold, and shape us into His image. It’s what He does.
But how do we respond to the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit when He puts His finger on a spot that needs correction or adjustment? Perhaps He’s gone past the gentle nudging to a slight pushing, and still we resist Him. The great wall of resistance we build against change is really a great wall of resistance to our Father’s love. For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Hebrews 12:6 NASB tells us. The Greek meaning of “discipline” is train, correct, chasten.
Most of us were too young to remember when we were potty trained, but if you’ve had children, you understand that it’s not fun for the trainer or the trainee. The results are great; the discipline and training, not so much. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit begins dealing with us about our speech, for instance, or our thought life, we too often erect the great wall of resistance to hear Him. We resist putting off old patterns of speech and thinking to put on a new manner of speech and thought. The great wall of resistance goes up.
…Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24 NKJV).
Being a Christian is a vibrant, interactive, living journey into maturity and Christlikeness, so we can’t stay the same. We must tear down our walls of resistance, embrace the Lord’s loving correction, put off the old nature, and put on the new. We should be different almost right away. What made you mad yesterday, shouldn’t make you mad for too long on this amazing journey with Christ. What comes to mind right now of something that needs changed in your life? Let Him change you, little by little, every day; little by little in every way, as the old song goes.