Galatians 1:23
‘They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”‘
This is such a wonderful testimony of the changing power of the gospel. All believers go through it. Paul’s story is movie worthy. In fact Paul’s conversion is used by some as a defense of the gospel. A great, powerful person of his time who worked against Jesus, is now His most valued asset. People like this rarely change; especially this dramatic with such a great shift. He was enemy number one to the community of belief, then he switches and becomes their general.
This change gives us hope. We all have areas that we want changed. Some have life destroying tendencies. They may be addicts or narcissistic. But without intervention, marriages crumble, careers fall apart, health gets poor. God changed Paul with ease. He can also help us.
The Lord works in all of His children. He seeks to alter us and free us from our struggles. It takes time, His power and our compliance. It’s sometimes instantaneous, but usually something that takes time.
We take these concerns to Him in prayer. David says in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” He hears those prayers. This healing happens over time. He gives us hope to get out of our ruts.
Obedience is also a factor. We might feel guilty about something or we might feel nudged away from a thought pattern or habit. We can’t say this is always God, but we can pray about it. “Lord, should I abandon this?” Other times it’s clear to avoid something.
In time, He takes away the desire to do these destructive things. What a wonderful, freeing occurrence. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” That’s much more than changing an attitude. The Lord gives us a new heart. That reduces the recidivism back into old ways. There can be lifelong struggles, but this reduces that.
Romans 7:15 describes the struggle with our flesh, “For what I do, I do not understand. For what I want, this I do not do; but what I hate, this I do.” This gravitational pull down never completely leaves us until we’re in heaven. He helps us in the mean time.
Even Paul with his miraculous turn around had his struggles. He says in 2 Corinthians 12:8,9, “Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Lord, thank You for the changes You make in us. Help us to go to You in prayer. Help us also with obedience. But thank You for Your great changing power.