Make me Holy Right Now!

Life is hard, isn't it? From young children, we struggle through school, struggle through college, struggle to find a job, keep a job, succeed, make money, keep our marriage together, raise kids right.... etc.  Wouldn't it be nice if somewhere along the way someone would just give us a break and implant in our minds and bodies all the skills and knowledge we needed for a certain task?  Just give us that diploma and all the knowledge that comes along with it! So I don't have to struggle through 8 years of school!!  Just tell me the right things to say and do for my spouse so I don't have marriage problems!

Let's say a Captain of a ship couldn't find a sailor who knew enough about sailing to join his crew! Let's also say that captain had the power to transplant all his sailing knowledge into a man's head. So he does that for one sailor. Do you think that man will appreciate all that knowledge? Maybe at first. But do you think he'll understand the other sailors who are struggling to learn?  Wouldn't he grow impatient with them, even arrogant, because he didn't have to work for his knowledge? 

If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force], Mark 4:24-25

I don't know about you, but I battle with my wicked heart every single day. I wake up, read my Bible, pray and then get started on my day and before I've even finished my coffee, I've already thought or done something selfish or prideful, or I've already thought bad thoughts about someone or been critical.  The Word of God says that our hearts are evil and dark and that even our good deeds are like filthy rags when compared to God's goodness and righteousness.

When we give our lives to God, when we receive Jesus's sacrifice for us on the cross, God forgives our sins, past, present, and future and He fills us with His Holy Spirit. But that doesn't mean our hearts aren't still dark. That doesn't mean that we won't sin again.

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But it does mean that by the Power of God working within us, we CAN get better. Our hearts can become less and less dark. We can sin less. We can become more and more righteous as God renews our mind and hearts. I want some of that!! I'm tired of my wickedness! How many of us cry out to God to change our hearts? To help us over come some evil in our lives, some temptation, some darkness.  We beg God to change us, flood us with His Spirit .  Yet we still struggle.   I contest the verse above holds the key.  God isn't going to just change you zap you. He's not going to just strike you with lightning and BAM, you're better!  Just like the sailor in the above example, we would not only NOT appreciate it, we would become proud, arrogant, flaunting our skills over others and not being at all understanding of their struggles.

Like anything worth anything, we have to work in order to change. Not for our salvation, but for our sanctification (the process of being made Holy).  If you want to get better. If you want to have victory over your wicked heart, your evil thoughts, your selfishness, pride, or some reoccurring sin, YOU have to do something. You can't just sit and pray for God to change you.  I meet so many Christians struggling with the same problem year after year after year, when God gives us clear directions in His Word on how to become more like Him! And what is that?

Study the Bible!  The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you   And then the verse goes on to say that even more will be added to the effort you've put in!

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Amplified