“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Lao Tzu
If you’ve been following our journey through Learn to Thrive, you have likely learned how true the above quote is. In this post, we would like to summarize important lessons that we learn from God’s transformation of our character.
Yes, true transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit in willing hearts/minds. But we have to be active participants in the change.
Take your time reading through each passage below. This is your moment to reflect on how transformation of character takes place.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:1-17 NLT
“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:13 NLT
“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-15 NLT
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2 NLT
What is God’s purpose for us?
His purpose is to restore us to the original condition we had at creation.
God works in and through us to fulfill His plan of salvation and sanctification.
- of salvation, because He uses us to carry out the good news that Jesus gave His body as a living sacrifice to die for our sins.
- Of sanctification, because when we give our own bodies as a living sacrifice He can mold us into the likeness of Christ and we become a new creation.
“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
Ephesians 4:21-23 NLT
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
Galatians 5:16 NLT
It says “Let the Spirit…” this means we allow the Spirit to work in our hearts, we surrender. Instead of trying so hard to change ourselves, we can release control and allow Him to change us.
So, how do we collaborate with God to become a new creature?
By not conforming to the behavior and customs of the world. This world is full of deception and lies that entice us away from God. When we conform to the world we believe the lies. But it’s important to emphasize that God has made a way to restore us in our relationship with Him right here and now, in the present world. We must live in the world but not be part of the sin that abounds in the world. We have been set apart and been purified by the blood of Jesus. The first step in our sanctification is claiming Jesus as our redeemer. Then, we begin the battle against evil.
The battle against evil starts in the mind
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT
Pay attention to your thoughts
Here is a better translation of verse 5:
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
The above describes the process of neuroplasticity. To change our custom and habits, we first need to recognize - “take captive” - those thoughts that:
- are temptations
- aren’t true
- do not honor God
- originate from bad sources
- aren’t helpful
- involve guilt instead of being uplifting and bringing us strength.
Distance yourself from temptation
Instead of fighting temptation, try to avoid it. When we want to break a bad habit we first need to recognize it’s there. Then, pay attention to what triggers the habit. Once you recognize the triggers, you can avoid those. Sometimes that means avoiding certain places (the bar) or certain people (those who we used to practice the bad habit with.) We starve the habit by not practicing it. We stop practicing it by avoiding the triggers. “Above all else, guard your heart [mind], for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Romans 13:14 NLT
Fill your mind with thoughts from above
We can then take these thoughts and destroy them with truth directly from the word of God. Replacing them with the uplifting message God gave us.
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Joshua 1:8 NLT
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:8 NLT
When we practice meditation, we dwell on spiritual truths that help transform us. We’re creating new thought patterns in the brain. We’re also practicing the ability to listen to God’s voice. His voice has the power to change us.
Communion with God and with others who are like-minded
“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.””
Genesis 2:18 NLT
From the beginning God saw the necessity for social interaction. It wasn’t enough for man to have God’s company, God saw the need for a companion that would walk the journey with Adam. We are meant to work together, bringing our talents together for each other’s edification and the betterment of the world.
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
In Summary:
- God is the Agent of change in our hearts. He is working in us to make us perfect.
- Pay attention to your thoughts - Recognize harmful thoughts and replace them with the truth.
- Distance yourself from the temptations.
- Fill your mind with thoughts from above. Think about and meditate on scripture, so you will have “truth” to replace the harmful thoughts.
- Practice communion with God and with others who are like-minded.
