Look to the Lord and Be Transformed ~ Ray E Horton

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As a Born Again believer my spirit man has become a whole new creation.  The old is gone, the new has come, in God’s eyes.  But how about in our own eyes?  In the soulish realm of mind, will and emotions, we see some continued failures and weakness and sin, and easily come under condemnation.

But God says, “look unto Me, the author and the finisher of your faith, and not to your sin.  That issue was dealt with on the cross.  As you look unto Me, focusing on My love for you and the gift of My righteousness that I have placed within you, those worldly ways, addictions of thought and action, and confusion from old habits and wrong teaching, will steadily fall away.

“You must choose, but I have you in the palm of My hand, and I will never leave you or forsake you,” says the Lord. “Rather, as you let Me, I will steadily bring you to completion, growing you more and more to maturity in Me, gifting you more and more in the spiritual and in the natural, and you will more and more experience My Glory and bear much fruit for My Kingdom, which is advancing strongly in this world today.”

Some say, “I am under construction,” and “I am a work in progress,” and it is true, our great salvation, our inheritance, our wholeness in spirit, must be worked out in our daily lives as long as we live.  But, it won’t happen, rather we will get discouraged, unless who we are in Christ is engraved in our hearts and minds – the redeemed, the beloved of the Lord, whole new creations with a new life.  Then we will yield, and say okay Lord, change me, use me for Your glory.  Then, the power of the Holy Spirit comes alive in us and flows out like a river.

I Can’t, but He Can, and I Yield

When I am told to do the best I can, I say, “I can’t, but He can, and I yield in faith to that process, having within my born again spirit, which is in union with the Holy Spirit, of which I am a temple, the grace to follow after the spirit rather than the flesh.”

Doing our best is really to learn to “let go and let God.” As we surrender and yield our lives to Him day by day, we rest from doing our own thing and make room for Him to move in our lives. Stilled inside we hear His voice, His direction for life, confirming and applying the Word to our situations. The yoke becomes easy and the burden light, because we are yoked to Him who carries the weight.

And yielded in prayer in His presence, including praying and worshiping in tongues, we invite Him to move in our lives. And, being available to Him, we are used for His glory. When we follow after the spirit rather than the flesh, change no longer is hard, nor is service, because it is empowered by Him and empower by the love of God. This brings the true joy which gives us strength for life and allows the Lord to touch the world around us, through us.

“Relax, be at peace, and invite Me to rule in every area of your life, and I will,” says the Lord.  “Yes, relax from your fears and need to be in control, and as you rest from your ways, I will do great and mighty deeds through you, and you will be glad to give Me the Glory, and all will see it and many will believe.”