Is It Transformation Time?
Everything can change in the blink of an eye – but God never blinks.
What peace it brings to the Christian’s heart to realize that our Heavenly Father never differs from Himself. In coming to Him at any time, we need not wonder whether we shall find Him in a receptive mood. He is always receptive to misery and need, as well as to love and faith. He does not keep office hours nor set aside periods when He will see no one. Neither does He change His mind regarding anything.
It is said, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). He is our much needed constant.
Fortunately He has accorded us the capacity to change. It can be used either constructively or destructively.
William James, noted American philosopher and psychologist, summarily said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that men can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind!” That is, it is as simple as changing your mind.
That is good news. If you have a bad habit or generally a bad lifestyle you can change it.
Often on a device it stops acting like it formerly did. To correct this there is a “Reset” button. Ranked among those needing a change of mind are individuals who were living by the right set of values but drifted away and need a reset. It has long been called a rededication.
A passage associated with salvation is I John 1: 9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The first half of the verse offers the forgiveness of sin if we confess it. This confession means to agree with God about it and ask His forgiveness. That is the launch point for salvation. For the person who has never done this, now is a marvelous time to experience that transformative miracle of forgiveness by confessing and asking for the forgiveness of sin. Transformative means to cause an important and lasting change.
It is always improper for a Christian to sin, but lamentably it happens. That is where the last part of the verse comes into play. The Christian who sins and confesses is cleansed from all “unrighteousness.” The prefix “un” before righteousness means negative righteousness, sin. Confession by the Christian results in “cleansing,” forgiveness. Candidly, most Christians need to do this more often than imagined.
Sin breaks our communion, but not our union with God. Confession by the believer restores the communion, fellowship with the Lord. That is the spiritual posture that brings fulfillment and joy.