Devotionals for the Heart: When you need God to transform your life

 

A Promise of Transformation
A devotional by Essie Faye Taylor

“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 (NKJV)

I was frustrated, disgusted, hopeless, helpless, disappointed, and discouraged. I was in a rut. 

After spending nearly two decades in the educational field, I was exhausted. It seemed like all of the years I’d dedicated to fighting for inner city Black and Brown children to have access to information and resources were in vain. The sacrifices encouraging students who ultimately made questionable choices, and the losses (kids lost to violence in the streets or those who never finished their high school degrees) were heartbreaking. The seemingly unsurmountable obstacles to equity in education overwhelmed me. I needed a change. I needed a paradigm shift. I need a mental transformation and revival. 

Many times in life, we need a personal transformation. This may be spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial. We need a change because we get stuck in a toxic cycle of negative thinking due to us feeling devalued, defeated, and burnt out. People, especially in the church, felt this way during Bible times too. In the Bible verse above, the Apostle Paul encourages the Corinthian church. He writes of God’s promise of spiritual transformation and a fresh start. Transformation denotes a change in form, nature, appearance, or character. 

Paul could talk about God’s promise of transformation and a fresh start from experience. He was a devout follower of God. Paul studied under the scholar Gamaliel and was a student of the Bible. He was born a Jew and grew up well-educated. Before his name was changed to Paul, he known as Saul and he was devoted to the sect of Pharisees that he persecuted the church of Jesus Christ. Saul had authority to kill those who proclaimed the name of Christ. He was a part of the crowd who stoned the anointed deacon Stephen. He thought that he was doing the right thing, until He met Jesus who stopped him on the road to Damascus. Jesus called his name and blinded him. Saul was converted and his life was transformed after he was born again. This murderer and man who spoke against Jesus and his followers—he sought to kill the saints—was then found preaching about Jesus and proclaiming the Gospel. He became new because of his encounter with Jesus and he received a fresh start. His mind and heart were was transformed. His heart was transformed. He was a new creation with a new mission and a new name: Paul. 

God promises to make you new too! He will change your life and grant you a brand new start. Like Paul’s past persecution of the saints, your past will be forgiven by God. Scripture goes as far as to say that God will be compassionate with us and he will throw our sins into “the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). God will remove our sins from before Him, forgive us and forget our sins (Hebrews 8:12).

In the book of Jeremiah, God declares “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). This scripture means that God will forgive us and give us a clean slate. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God promises to make us new, once we are in Christ. Once we believe the Gospel of Christ and receive Christ, we are transformed in our lives, our thinking, our practices, and our habits. This is a process that we begin, step by step and day by day. We are no longer condemned by the sins of our past. We have a new beginning!

Call to Action:

Step #1: Lay down your weariness, exhaustion, frustration at the feet of Christ. He will make you new. He will revive and rejuvenate you. He will transform your life, for the better!

Step #2: Practice walking in the newness of life and according to biblical principles day by day. Transformation takes practice, time, and intention. 

Step #3: Embrace God’s forgiveness daily. Know that you’ve been forgiven. Don’t dwell on your past sins, mistakes, and shortcomings. It happened, but you have been forgiven. You are no longer condemned. Let the past stay in the past and walk forward into the new promise of the present and future. 

Step #4:  Get thinking right: We are human. We make mistakes. But we have hope! According to 1 John 1:9 (KJV), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That cleansing is part of our newness. We are constantly renewed in Christ. 

Step #5: Remember, our identity in Christ is transformative! We become new, forgiven and accepted into God’s Royal Family. 

Let's Pray: 
Heavenly Father, I thank You for choosing me and calling me your child. Thank You for assuring me of your love and forgiveness. You cried, “Father, forgive them”, while we were sinners. You did for me then, despite my mistakes and faults. You said that I could cast my cares on you. You said that if I confess my sin, you would forgive me. I come to you today confessing and believing your promise of transformation. I am in Christ and I am new. I am forgiven. I am changed. My old life, sinful practices, and thinking are in the past. I am walking forward in victory by changing my habits, practices, thoughts, and lifestyle. Thank you for giving me the power and principles to live a transformative life of abundance in Christ. Thank you Father for hearing and answering me. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. 

Song of Reflection #1: “Create in Me A Clean Heart” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “The Sea of Forgetfulness” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Essie Taylor is an author, educator, minister, youth advocate, recording artist, podcaster, and improviser. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rockford College.

She is a veteran educator of Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, and Spanish Language Acquisition with National Board Teacher Certification. She is an advocate of lifelong learning, language learning, and multiculturalism. 

Essie is the CEO of KenMar Press, an author agency, and The Essie Faye Collection. Essie is the author of Finding the Love You Deserve: 30 Lessons in Self-Love & Acceptance, and Finding The Love Your Deserve: A 60-Day Healing Journal For Women of Faith. 

She is deeply committed to motivating minorities, women, and youth to pursue God while chasing their dreams and carving out their life’s path. She loves God, people, and helping others. 

Essie has been a Christian for nearly all of her 39 years. She was born again at 15 years old. She has been a bilingual worship leader and interpreter for 10+ years. By the grace of God, Essie helped to establish bilingual ministries at five churches in her young life. She is a survivor of domestic violence (verbal and emotional abuse) and marital abandonment in a prior marriage. 

Essie is a Chicago native. She lives in Chicago with her husband Donald Taylor II. 

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Connect with Essie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_essie_faye/
Website: www.essiefayetaylor.com