We live in a world where many are so broken, fragile, and cold. Many are self-seeking and are careless about the unfortunate. Most people are unreliable, and nothing in this world seems certain. It seems like there is a bit of dishonesty in almost every industry, especially in the food industry. At times I wonder if they even care about our health, and it didn’t take me long to realize they don’t. This reality of people’s brokenness is not just in the food industry, but it’s everywhere. And I’m sure we can all testify that one way or another, we have experienced people’s brokenness, and others have experienced our own brokenness as well.
That is one of the reasons I don’t think we should judge those who battle with trust issues. I have battled with it myself and still do at times, and I think the best way to help people with trust issues is to demonstrate that the opposite is just as real rather than judging them for what they have experienced. We are not called to pretend that things do not exist, but to bring solutions. The reason we all want a better world and want people to change is that we are aware of the brokenness in this world, since we are all affected by it in some way. Believe it or not, no matter how holy we may think we are, we are all dealing with some brokenness in some areas of our lives. But the problem is, we want to see change in the world; we want others to change, and we love to point fingers at them to tell them how much they need to change. However, it feels like an impossible mission for us to say to ourselves: ‘It is my turn to change, or it is time for me to change.’ I believe if we can all master the courage to self-correct when we are wrong, the world would be a much better place. Please understand that I did not say we must condemn ourselves, because there is a difference between the two. Condemning oneself is like saying negative words or degrading words to yourself, words that are contradictory to what God says about you. However, self-correction is when you have an honest private talk with yourself about a mistake you’ve made or a bad habit/behavior that needs to change. In other words, it is when you are not afraid to call out your own sin. And please allow me to tell you that there is deliverance in that as well. I find it interesting that as powerful as Jesus is, He did not automatically heal people from their sickness or forgive them of their sins automatically while He was on earth. Jesus is all-powerful; He could have just walked through the crowd, and everybody’s sins would have been forgiven, with no questions asked. But He did not operate this way. He would first confront them about their sins. Otherwise, they would not have known what they needed to repent of. Let’s consider the Samaritan woman for a moment in John 4. After Jesus told her about her toxic relationship patterns in verse 17, think of how different the outcome could have been if she had responded to Jesus this way: “Who, me? Sir, I don’t know who you are, but I think you are talking to the wrong person; I am happily married with my one and only husband, and I have not been married five times, so that’s not me.” So, she would have turned Jesus into a liar. I’m not sure how Jesus would have dealt with the situation, but I do know that the Bible tells us in Matthew 13:58 that Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown and in His own household because of the people’s unbelief. Therefore, the Samaritan woman might have hindered her own deliverance if she had covered the truth with a lie.
Today Jesus is not physically with us here on earth, but He has sent us His Spirit to confront and convict us when we sin. When we partner with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to be the catalyst for our transformation, it becomes easier for us to master our will and emotions in areas we never thought possible. This way of living will not only create peace within us and brighten our days, but also positively impact those connected to us. So, in that case, it is possible for you and me to positively influence this world that we so desire to see change. If you become a better version of yourself and I become a better version of myself, it will be hard for Satan to break that bond. The Bible says if we resist the devil, he will flee. No wonder Scripture also emphasizes unity. The world doesn’t have to go from bad to worse if we understand the power of unity and the importance of our personal spiritual growth through the Holy Spirit. He will transform us into agents of love and peace. To become an agent of love and peace, the work cannot be done collectively only; it must be done personally as well. And this is where most people give up because they think it is too challenging.
The thing is, most of us grew up in environments where we felt like someone had to police us; otherwise, we would automatically drift away from the right path. We wouldn’t know who we are or who to become. But what if I sound crazy enough to tell you that what we think we need is not what we need, and what we don’t think we need is exactly what we need. Let’s start with what we think we need.
Since the world is evolving and nothing is the same as what we once knew, our focus nowadays is on what society deems trendy. So, we want fame, money, material gain, and validation. We want, and won’t stop at nothing, to perform and post the best pictures we can on social media to prove to others that we got it like that, when the reality is that our lives are miserable and empty. Also, we now think it’s cool to compete and compare ourselves to others. We even think that jealousy, envy, and bitterness are the kind of skeletons we can keep in our closet. After all, who is going to know about them? We fail to realize that the Holy Spirit is exactly who we need. If God knew who to send to show us the Way to His kingdom, don’t you think He knows exactly who to send to show us how to get there? Accepting the Holy Spirit’s conviction will help you police yourself, and then you will start asking yourself questions like: “After I’ve done all the proving that there is to do, then what? After I have spent all my money this week to show off and to convince them I’m not broke, who will be without money to buy groceries next week? Was the argument really worth it? Do I really want what they have? Do their opinions matter that much? Are they the ones who sustain me?
Therefore, learning to be honest with ourselves in answering these types of questions, regardless of how we may feel at that moment, is where true transformation begins. I’m sure you have heard before that you cannot change something you do not acknowledge. So, the Holy Spirit is the Detector who will highlight these detrimental tendencies in our lives so we can acknowledge them or call them out. When we master the strength to be real with ourselves, we will then realize that all these things we thought we needed are not what we really need.
The sad truth is many people don’t think they need a helper. Well, Jesus thinks we do; that’s why He sent us the Helper. Many don’t think what they do behind closed doors is just as important as what they do publicly. Well, Jesus thinks otherwise. That’s why He did not send the Helper in the form of a physical human body but in the form of the Spirit, meaning you cannot see Him, yet He is watching who you are at 2 p.m. and who you are at 2 a.m., just like the enemy watches everything you do. So, whatever we decide to do in this world, we must never forget Ecclesiastes 12:14, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
This brings me to the last thing that most of us don’t think we need. We don’t think we need a godly character. To change the world for the better, we must develop a godly character. This broken world needs people who have a different system and mindset than what it is used to. And that’s exactly what Jesus did when He came here on earth. He brought a different Kingdom/system and mindset than what the people were used to. The world is familiar with lies, greed, sexual immorality, broken homes, war, depression, hopelessness, all kinds of poverty, etc. So, to overthrow these things, we, as representatives of Jesus Christ, need to come up with the opposite. So, this new lifestyle, if you will, is the exact way of living that Jesus demonstrated and told us that we will continue to learn and be empowered by His Spirit to do. The Holy Spirit is the Helper we need for our transformation. And we cannot talk about transformation by the Spirit without talking about the fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Notice how the Apostle Paul told the people that ‘against such things there is no law.’ It is as if the Apostle Paul said that if you master these things in your life, you won’t need someone to police you about the law because practicing them is producing the fruit of the Spirit.
Some may think that producing the fruit of the Spirit is too much or too difficult to do!! And some may even wonder how they are ever going to be long-suffering or practice kindness in a world that is filled with unkind people? But have you ever worked at a new job, where after completing your first day of training, you wanted to quit? But after a month or two, you feel like you are ready to train somebody else.
That is because the first day made you feel overwhelmed. You felt pressured to learn everything all at once, but then realized that your supervisor didn’t even expect you to know everything in one day. And because you pushed through anyway and did not quit, you realized that things weren’t that hard after all. I believe this applies to everything else in life, including our spiritual life. When we are not afraid to call ourselves out, when we decide to be loyal to God, ourselves, and others, and take full responsibility when we are wrong, this is where true transformation begins. God assigns us a personal Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in all truth. And the thing is, for some of us, based on the environment we grew up in, negative words are all we know. We were never able to see ourselves properly. It is no surprise that some of us are still struggling to see ourselves as part of God’s plan. So, we constantly feel like if we don’t have a rule book or a list of church principles to follow, obviously we are going to hell. But what if I told you that what they failed to tell us is that God Himself said He would write His law on our hearts (not their law, but His). (Jeremiah 31:33). That’s why you don’t need the priest or the pastor to tell you when you sin. You don’t need anyone around you to tell you not to fornicate or commit adultery because the Helper who lives inside of you would have already sent you a signal in the Word, a nudge or prompt that you need to run away from that environment. In other words, He will always try to convince you to turn away; that is why it is important not only to read the Bible but also to read it with the intent to receive what the Holy Spirit wants you to learn for your own life.
Honestly, I believe every Christian’s desire is to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that for the Holy Spirit to help us, we must be on the same page as Him. In other words, we need to have common interests and remember that He has authority over us; therefore, we must follow His commands and know our limits. This will require us to be teachable. Hence, we cannot be so in love with ourselves that we cannot be inconvenienced or correct ourselves when need be. There are a few instances where the Apostle Paul gave us an idea of what it means to surrender to the Holy Spirit. For example, in Acts 20:22-23, he said, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.” And then in verse 24 NKJV, he said, “But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” In other words, the Apostle Paul lets us know that the Holy Spirit led him through some deep waters. So, you and I can expect the Spirit to lead us through some deep waters at times, even when we wish we would not have to go through them. He leads us into deep waters not to punish us but to guide us in all truth. We can see how confident the Apostle Paul was in the One leading him. They shared the same vision, and he knew that the Holy Spirit could not fail him.
In addition, we have to remember that even though the Holy Spirit’s duty is to guide us into all truth, His goal is for us to grow into the person we were created to be/become in Christ Jesus as we journey with Him. If we were to practice each truth revealed to us, then our lights would impact those around us. If I commit to doing the right thing, and you do the same, together we can make a difference in the world. Let us not forget that God is still in the business of establishing His kingdom here on earth by shedding light through His light bearers and destroying the kingdom of darkness and the works of evil.
To conclude, I believe if we really want to see change in this world and a better future for ourselves and our loved ones, we must do whatever it takes to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit. He is the only One who can show us how to get the job done. As we are being transformed, we will not be afraid to make necessary changes, even if that means we must take full accountability for our actions and be the first one to change. I believe the best way to help others is by being an example to them. Allow your life to be the evidence that can help others believe that better is possible. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled.” So, our hunger for righteousness will create the willingness to unlearn and learn things Jesus’ way. Correction is never easy, but its fruits are priceless. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Therefore, when we allow the Spirit of the Lord to do His work in us, He will give us the courage to refuse the desires of the flesh, which helps us to call sin by name. And when we do that, we won’t need others to police our lives. Thus, we become agents of change for the kingdom of God, meaning we are not afraid to stand for truth, expose the lies of this broken world, and bring about the change that we are so desperate to see.
Resist the works of darkness and be the light!
SCRIPTURES
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
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