EP 66: Are You Changing In Christ
Hey, sister! Welcome back to another episode of The Daughter of Delight Podcast. I am thrilled you have decided to join me for this month’s full-length episode.
I hope you enjoyed your summer and are enjoying the transition into the autumn season. It’s been a great summer in the Cardel household. So busy and sweet. The best part has been watching Selah grow and thrive. This girl has SO much personality. She’s pulling up on everything, saying “da-da,” “dog,” and “ba-ba” and she loves kissing on her daddy. I’m still waiting on “mama” and some kisses of my own, but I know we’ll get there eventually.
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I’m eager to discuss the subject of today’s episode with you because it has been sitting on my heart pretty heavily as of lately as the transition into fall has begun.
You see, I’ve been reflecting a lot on change and growth in Christ. In doing so, I have found myself convicted in regards to just how comfortable I am with the things of this world.
It’s not like it’s difficult to conform to the ways of the world. The temptation is all around us, every single day.
But the things we long for should be the things that lead to change and transformation in Christ rather than conformation to the world.
As Christians, we know this. But we need to do a better job of demonstrating it.
As we talk about this during our time together today, I want you to be all in. Don’t try to multi-task with this episode. Be fully present. Can you do that for me?
The next thing I want you to do is hold on to the question of, “Am I changing in Christ?” as well. Take this as an opportunity to examine your heart. Pray that the Lord would use our time together today to open your eyes to the areas in which growth and maturation are needed.
Now, let me ask you: when you consider change, how do you feel about it? I don’t mind it in some ways, but in other ways I find it difficult. For example, I don’t have a problem when it comes to changing up my home decor. In fact, I love it. I love making my home a beautiful, cozy place to dwell for my family and those who visit. But if you take me to a restaurant I love, I will step up to the counter with my go-to order in a heartbeat. I won’t try something new because I have already found something that has been deemed worthy by my taste buds. The same goes for the coffee shop I visit every Tuesday. I will, without a doubt, order the same drink– an iced honey lavender latte with oat milk. I took a chance on it initially and it didn’t prove me wrong, so I keep coming back to it because it’s reliable. It’s worthy.
Yes, these are tiny examples in the grand scheme of things, but don’t worry- that’s just our warmup.
Let’s turn things up a notch now.
Grab your Bible and take a look at Jeremiah 2:22 with me.
Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the nation of Israel, God says,
“‘Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,’ declares the Sovereign.”
To paint the picture for you, Israel was not seeking after the Father’s heart. They defiled the land He had provided them and instead of focusing on His glory they turned to the worship of other gods.
To prepare His people to repent of their ways, God offers this visual of soap and lye. Soap and lye are both used for cleaning. Lye can often be found in laundry soap because it’s great at removing stains.
Here is what the Lord meant by His words here in Jeremiah 2. Absolutely no amount of soap and lye can cleanse us of the sinless stain on our souls. Soap and lye, and anything outside of Christ for the matter, are nothing but superficial instruments of change and transformation. God and God alone is the only One who can permanently remove our sinful stains and cleanse us from the inside out.
When you consider change in Christ–growing and becoming more like the One whose image we have been crafted to bear within this lost and hurting world–how does it make you feel?
Oftentimes, change in Christ is painful. It’s filled with pruning and conviction in order to make space for the beautiful, necessary growth we are constantly in need of. And we don’t get a say in when the pruning happens or what it gets to look like. God will perform change and growth in us as He sees fit. The true change that we need can only come from the Lord– and this is the very change we should be seeking.
With that, I want to spend the rest of our time together today reflecting on the life of Saul, AKA Paul, and the marks of transformation in Christ that should be on full display in our lives.
Chances are you already Paul’s story, but we are going to read his story as if we are in his shoes. Because at the end of the day, we are. We’re all the same– great sinners in need of a sovereign Savior.
Paul is often referred to as the world’s worst sinner. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul says, “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all.”
Prior to his transformation, Paul was known as Saul, and Saul was a Jewish persecutor of Christians. He did not believe Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. He viewed Christians as a threat to Judaism and lived his life on mission to end the Gospel message, even if that meant killing those who got in his way. He was a terrible person whose heart was hardened to the way of Christ and his life reflected blasphemy against the Lord. Acts 8:1 tells us that Saul approved of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, being stoned to death.
Here is how Paul describes his life prior to his transformation. Acts 26:9-11 says,
“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.”
His moment of transformation is truly incredible. Take a look at it with me in Acts 9:1-9:
“9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
On his way to Damascus, Paul was determined to stop Christians. But the Lord had a plan for a transformation on the road to Damascus that would forever change the trajectory of his life in the most powerful of all ways!
Paul would go on to become one of the most influential apostles of Christ. In fact, God used Paul to author a portion of the New Testament. Talk about a transformation!
After his heart change, Paul knew that Jesus was the only way. He knew just how unworthy He was of the work God had done in His heart. That’s not to say his journey as a Christian was easy. He suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. But because he was in Christ, he had eternal vision. He counted His mission for Christ and everything it involved all joy. After his transformation, the rest of his life was spent growing in Christ and making sure those around him heard the same life-changing truth he did. Paul devoted his life to reform in the church and using every opportunity–even his time in prison–to praise the Lord and pointing those around Him to the holy One above Him.
As we consider his incredible testimony and the change that took place in Paul’s heart and life mission, let us also consider the marks of what true change and transformation in Christ looks like. I encourage you to write these down!
Our desire to know, love and please God according to His Word outweighs our desire to please man. According to the American Bible Society’s annual State of the Bible report, it was discovered that 26 million people mostly or completely stopped reading their Bible in the last year. Let that sink in. Maybe you are part of this statistic. If so, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to get back into the heart of God’s Word. If you need help, I’ve got you sis.
Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind rather than conforming ourselves to the ways of the world. When we are not intentionally rooting ourselves in Scripture…when we are not living in direct obedience to what the Word says…we will fall out of step with our growth and maturation in Christ and into step with the ways of this world. In order to be changed by truth, we must know it! Let us be proactive participants of God’s Word. For the truth sets us FREE.
People know Who we belong to based on how we make decisions and live our lives in service to Christ. This looks like partaking in things that stir our affection for Christ rather than things that appeal to the worldly nature of our flesh. Some great examples are participating in community groups, having coffee dates with friends that are filled with encouragement and edification rather than gossip and slander, refusing to complain about our husbands around others, stepping away from lifestyle choices that leave Christ out of the picture, using your social media platform to share the Good News of the Gospel…these are just a few examples of the many ways we can demonstrate our love for Christ.
Our hunger for change is rooted from a place of repentance and growing in our knowledge of Christ rather than leveling up our careers or getting to a place in life that offers us “the next best thing”. When we root ourselves in Scripture, we are granted eternal vision rather than beginning blinded by our sin. We recognize the bigger picture at hand and acknowledge that what the world may perceive as the next best thing is nothing in comparison to what awaits us on the other side of Heaven. Make it your goal to live Heaven minded. For the things of this world will never truly satisfy in the ways Christ alone can and does.
When we find ourselves facing unexpected hardship or face a desert season, our faith in the one Who sustains remains. This is a big one. In fact, it’s one big reason people walk away from the faith. Because they don’t understand how God could allow something so difficult to happen in this life. Especially when we or the person who is suffering did “nothing to deserve it.” Although we may not understand the reasoning behind all the suffering and hardship in the world, God assures us He wastes no thing and there is glorious purpose in it.
Last but not least, we are willing to be a martyr for Christ. Out of all the religions in the world, Christianity is by far the most hated. The world wants nothing to do with the One who will set us free from the ways of our flesh. There are people who die every single day simply because they proclaim Christ. Although this is not a prevalent threat for most Christians today, if you were put in this position, would you do the same? Or, like Peter, would you deny Him? As unsettling as this thought may make you, we must be willing to live Heaven minded and lay down our life for the cause of Christ. Our longing for eternity must be stronger than our longing for this life.
Now, by no means will we be perfect in our display of these transformational markers in Christ. The beautiful thing about the Christian life is that we are aware that we are unworthy sinners in need of a Savior. These marks of change in Christ are what make our utmost need for Him so evident. They demonstrate that change in Christ is a good and necessary thing.
As you seek to grow in Christ, be mindful of these marks and continue to ask yourself, “Am I changing in Christ?”
It’s far too easy to become comfortable and complacent. But in Christ, we are called to the exact opposite. Don’t make comfort your goal, sis. Make Christ your all and all and let everything you do in this life flow from your love for the One who calls you His.
Change in Christ is a good thing. May we live this truth out on full display and seek Christ in all we do!
Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of The Daughter of Delight Podcast. Don’t forget the next workshop, Theology 101, releases next Tuesday, September 27. Use code DODPODCAST at checkout for $2 off! I hope to see you there! I also hope you will join me for the next Ask Elle episode, which airs Tuesday, September 27. And last but not least, mark your calendar- next month’s episode airs on Wednesday, October 19.
Thank you so much for being a part of the Daughter of Delight community, sister! I’m so thankful for you. May the Lord bless you and keep you and shine His face upon you and be gracious to you. May He turn His face toward you and grant you His peace.
Talk with you soon!