One of the greatest aspects of salvation is the transformation that occurs in our heart and spirit. The kind of evolution that takes place within us transcends book knowledge, educational status and ethnic heritages. It tears down barriers instituted by worldly systems and classifications. Where once we were suffocated by the stench of hopelessness, doubt or anxiety, we are renewed. Now, the inner places of our minds are no longer contorted into fear-induced embryonic states of discontentment and isolation. We are transfigured—reconstructed into the image and likeness of a holy God. Such is the power of salvation.
When our dry, weary and burdened soul acknowledges its need for a Savior, the Spirit of God moves in and stages a takeover. What was once a wasteland barren of life and liberty, is now a newly birthed oasis teeming with clean, fresh flowing water and greenery. In other words, what was once dead because of sin has been made new. The Lord God desires to refresh and transform the parched, barren landscapes in our life. He desires to wash us in the power of His love thereby refreshing our inner man with His presence.
It is the presence of God that transforms and refreshes our soul and spirit. The same way an iced cold beverage refreshes the body on a hot, sticky day, is the same way the winds of salvation rejuvenate the soul. Basking in the presence of God has a cooling or calming down effect on our minds and emotions. In God’s presence, frustration melts away, angst dissipates and hope is restored. Once this occurs, the stony heart can be removed and replaced with a new heart and a new spirit. Armed with this inner transformation, God says that we will be able to honor his statutes, uphold His values and pay close attention to the directives He gives us. His desires will be our desires. His plans for us will become our plans. Yes, our heart will be transformed and we will honor our God with it, in all that we do.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
Much like Hare Krishnas teach that man can return to God through salvation, so too can our hearts be refreshed by God through salvation. With salvation, acceptance of Christ as Savior, transformation of the heart is inevitable. With a new heart, comes a new spirit as well as God’s promise to empower us to walk according to his statutes. God promises that our tender heart will have a greater sensitivity to obey Him which will allow wisdom to guide us.
The bible says that God’s love for us is “too marvelous to comprehend.” I’m inclined to agree. The fact that God would choose to make his home inside us is proof that His love is immeasurable. Imagine: the King of Glory, the Master of Heaven, electing to make my heart, His home. Clearly, it’s not based on action or deed—we’d all fail if that were the case. Surely, it cannot be based on title or wealth—true love cannot be purchased. Scripture tells us that God’s desire to live in us is based entirely on His grace and His mercy. There isn’t anything we can do to earn this type of love, we need only receive it. The only way to receive God’s indwelled presence and love is to believe in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we become home to God.
As we accept and acknowledge that Jesus is indeed God’s gift to humanity, we can begin to experience greater intimacy with Him. With greater intimacy comes the ability to hear God’s voice and enjoy the splendor of His presence. In God’s presence, we receive fullness of joy. We are empowered to draw closer to God as His wisdom and love transform the dry places in our soul.
When God takes rest in our hearts and makes us His dwelling place, we can receive His blessing with open hands. This frees us to pinpoint our attention on the Giver of All. It is here that we can finally “find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation.”
When the Great I Am chooses to dwell within us, He enfolds us in the safety of His presence. We can rest in God, knowing that we journey alongside Him, operating in the freedom of His forgiveness. We can walk through every day circumstances—major or mundane—undeniably free! God’s indwelled love frees us from our fears and our sins. The Chopra ideology teaches that the mind, body and soul are one and when one aspect is impacted, so are the others. Thus, as we grow and develop intimacy with God, we can experience the beauty of God’s holy, loving whispers into the ears of our souls. We are refreshed and renewed. We can delight in the comfort of His still small voice which breathes life. God’s choice to make our hearts His home provides the perfect way for us to tune our heart to Heaven’s purest love.
Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be heard. – Proverbs 21:13
God did not design humanity to be apathetic, calloused or indifferent to suffering and pain. He is not pleased when we ignore the plights of the poor, the disenfranchised or the lonely. This scripture verse clearly tells us God’s thoughts on this despondent attitude. If we do not take notice of those who are in need—or refuse to do something to help them—when we cry out in our time of need, we will not be heard.
This particular passage of scripture may seem very harsh. For some, it may be viewed as contradictory. After all, isn’t God supposed to be a God of love and kindness? Many of us probably have first-hand knowledge about pain. Through various stages of our journey in life we have experienced loneliness, suffering and in some cases abandonment. We know what it means to ache, what it means to feel empty and what it means to feel alone. We understand pain and suffering quite well. So why wouldn’t we lend a helping hand to someone else?
God does not desire for any of us to walk through painful situations alone. He knows that a town, city or nation divided against itself will never be strong. How can we proclaim to love the Father who rescued us in our need while we turn a blind eye to the needs of others? The truth is we can’t. We are the heart of God on the earth. As Christ’s ambassadors, we are chosen to perpetuate His example of love and kindness to the masses. This means when you see someone in need, pray and do what you can to meet the need.
Meeting the needs of others isn’t about having large sums of money or performing grandiose acts of service. Sometimes meeting the need is simply praying with someone. At other times, it may be listening or dedicating some portion of your day to helping someone. It is imperative that we—as ambassadors for Christ—extend mercy and compassion to others in difficult situations. Our refusal to do so not only negatively impacts those in need, but it has negative consequences on us as well.
One of my favorite accounts in the bible is the one about David and Goliath. Who could forget the ultimate showdown between Goliath’s brawn and David’s faith in God? It must have been quite a scene to see the army of the Lord, numbering thousands, cowering in the midst of a nine foot giant swinging a massive sword. It must have been quite the scene to hear the bulky Philistine mock the God of Israel as the King and his soldiers looked on in fear. I bet Goliath had a deep, throaty laugh that caused the hairs on the back of your neck to rise. Still, he was no match for God. There are times in our life when we will run up against a situation or circumstance that seems enormous and impenetrable. We find ourselves cowering in the midst of life’s giants, too afraid to respond when they jab at our faith, slash our resilience or tear down our strongholds of strength. Despite how we may feel about the situation, we must be willing to do what David did: believe God for his victory.
You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Today the Lord will hand you over to me!
What David did next was even more impressive. He didn’t wait for his giant to come to him. He did not give his giant a chance to launch a counter attack. He didn’t even give his giant a chance to think. He ran quickly to meet his giant and he toppled him with a sling and a stone.
Despite being ridiculed by his older brothers and almost dismissed by the King of Israel, David trusted God and knew that God was able to give him victory over Goliath. Because of David’s faith in God and his willingness to display his trust in God via his actions, David was triumphant. His situation seemed hopeless and utterly impossible, but the bible says with God all things are possible.
The next time you find yourself facing a Goliath in your life, turn to the Lord of Host for strength, wisdom and guidance. Only God has the ability to give you the insight needed to gain victory in hopeless situations. Even Jainism calls for followers to have the right faith, the right knowledge and take the right action. Instead of trying to run from your giant, ask God to give you the ability to persevere. Try asking the Almighty Father to help you remain steadfast. David did not cower or back down from Goliath. He simply spoke. Speak the word of God to your giant. Christ did NOT contend with the devil and neither should you.
Once when my car broke down, I had to call a friend for a ride. After several back and forth phone calls, we agreed on a time that would work best around her schedule. Unbeknownst to me, my friend received an emergency phone call from someone in her family. She would no longer be able to pick me up. So, she did the next best thing. She called another mutual friend and arranged for my transportation. To make a long story short, the mutual friend forgot all about me. I was left there, standing alone waiting for a ride that would not come. This is never the case with God.
God does not have a stand-by or substitute. He does not defer to someone else because He is caught off guard by an emergency situation. He is Master of all earthly and heavenly things. He is Sovereign and exercises His power and dominion without trepidation or reservation. The bible says God is not a man that He should lie. What does that mean? It means that when God promises to deliver us in our time or season of trouble, He will. It means that regardless of what the diagnosis is or what the pink slip says, God will deliver you.
Deliverance can come in many forms: peace of mind, complete healing, an outpouring of joy or even increased faith. Deliverance does not necessarily mean God will pluck you out of your circumstance or situation. Although there are times when God will do that, most of the time, however, God is looking to bring us from glory to glory—from strength to strength. He is looking to help fortify us in Him so that when the next season of turmoil and tribulation arises, we can be steadfast and persevere. Similarly, the Asatru esteem virtues like perseverance and courage, and count them as noble traits.
When we find ourselves in a season of trouble or unrest, as believers, it is imperative that we call on God to deliver us. God is our present help, our rock and our shield. He sees all things, has power over all things and loves us above all things. God loves you!
So, go to God in faith knowing that He will answer you. Cry out to God, expecting that He will rescue you—and He will. God gives us everything we need. Why not allow Him to show it?
When we pray, we should petition our Father in heaven, not in a spirit of fear, trepidation or doubt, but one of confidence and anticipation. When we make our requests known to the Father, we ought to step boldly to the throne of grace and provision. We ought to know that with our heavenly Father, the Alpha and the Omega, at the helm, there’s nothing we have to fear or worry about. All we need do is climb into our daddy’s lap; place our hands on the steering and allow Him to navigate us through the mountains, valleys and dirt roads in life. With our Father orchestrating our steps and directing our lives, we can rest assured that He is well able to handle the potholes, hard turns and unexpected speed bumps that show up at various seasons. Whether we’re asking God to get us through unexpected disease, job loss, depression or divorce, God is well able to steer us through treacherous territories. Prayer is the simple practice of climbing into the Father’s lap, allowing Him to take the wheel and trust Him to lead the way. Prayer is that simple.
It isn’t lengthy. It isn’t muddled with collegiate acronyms, quirky catch phrases or perfect diction. Prayer is simply verbalizing your needs and trusting that the author and finisher of your faith will meet them. Much like the goal of every Sikh is to build a close and loving relationship with God, the same applies to the believer’s prayer. Prayer speaks to our trust in the Father and strengthens our relationship with Him. It allows us to open our hearts to Him in a manner that acknowledges his Lordship in our lives. Prayer relinquishes the believer’s right to steer themselves. It reminds us to daily pray: Lord, please take the wheel.
