CHANGE


Good day followers. Every day on my job the company presents us with safety tips for the day and leaves a food for thought phrase with us. This morning the Holy Spirit was saying one of those phrases to me. The phrase is” “Thou shalt check thyself before thou wreck thyself.”

Of course, I found the humor in the phrase as did the Holy Spirit however, after the laughter was gone, He shared some very powerful insights from His thoughts on the phrase. The Holy Spirit and I journeyed back in my journal to the years of 2004 and 2010. Our sessions coincided with the thought of the phrase, and we will be sharing this with you today.

Me: Hello Holy Spirit.

H.S. Hello dear one. You’re doing quite well I see, in your spirit with the reading and study of the word.

Me: Yes, Holy Spirit. I was and am truly blessed by the reading of the book of James. Thanks for the books.

H.S. You are quite welcomed dear one and thank you for purchasing them. This is like earlier times, isn’t it?

Me: Yes, Holy Spirit, earlier times that I’ve strayed from with being caught up in other things. Will you please forgive me?

H.S. Yes, I will and do forgive you Beloved. I’ve missed these times. You know this don’t you?

Me: Of course, I do Holy Spirit. I would feel the tug of you in my spirit as well as have the deep longing to be in deep fellowship with you.  Life can deal some very sour lemons sometimes.

H.S. I saw your struggle to get back into deeper fellowship with me and of course I heard your prayers, pleas and cries to get back. Who do you think it was that prompted the longings, the desires?

Me: Thank you for not giving up on me; for prompting the longings and answering the prayers. Thank you for making the way for me so that I could come into what has made my life so complete. A day without fellowship with you Holy Spirit is like a day without sunshine.

H.S. Beloved…you are kindly welcomed to all of the sincere “thank you’s” uttered. Now….let us journey into the things I spoke to you earlier:

For too long many people have been reading the word or the bible for the wrong reasons. As you have discovered through the reading of the book of James; the reading of the word should be for change not for your own selfish motives, pleasures and indulgences.

The word of God was given for learning your God yes and was given with instructions that will bring you into the very character of your God. The word of God is a helper in conforming the believer into the very image of Christ.

As you noted the book of James deals with Christian conduct. James deals with the believer’s walk in Christ. Summed up the book of James put into a sermon topic would be entitled “Change.”

James deals with change of the inward man as well as the outward man noting that the outward good deeds done doesn’t amount up to a hill of beans if the inward man is corrupt.

As you read the synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will see that change took place wherever Jesus went. People sought Him out for change of both circumstances and situations. There was even those of them who didn’t realize they needed change or wanted change who when once they encountered this Jesus; change took place. What does change mean?”

Me: The dictionary Holy Spirit defines change as (1.) to put or take in place of something else; substitute for, replace with or transfer to another of a similar kind. (2.) to become different; alter; transform; convert; to undergo a variation of, exchange, switch. (3) to cause to become different, to pass from one phase to another (4) a making or becoming distinctly different implying a radical transmutation of character or replacement with something else.

H.S. So…from both the definitions and what you’ve read from the book of James as well as what you’ve read about Jesus, the whole purpose in Jesus’ coming and my inspiring men to write the bible is for the purpose of change.

H.S.: James talked about self delusions and those were some powerful meanings you wrote. Will you rewrite them now dear one?”

Me: Yes Holy Spirit. Delusion means a false belief or opinion. False belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact or truth; a false persistent belief in spite of evidence of the contrary.

H.S.: Good beloved. Many believe that because they read the word, even some who preach the word but do not keep the word; that they’re still alright with God. This is deception and the truth is this deed gets one in more hot water than anything. For once a person has heard and has been taught the truth that person becomes accountable for the truth taught and heard. James 4:17 reads: “For him that knoweth  to do good and doeth it not, to him this is sin.”

When the believer knows what is right to do and chooses to do contrary the believer sins.

A person is delusional when all evidence points to the need for change and this person shovels this truth everywhere else and doesn’t rake it in to himself. The word of God was written for all Christians. The word of God applies to all believers. A truth that will knock most believers in the head is this: All people are governed by the word of God. The word of God applies to everyone be he sinner or saint. If one is a believer then the promises, the corrections, instructions and warnings applies. If one is an unbeliever then too warnings, judgments, indictments and sentences applies to him. There is no escape from the Word of God.

Me: I never looked at the word in this light before Holy Spirit. We’ve been taught that the bible is written to the believer.

H.S. The bible was written for everyone. The unbeliever can go to the word of God with a contrite heart, read its contents and be converted.  On the same note an unbeliever can go into the word of God read it and be even as James spoke of. The unbeliever can see what kind of person he is from the reading of the word and choose to close the book and do nothing about the person he saw. He beholds his face in the mirror of the word and seeing what manner of man he is, he steps away from the mirror and immediately forgets what he saw. He changes nothing and nothing changes. This too is applicable to the believer. Especially in the areas where the believer is imperfected.