9. I cannot make “a new me.” However, I can make an effort to place myself where the Spirit can make “a new me.”

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

If God alone can transform our souls, what role do you think we play in this transformation?

What are some examples of how you have experienced a Spirit-empowered transformation?

Do you think there are times when the Spirit brings about a transformation without our effort? If so, how, and can you think of examples?

What are some things you have worked at in your life that reflect a positive transformation? How do you feel about those?

Do you think that the Spirit would bring about a change in your life without your desiring it?

What are some activities you choose that create an opportunity for God to change you?

If we want to participate in a healthy relationship with Jesus, it is essential for our wounds to heal and our brokenness be transformed. We should not expect this transformation to happen without effort on our part. But it is important to remember that any healing we experience comes by the Spirit. We must avoid believing the lie that we can heal ourselves or fix our brokenness by our own efforts.

Healing is the work of the Spirit. So, what is our part? The part we play in our journey of transformation is to place ourselves where the Spirit can do His work. If our body needed surgery, we would need to make the effort to go to a hospital and place ourselves under the care of a surgeon who could do the operation. We can’t operate on ourselves, but we can make an effort to place ourselves in the hands of a surgeon. In the same way,

when our souls need repair, we must make an effort to place ourselves in a place where the Surgeon of our souls can work. One way to do this is to engage in appropriate disciplines. For example, fasting is a discipline that puts us in a place where the Spirit can remove our anger impulses. If we have a habit of envy, we may choose a discipline that includes generosity and sacrificial giving to intentionally create a situation where the Spirit could work on that disease. In these examples,

our role is to make an effort through some discipline to put ourselves in a place where the Spirit can address our need. The healing itself is the work of the Spirit.