I remember a point in my life when I thought that in order to please God and walk in His will, I had to try harder to be the best that I can be every single day.
It sounded like a good idea…until I actually tried to put it into practice.
I tried to better myself by trying harder not to sin, doing more ministry work, and playing the part of being a good Christian.
Not only did it not work, but it became a heavy burden on my life that I did not want to carry.
That’s when the Lord had to correct me on this.
He said: Val, I don’t want the best version of you, I want my Son Jesus to live out His life through you.
You see, your best version of you is not nearly as good as Jesus in you.
The difference is in you trying to improve yourself from the outside to change what’s on the inside instead of allowing Jesus to change your thinking and character from the inside out.
So how do you let Jesus change you from the inside out?
2 Corinthians 3:18 says:
“But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
The Lord is longing for you to come into His Presence to behold (or look upon) Him so that He can show you His Glory and change your life.
It’s just like those moments when you came into a worship setting and it seemed like God was right there in front of you, but on your own time with Him.
All you have to do is be willing to come to Him and ask:
“Lord, will you teach me how to seek you and behold your beauty?”
As you start to do this in the normal parts of your day, God will change your thinking and start to refine your character to match the identity of Christ in you.
You will naturally start to see changes in your behavior without having to push yourself to act out the Christian life on your own.
It will be just as Paul said in Galatians 2:20:“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Valentyn Svit is the founder of Dude Disciple, a men’s discipleship blog that focuses on raising up young leaders through practical biblical teaching. His heart is for young people to encounter the love of God, live a life radically surrendered to Jesus, and fulfill God’s calling for their life.