One of the biggest struggles people have is trying to change their behavior without a true change in values. The most common form of change in society is conformity. Since conformity is based on external influences, it produces inconsistent behavior because the internal values of the heart will surface when external influences decrease. This is why people often live different lives in secret. However, when people are transformed by truth and understanding, they are changed at their core and become different people. All change has consequences, so often when people don’t like the consequences they will resist the change. This dynamic also impacts the receiving of truth. If people don’t like the consequences that accompany a new way of thinking, they will reject the truth. For example, if a person is prideful and doesn’t want to be wrong about something because of anticipated shame, they will reject truth for a lie in an effort to justify their stance. Often their stance will be based on a loosely related fact that has no real bearing on the truth, but a weak argument is often enough for a person to latch onto when they are trying to avoid unwanted consequences. This is why GOD sends storms to try men’s works. Structures built on truth will stand, while all other constructs will fall. Everything other than truth is temporal, so it is better to face the shame, repent and take shelter in truth or else the storm will come, and you will have to endure suffering along with the shame.
The source of the conflict is that people find it hard to be honest with themselves regarding what they truly value. People often know what is better for them, but they don’t value it as much as what is currently pleasing or comfortable to them. Since man is in a fallen state, the call of GOD is always to a higher place. Reaching a higher place means traveling upwards against gravity. Anytime you have to exert effort it’s called work. Traveling upwards is easily some of the hardest work, so you have to be truly motivated to reach your higher goal. This speaks to how much you truly value the higher destination. A lot of people begin the journey upwards to their higher goal and it tries their heart. If their heart treasures the higher goal, they will push through the pull of gravity and reach the higher plateau. If the heart says it isn’t worth it, then the person will yield to gravity and slide back down. This is also known as backsliding.
The journey of following GOD into glorious living is a path of purification and sanctification. Purification cleanses us from the elements that have corrupted us. Sanctification positions us in a place where corruption can no longer threaten our purity. The transformation that saves us begins in our minds with the revelation of divine truth. Truth, as a spiritual sword, cuts through the darkness clouding our minds with the illumination of GOD. The revelation of GOD is an invitation to leave the darkness of a degenerative being for the light of abundant life. The invitation comes as a message of love, which most eagerly accept. The issue occurs when YAHWEH reveals that to begin the journey with Him, we must give up all other things we treasure so that He alone is valued above all else. The fear of the Lord teaches us that everything worth having comes from GOD, so it makes sense to exalt the Creator above what He has created. Working this belief out into actuality eventually requires us to change some things in the physical. That is when our transformation truly becomes evident, as we ascend from the earth.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (John 12:25 )
theinscribedheart 
Leave a comment