by Susan Peabody

Created on: January 01, 2009

Romans 12:2 TEV. "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God."

We are not born Christians, we become Christians. We make a conscious decision to follow Christ and then slowly we become Christ-like. We begin our journey with remorse, for it is only when we become fully aware of our unworthiness and history of sin that are we ready to emulate Christ. To ease our remorse, we confess our sins and then wash them away at our Baptism.

So what happens after the Baptism? The celebration is over. We are now clean. We are now committed. What happens next? Well, in the simplest of terms we must now CHANGE. We must do things differently. We must think differently, communicate differently, love differently. This is how we become Christians.

Changing ourselves is a slow process. As they like to say in 12-Step programs, it is "spiritual progress, rather than spiritual perfection." Our best friend on the journey of change is the Holy Spirit. When Christ left he sent the Holy Spirit just for this purpose. She [or he if you prefer] is often referred to as the Counselor (John 16: 7 RSV) because she whispers in our ear at just the right moment . She tells us through feelings and intuition what to say, what to do, or how to feeleven if we don't want to say, do or feel the way she wants us to. If our Love of Christ kicks in at this moment, we find the courage and strength to do as we are told and through this process we change.

The Bible gives us a list of things we must change about ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit. I could list all of these changes right now, but figuring them all out is part of your journey. As you study the Bible, attend church, and listen to the right people you will learn what has to be changed. I much prefer, at this time, to give you some advice about the process of changingthe steps you must take and the obstacles you must overcome.

Willingness: All change begins with willingness which is a gift from the Holy Spirit. The willingness to follow Christ is usually God's gift to you when you surrendera wedding present you might say. However, the willingness to become a Christian through a lifetime of obedience does not always materialize so quickly. If you have the willingness to begin your journey, but lack the willingness to stay on the path when the going gets rough, pray for it.

Stay focused on yourself: You are the one

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