We have been considering how God intervenes in our lives. We have observed how He heals our bodies, supplies our needs, shepherds our lives, and protects.
Luke 19:10 NKJV For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jehovah M’kaddesh is the God who makes us holy.
Leviticus 20:7 NKJV Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
Jehovah M’Kaddesh is not only a Holy God, He comes to our aid to make us holy. That is why God sent His Son into this world to seek and to save that which is lost. God is not just interested in making us different, He wants to make us better. God wants to meet with us so that He can bring about the change that needs to take place in our lives. We must have an encounter with the God who is able to do this.
God is Jehovah M’Kaddesh — the God who sanctifies.
The good news is that God accepts us just as we are today, but He refuses to leave us in the condition He found us.
- He wants to reconstruct our lives.
- He wants to transform and renew our minds.
- He wants to change our path and our destiny.
- He wants to take away the sadness and give us His joy and gladness.
- He wants to change our anxiety into peace.
- He wants to give us His loving kindness and tender mercies.
How does God change us? There are two common misunderstandings that we need to avoid.
- First, some people assume that God does everything and we do nothing at all. We are just putty in God’s hands and if we don’t change, it is God’s fault.
- Second, some people presume that we do everything and God sits on the sidelines watching us flounder in our weaknesses. If we want to be better, we just need to try harder, work longer, and do more.
God’s perspective is completely different. God looks on this as a cooperative effort.
Philippians 2:12-13 NIV Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.
The Holy Spirit is not telling us how to get a relationship with God. He is showing us how to grow in the relationship that has already been established. He is saying that we “work out” as God “works in.” Jehovah M’Kaddesh – the God who changes us and makes us holy is working in you. This is important. If we miss this, we will not become all God wants us to be.
How do we “work out” as God “works in” us?
There are several steps that we can take on a roadmap for change.
First of all, we need to see our spiritual life with God as a journey.
Philippians 1:6 NLT I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
This journey started when the Holy Spirit prompted us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. We should never forget that salvation is of God.
Many people do not know that God was involved in their lives before they made a decision to be saved. God told one person in the Old Testament, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” (Jeremiah 1:5). That is an amazing fact. Before you were born, God was present and working for your good to save you and draw you to Himself. God was actively showing you His love. Along the way, the Holy Spirit prompted you to come to Christ and He continues making you more like Jesus.
This is a process. When God began His work in us, it was an amazing life-changing event. You can remember the day when the Lord changed you. Jehovah M’Kaddesh is not finished working in us. God is in a process of changing us.
That is the journey.
Did you or your children ever ask, “Are we there yet?” Many times we made some lengthy road trips. Often on the journey, when we were all tired, that question would be asked. “Are we there yet?”
Have you asked God: “Are we there yet?” Do you know that God is still working on you?We are a work in progress. God has something wonderful in mind for all of our lives.
Most of us know someone that God needs to work on. We can see so many things that need to be changed. The truth is we all need God’s help to make us holy. He has set you aside to become a temple of the Holy Spirit.
We need to set our sights on the destination.
Second, set your sights on the destination.
Philippians 1:6 NLT I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
Have you considered where God wants to take you? It always helps to know where we are going. God’s work in us has a goal in mind. God is not just interested in the process, He has prepared a place, but He has so much more prepared.
Where does God want to take us on this journey?
Our destination is not just a place, although heaven is where we all want to go. Our destination is not a theological position or a correct set of beliefs, even though it is critical what we believe. It is not even a pattern of behavior.
God is interested in all of that, but His destination is something else!
God’s destination is the Person Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:15 NIV84 We will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
God wants all of us to be just like Jesus. Our culture is obsessed with external “makeovers.” Almost everyone is focused on how they look, what they drive, and where they live. People are constantly trying to change their image.
God’s goal is an internal makeover. He wants to change us on the inside. He wants Christ to be formed in us, (Galatians 4:19). He wants to change how we think and what we value. Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.” God wants us to think, act, and live like Jesus.
God calls Himself Jehovah M’Kaddesh. He tells us, “I am the God who sanctifies you.” God is working in us to makes us holy. The Greek for “holy” does not mean to be “set above.” It means to be “set apart.” We are set apart from the thinking of our culture. God wants to set us apart from the world. He wants us to think like Jesus. That is why the Bible says, “Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.”
God wants US to “work out” while HE “works in.” He tells us to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” [Philippians 2:12-13 NIV]
God wants a complete transformation in our lives. To help us reach that goal, our words and meditations must be changed. David was praying about that.
Psalm 19:14 NKJV Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
When we start working toward that, God makes things happen.
Watch how the Holy Spirit makes it happen. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord works within us and transforms us into His likeness so we become more and more like Him and increasingly reflect His glory.”
In this process of change, we can face many roadblocks.
Third, ask God to help with the roadblocks.
Some roadblocks merely slow us down, while other roadblocks can stop our progress altogether.
2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Have you made a list of all the roadblocks that contaminate, stifle or strangle change in your life? Each of us are faced with those things that can negatively impact our lives.
Here are two questions we need to ask ourselves.
The first question… Do I really want to purify myself from things that contaminate and remove all the roadblocks?
Some of these roadblocks can feel good, but they hinder your progress with God. If we deal with them, we might miss something, life may change. If we are serious about removing roadblocks, we need to answer the second question.
Where do I begin?
There are so many things that can hinder my progress. Some of them seem too big to move. Where do I begin? Why not begin with God? Ask Jehovah M’Kaddesh for help.
Hebrews 4:16 NIV Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
God will help you remove the obstacles in your life. He has already dealt with the barrier that sin established. If He did that, He will also do this. When we ask for His help, He will help us in our time of need. Just ask God for help and see what happens.
First, see your spiritual life as a journey.
Second, set your sights on the destination.
Third, ask God to help with the roadblocks.
Fourth, take time to refuel.
Have you ever run out of gas? It is embarrassing and time consuming. Refueling has become an expensive thing. We must consider when, where, and how often we refuel. What do we miss if we don’t take time to refuel on our journey with God?
How did they refuel in the 1st Century? The first generation of believers became known as Christians. Why? Because they looked and lived like Christ!
How did that happen? The secret for their success is found in the Book of Acts. They were constantly talking with Jesus and fellowshipping with other believers. They walked around full of the Holy Spirit. They became different people as they became more and more like Jesus.
What is different in our lives now? Many people find it hard to find enough time to meet with Jesus every day. It does not matter how old you are, you have to make time to meet with Jesus.
We will not get better while we are alive unless we take the time to refuel.We need to take time to meet with Jesus every day and spend time in His Word. Take time to talk with Jesus and let Him talk with you. Give the Holy Spirit access to our lives.
When we take the time, God always comes through.
Part of the refueling process is celebrating the progress we have made. Unfortunately, we don’t always notice the difference God has made in our lives. One of the reasons we don’t notice the difference is we tend to look ahead and see how far we still have to go. Do you notice that you still have a lot to do?
Let’s stop and celebrate the progress. What has God done in your life?
Psalm 40:5 AMP Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered.
We need to celebrate what God has been doing in our lives. Many of us can see how God has changed us. He has taken away your anger and pain. You were heavy with the weight of your failures, but you have started living in His joy and peace.
We need to get the road map out and see how far we have gone. For some of us it is easy to see what God has done. We rejoice in all of the change He has made. Some are just getting started on the journey with God and still have many obstacles that are yet to be removed. Some have not realized what God is able to do.
In Ezekiel 36:26 God says: I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your old stony sinful heart and give you a new heart.
Jehovah M’Kaddesh is ready to make a difference in your life. God so loved the World that HE gave His only Son. Jesus Christ went to the cross and paid the ultimate price so we could be freed from sin and its power. Through the work of the cross and the power of His blood He can change your life. This is how He can put a new spirit in you.
These changes are a demonstration of how God intervenes in our lives. Are you weary with the things that you are facing every day? Are you heavy with the burdens and cares of this life? Jehovah M’Kaddesh is the God Who makes positive changes in our lives.
