by Jodi Hiser

Do you remember the moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Some of us don’t remember an exact time; we just grew up always believing. Others remember a definite moment in their personal story when they knew that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died and rose again for their sins.

Regardless of how and when this journey began in your life, all Christians are on the same journey. And once God grants each of us with the gift of faith, our eyes are opened to see truth, our ears are opened to hear it, and our minds are opened to understand it. New freedom is unfurled. We are no longer unaware of our own sin; we have the capacity to see it. We are no longer unable to withstand temptation; we have the power of the Holy Spirit to turn away and flee. We have the freedom to obey His Word and His will for our lives.

As a believer walks in the freedom of obedience, something amazing happens inside her: God is transforming her spiritually, changing her to become more and more like Christ her Savior. Day by day, she develops a heart that is more loving, joyful, peaceful; more patient, kind and good. She places others’ feelings and well-being above her own . She serves others instead of her own pleasures. She chooses the way of God’s Word over her own desires.

The beauty of this transformation is that it isn’t accomplished by human effort alone; God is the one who transforms those who trust in Him. God is the giver of faith. God gives the believer the ability to understand truth, helping her to walk in new freedom of obedience to Him. God is the artist who transforms her, designing her into a beautiful work of art before Him.

But why would this be so valuable? Why should we care about this spiritual transformation?
God cares about holiness, and as His daughters, we should care about holiness too. But also, just as valuable, this spiritual transformation reminds us that this temporal life on earth is not all we were meant to achieve. In fact, our life on earth is just a whisper compared to the song of eternity every believer will sing with Christ. Therefore, let us fix our eyes on the eternal prize, and run this race well. Let us focus on our Lord and Savior, obeying Him and thanking Him for His magnificent work in us, and living out the true spiritual freedom that can only come from Him.