Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
2 Corinthians 15:51-52 HCSB

A week ago on August 22nd, I celebrated the ten year anniversary of the beginning of a change in me. I have been undergoing a transformation since that time. It is not complete, but praise God it is much better than it was ten years ago.

Ten years ago, I was miserable. I had in my mind that if those around me would change that my life would be much better. One Sunday morning I had stayed home from church to try to catch up on housework. I then regretted not going to church. It seemed no matter what I did, I was miserable. I cried out to God for help. I begged Him to change these other people so that my life would be better. This is when God revealed two things to me. First of all, I had asked for His help on many occasions, but had held on to the problem and tried to fix it myself. He was not going to play tug of war with me. Secondly, I had to be the one to change. I had to give God complete control of my life and not worry about what everyone else was doing. I agreed to this and God brought about some immediate changes. He kind of demolished my world as I knew it and gradually began the rebuilding process.

We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come. God had to destroy the old in order to bring restoration and make me new. I had to be transformed. We are told in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I had been so attached to my sin that I was unable to see or hear God clearly. The prophet Isaiah was commissioned to urge Judah to follow the Lord. He was to encourage them to repent and return to the Lord. In Isaiah 6:10 God tells Isaiah to go and tell the people to keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand. Sadly, I had been listening and not perceiving and looking and not understanding. I had to undergo a radical transformation.

God made it clear to me that the change had to come from within me. Even if God had changed all those around me, without me changing I would have still been miserable. You see, I was playing church. I was attending when it was convenient. I wasn’t getting involved by helping out on work days and participating in the ministries of the church. My heart wasn’t in it. All of that had to change. I had to change.

I was unable to make such a drastic change on my own, but with God’s help I began the transformation process. I am still a work in progress and I know I will be until Christ calls me home and He perfects me.

If you are miserable and wishing that everyone around you would change, take a good hard look at yourself. If you are not happy with what you see, turn to God. He can change you from the inside out. He can make you a new creation. He can remove the heartache, the bitterness and the anger. He can fill you with peace and joy.

One day we will all be changed just as our scripture passage says. One day we will all bow down and give Him praise (Romans 14:11). Those of us who do it now will spend eternity in heaven with Him. Those of us who die or are raptured without accepting Him while here on earth will spend eternity in hell.

Do you need to change? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Turn to Him, trust in Him, obey Him. You will be so glad you did. I know I am.

Have a great day!