God promises that when you walk with Him, He will change you. He meets us where we are, but does not leave us where He finds us. In this post, I will show three ways God changes and renews us.

Renewed Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22

“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

The fruit of the Spirit is well-known, but I think that leads to the meaning being lost. The Holy Spirit dwells within all those that believe, so this passage promises that God gradually produces these changes. It may seem like a magical change, and it is to some extent, but it is similar to any relationship: the more time you spend with someone the closer you become and the more alike you become. Through God dwelling within, we can see growth in nearly every area of life, maybe not in what happens to us, but in how we respond. God is making His children more and more like Him. As 2 Corinthians puts it, He is bringing us from one degree of glory to another. Maybe it’s not an immediate light-switch change but rather a long and grinding process, but we should still praise God for it. How great is it that God transforms our sinful spirit with a spirit that grows to be more and more like Him?

Renewed Mind

“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you” Isaiah 26:3a

Another way relationship with God brings on change, is through the mind. Specifically renewal of the minds for defeating sin. Putting on and putting off are often talked about in the fight of sin, but the renewal of mind can be skipped over. It is a vital step to bring lasting change, without it, you are simply painting over the dirt rather than actually cleaning it away. That covering will fade and you will be right where you started. However, with renewal of the mind, you handle the sin head-on and are ready when it comes back. That is why it is a gift that God grants for those who follow Him. How great that He renews the mind of believers so as to free them from struggles with sin? There is another way God changes the mind. In Isaiah, God grants peace to those who are with Him. So, He makes the way of the fight against sin while not allowing His children to drown in the fear and anxieties of the fight. This peace is not like any other. It is a truly indescribable stillness.

Renewed Attitude

“Now when the men of the Sanhedrin saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened and empowered me” 2 Timothy 4:17

Finally, God changes His children’s attitude. We see in Acts and 2 Timothy, a confidence, boldness, strength and power. The walk with Christ will come with its bumps and bruises, but God gives the tools to endure. God does not just sprinkle endurance over us magically, rather, He grows it within us. We see this in little kids, the voice a parent speaks to them becomes their inner voice. If the voice is constantly putting them down, so will their inner voice, on the other hand, if the voice is constantly encouraging and building up, then their inner voice will be positive and that child will be able to endure more. God is and forever will be that encouraging voice that builds up. We must always be listening for it and there will be a noticeable change. Rather than stumbling and staying down, we can be encouraged by God and get up and push through. So be comforted by the renewal of your spirit, be spurred on in your fight by the renewal of your mind, and be encouraged as God renews your attitude.