Stop Resisting God: A Guide to Embracing Spiritual Change
For me, one word encapsulates the essence of obedience: change. Just the mention of it might make you shudder. I know very few people who genuinely enjoy change. It disrupts our comfort, upends our routines, tests our priorities, and ushers in waves of anxiety. Yet, I am firmly convinced that living a life of obedience to God is impossible without a willingness to embrace change.
This truth is far easier to articulate than to live out, but its validity remains unshaken. It’s easy to talk about change—it’s much harder to actually implement and execute it. As you read these words, it’s likely that you (or someone close to you) are grappling with the reality of change.
If we’re going to change to be approved unto God – change to be presentable unto Him – and change to escape the trappings of this world…We need to stop kicking against the goads & let the Potter do His work – on us, in us, and with us.
Consider the following passages:
- Isaiah 29:16: Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, ‘He did not make me’? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?
- Isaiah 45:9: Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
- Romans 9:21: Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
When we yield our wills like clay to the Potter, we accept that change is inevitable – and purposeful – in His hands.
King David understood this centuries ago when he penned Psalm 51, a cry for transformation forged in the fires of personal failure:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:1-4, 10)
David’s sins—hypocrisy, adultery, murder, and stubbornness—had estranged him from God. Recognizing his desperate need, he pleaded for a changed heart, trusting that only the Lord could perform such a lasting miracle.
Heart surgery is indeed God’s specialty, and though the process stings, the outcome is breathtaking. When we explore biblical examples of change, few stories rival the dramatic transformation of Saul of
Tarsus into the Apostle Paul. His life stands as a testament to God’s power to reshape even the most resistant hearts. Saul was a zealous Pharisee, fiercely opposed to the early Christian movement. He stood by approvingly at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58-8:1) and set out for Damascus to arrest more believers. But God had other plans:
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ (Acts 9:1-5, NKJV)
Blinded for three days, Saul fasted & prayed until Ananias, obedient to God’s call, restored his sight and baptized him (Acts 9:17-18). From that moment, Saul – now Paul – was a new man. His mission flipped from destroying the church to building it, as he became one of the greatest proclaimers of the Gospel.
Paul’s transformation teaches us profound lessons:
- No One Is Beyond God’s Reach: If God could redeem a persecutor like Saul, He can transform anyone. This offers hope for ourselves and those we pray for, no matter how far they seem from faith.
- Change Can Be Disruptive: Paul’s encounter was jarring—blinding light, a voice from heaven, days of darkness. Our changes may also come through upheaval, but they pave the way for God’s purposes.
- Change Redirects Our Purpose: Paul’s life took a new trajectory, from opposition to evangelism. When God reshapes us, He aligns our paths with His divine will.
Change isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily process in the Christian life. Scripture urges us to ongoing transformation. (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
This daily renewal – shedding the old self and embracing the new – requires surrender and trust. Paul modeled this, writing, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31, NKJV), reflecting his constant yielding to God’s transformative work.
Change can be terrifying, but faith empowers us to embrace it, knowing God is sovereign. He promises, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).