I welcome you to the leap year full February (29 days) 2024, our Month of Transformation. Many believe superstitiously that leap years bring hardship and ill-luck. The word of God asks-Isaiah 53:1 -Whose report will you believe? Superstition or the Word of God? The word of God for this month is “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Rom 12:2 God wants you to get better, in everything godly. God wants us to become genuine Christians that He can be proud of. This month shall be your month of transformation.
The Lord who transformed Peter from a financially struggling fish merchant to a financially prosperous merchant in 24 hours shall remember you.
The Lord who transformed Peter from a fearful, Jesus-denying person to a bold, proclaimer of Christ shall transform you.
The Lord who transformed Peter from fishing to Fisher of men shall transform you.
The Lord who transformed Paul from an area boy, killer, gang leader, to a missionary, preacher, teacher, miracle worker, bible writer shall transform you.
The Lord who transformed Job with a sickly, boil-infested body to a healthy person shall transform you.
The Lord who restored the loss of Job shall transform you, you shall recover your losses.
The Lord who transformed John the man of thunder to John the beloved disciple shall transform you.
The Lord who transformed Joseph from house boy/prisoner to Prime Minister shall transform you!
This month the Lord shall transform me from …… to …… make your list!
God brings us in from all backgrounds, all cultures, all religions, irrespective of our education, status, language, colour with His agape love to His father, but does not want us to remain raw elements that are useful to him and to the world. Do you know that as expensive as crude oil is it can barely be used in its raw state! The refiners put it into a heater, apply high heat, and at different temperatures they bring different products, diesel, gas (petrol) LPG (cooking gas) which are useful for humans. Our mothers buy all manner of soup ingredients, bring it home, ignite the stoves and delicious meals emerge. This month God wants to put us on the stove of the Holy Ghost, cook us and transform us to useful threshing instruments in His hand so that we can perform great works on earth. I pray for you to be transformed in Jesus’ name.
What is transformation?
Transformation is a dramatic change in form, content or appearance. Personal Transformation is how we change aspects of who we are, what we do and the life we lead. It is both the journey – 'I am transforming' – and the destination – 'I am transformed'. Transformation in a Spiritual context means a change in character, change at the heart of who they are. We experience a transformation of the heart when we receive Christ. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are born again (1 Peter 1:23) to become children of God (John 1:12). We receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Why do we need transformation?
Most times we have wrong attitudes and misplaced priorities, complacency, lackadaisical, misconceived notions, loving comfortable truth not the real truth, ignorance of God’s word, disunity, compromise and prayerlessness. As mentioned above, when we get saved, we are raw, full of sin, hatred, wickedness, just like the people of the world and we are not useful in that state for the kingdom of God. An untransformed born-again Christian will still abuse the spouse, do all manner of ungodly things, mentioned in Gal 5:19-21, because even though his spirit is transformed, he is no more technically having the devil as his master, Christ is enthroned but, he needs to be purged of the flesh.
What is needed for transformation?
Four things that are needed for transformation.
1. Faith – You need to acknowledge the position you are and realize that you need God to help you. Faith is doing what God tells you to do and God doing what you cannot do. For instance, Jesus told the servants at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, when wine finished, go and fetch water and take a cup to the Master of Ceremony. They did, a better wine emerged. God will said read my Word, when you read the word habitually you find yourself transformed. Anger goes, bitterness disappears, sin is no more tasteful. Prosperity and success emerge.
2. Coaches. Coaches want you and your team to win, to be prosperous and build wealth. They want the trophy. Coaches want you individually to become a star. A celebrity. But they know if they leave you in your raw state and you are not transformed the team will lose. They don’t want to lose. You shall not lose. Jesus will welcome you as you are but will not leave you as you are.
3. Truth. You need the truth. Jesus is the Way, The Truth, and The Life. You want to be like Jesus you need the Word. The more you know the scripture the more you know the truth, the more you know the truth about life, people, your past, present, future legacy, value, marriage, etc. the more you are transformed. Truth is what changes us. Truth, the Bible says, sets you free. 2Tim 3:16 teaches four principles.1. Teaches us the truth of the path to walk, where we get off the path, how to get back on the path and how to stay on the path
4. New Thinking. The way you think determines the way you feel, the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act you don’t start with that act, you have to look at how you feel, if you want to change how you feel you have to think about how you think.
Areas of transformation
Transformation is not in a vacuum. For us as Christians our ultimate is to be like Jesus on the spiritual plane and in our day-to-day life, we just want to be the best. We’ll leave a life of mediocrity to a life of celebrity. Below are some areas of transformation, set these goals for yourself.
Eight areas of transformation:
1. Be genuinely born again. I want to be genuinely born again. Filled with the Holy Ghost. Speak in tongues. I want to leave sin behind me. I know I smoke, fornicate, tell lies, I do many bad things. My pastor, my father may know or does not know. I want to leave all those things behind and live a life of holiness, righteousness, integrity. Etc.
2. Become a practicing, Christian. I want to be transformed from a nonchalant, passive,care free, non-committed Christian to a vibrant, aggressive and active Christian.
3. Become knowledgeable in scripture and be a prayer warrior. I cannot win the battles of life without knowing scripture. I want to be become a prayer warrior. I have never been interested in reading the Bible or attending bible study, but from this year I want to do so with passion.
4. Become a worker in God’s vineyard. I have overcome sin by his grace, but I have not seen any reason to want to do anything for God. Now I want to be a useful tool in this church and in the body of Christ. I want to become an usher, choir member, or a member of the media team. I want to become a team member not an armchair church critic.
5. Become a faithful tither and financial supporter of the church. I don’t know how to give to God. But I want to be transformed to be a giver. I have not been paying my tithe but I want to be faithful in tithing. I don’t want to give God tips. God is not a steward/ waiter in a restaurant, He is my God. I am beyond giving God tips. The gospel needs money and I am blessed.
6. Become a more relational person. I want to transform my relationships. I want to build my family, be a good husband, a good wife, a great father, mother, grandparents, in-law, brother, sister, uncle, niece, aunty. Be a team player in the church. Relate well with Pastor and church members.
7. Become a preacher of the gospel, I want to become a pastor, evangelist, teacher, prophet/prophetess I want to become a leader, I want to become a disciple, I want to become a worker in the church, I want to become a healer, a miracle worker. I have heard that Joseph Babalola raised the dead, I want to raise the dead. Jn 14:12
8. Become a better Professional: I want to be transformed from a relief worker to a manager. I want to become a nurse, a lawyer or a successful businessman/ woman.
Things you must do to be transformed. There’s a cost to every lifestyle.
What price am I willing to pay for my transformation?
Write down five things you want to do differently this year to help your transformational goals.
This past week my wife and I were watching soccer. I noticed how those boys get the ball and begin to run as fast as they could. I saw them beyond the field, I noticed the price they paid to qualify to be in their national teams. The price the winning team paid to get the trophy!
1. Pray - PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens. Develop a vibrant prayer life. Ask God for help.
2. Dissociate from unfruitful association: From people not adding value to my life and those impacting my life negatively. Separate myself from people that teach me bad lifestyle. Teaching me laziness, procrastination, scamming, hacking, drug addiction, the ones you join to watch pornography etc. That unprofitable boyfriend or girlfriend. It takes two to tango. Stop going to parties, clubbing and such lifestyles, spraying money at parties.
3. Maximize my time. Minimize my time on social media, stop watching worldly movies, music etc.
4. Commit to reading the bible, praying and attending services. Start reading my Bible seriously. I want to get the One-year Bible plan and read it. I want to be serious and read the Bible every day. For 15 or 30 minutes. I want to attend prayer meetings, Bible Study and church regularly and punctually.
5. Give generously to advance God’s work. Start paying my tithe faithfully. Give thanksgiving offering. Make vows. Sow seed. Give first fruit. Take up projects in church and execute it.
6. Develop my emotional intelligence- my ability to relate to people well. Even if you have always disrespected your spouse, parents, children, pastors, leaders, church members, now is the time to change.
7. Maximize my time during church service. I will take coming to church seriously, beyond my parents bringing me to church. When I come to church, I will maximize my time. I will stop watching videos, stop reading stuff that are not related to the word of God. You know what you are doing in church that are not helping you. “Gisting”, murmuring, gossiping. Dress well to church. Stop wearing hairstyles that make you look like idol worshipers. As a man stop wearing jewelries, earrings. As a woman cover all God wants me to cover. Even women that are permitted, are to do it with moderation. “likewise, also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.” 1 Tim 2:9-10. Like Daniel, shun the ungodly culture of my age. Dan 1:9. Choose to please God with my dressing, not my friends and generation. Rev 4:11.
8. Pay the Price of Discipline. Focus, sacrifice, dedication, perseverance, patient, commitment to things that are noble. Phil 4:8
Conclusion: Transformation is real. You can go from zero to hero. From sinner to sainthood. From poverty to prosperity. From being sickly to being healthy. From rudderless to a career. From wobbling marriage to stable marriage, from failure to success. This month write areas you want to be transformed and the steps you want to take to be transformed. Be intentional and prayerfully commit to God through the power of the Holy Ghost. Remember- Jesus said “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” I will see your new version. Shalom
