Giving our lives over to God is like going through a complete house remodel. Yes, we are told to come as we are. That is true. Jesus takes us at the place we are this very moment, in whatever state we are in. The truth is He knows us. He knows everything about us. He sees us behind closed doors and knows who and what we truly are. He knows the truth even when we are playing peek-a-boo with ourselves, acting as if we are one thing, when in reality that isn’t who we are at all. He knows us when we try to act as if we have it altogether, but in truth, we are broken and hurting, sad and lonely, addicted and helpless.
But we don’t have to stay that way. I write a lot about this because the Bible teaches it and this is how my walk with Jesus has been. If we will allow God to take the reins of our life and lead us into the plan He has for us, we can see our whole world turned around. It’s not easy. First of all, we think we are in control. We aren’t. It is hard to change. I get that. More importantly, so does Jesus. And the enemy likes to keep us deceived, going to any length to keep us in bondage. God can fix what is broken in us, even when we refuse to face it or don’t even realize it, whatever it is.
Whether we’ve been abused by others, like I was, or we find ourselves in a mess that we created, nothing is too hard for God. His Word says so. Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
God has a plan for each of us if we will let Him. He can take the hardest heart and replace it with a heart of flesh. That was me. I didn’t believe people or trust them. That included God too. I was like one of those houses that are caving in and seem to be a lost cause. Each of us walk a different pathway, but I pray this article speaks to your heart and helps you find a way out of your hurt or bondage or brokenness.
When you think about a house remodel, if you buy a “fixer-upper”, you know work is required to fix it up. Imagine one that is full of termites, mold, rot, damp, rodents everywhere, the roof half blown off. It is barely standing. It has been abandoned, neglected, misused, disrespected, and not valued or taken care of. It doesn’t matter how the damage was done, here it now stands, just like us.
Demolition must happen. In a house remodel that has to happen before a rebuild, but in us, if we lose everything that we’ve been, then who are we? When Jesus works in us, He does demolition and the rebuild at the same time, little by little.
And you can’t build on a rotten foundation. Know that it says in Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This is the first step in rebuilding. The solid foundation is the Holy Bible, God’s Word. Read it, study it, inhale it, listen to it, fill yourself with it. Even when you may not really understand it at first. Ask God to help you read and understand His Word. This is the material we must use for the rebuild.
As we read His Word and find who it says we are, we must also learn to recognize the lies and deception of the devil. 2 Corinthians 10:5 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Our battle begins with our thoughts. This is where the devil defeats us if we let him. When he says we are losers, or we have no hope, tell him he is a liar. Find out what the Bible says. Read Ephesians, chapters 1 and 2 to see who God says we are. Speak these Scriptures out loud. Disagree with what the devil is telling you. You know it is from Satan if it makes you feel condemned, guilty, worthless, hopeless, and too far gone to be helped. We have to be willing to face truth as God sees it. He convicts us, but He doesn’t condemn us. His Word is sure and true.
A Complete House (Person) Remodel
