Guest Author: Mark Virkler
Are you tired of struggling endlessly in your quest for transformation into Christ-likeness? Would you like two quick, easy, biblical steps for overcoming self, sin, sickness, weakness, and failure? In this two-part series we will explore the three New Testament verses with the word “transform” in them.
Transformed upon entrance into heaven
We will experience a future transformation as we step from our earthly bodies into our heavenly bodies: “Jesus transforms the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has…” (Phil. 3:21). Since this transformation is part of the entrance into our heavenly life, we will not explore it now, as it has no direct bearing on our day-to-day transformation.
Pictures provide powerful daily transformation.
- We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
- For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
A story of some momentary light affliction from my life: Once when I was a young pastor, I found out that people were gossiping about me to their friends, with the result that people in my community who had never even met me had taken up a reproach against me after listening to and believing the gossip. I reckoned if they would only meet me they would discover I am not such a bad person at all. I was angry at those who gossiped. I was angry at those who took up a reproach against me, having never met me or talked with me. I wanted to hit them all!
I was quite sure that if I went and confronted them and we got into a heated argument, this was not going to produce an eternal weight of glory in my life or theirs. So hitting them is probably out of the question. Bad-mouthing them is also not very godly. Harboring negative emotions within me is not wise, since a merry heart does good like medicine.
“Lord, I need Your transforming power to come and do a work in my heart. You say I can be transformed while I look. OK, so I guess You want me to look at the Bible. No, that can’t be it, because you say I need to be looking at something not seen and I can see the Bible.
“Well, You Jesus are Immanuel, God with Me. You are in the unseen world, but since You have given me eyes in my heart, I choose to pray, ‘Lord, open the eyes of my heart so I can see You present with me now, and show me what You are doing, so I can do the same thing’ (Eph. 1:17-19). I want to behold You in action in this situation.”
“Mark, remember how I came to earth and made myself of NO reputation (Phil. 2:6-10)? I gave up My reputation. I let evil men steal it. They used lies and accusations and yet I choose to die on a cross for them and their sins. I want you to give your reputation to Me and allow me to give it back to you when I want, the way I want, and in the condition I choose.”
A picture flashed across my mind of Jesus hanging on a cross, despised, mocked, whipped, and yet loving: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
I chose to say “Yes, Lord” to the vision I was seeing and the words I was hearing. I said, “Lord, I give you my reputation, and You can give it back, whenever You want and in any condition You so desire.” As I said these words, release flooded my heart. No more anger. No more hatred. No more needing to defend myself and prove I was a nice guy. My reputation was in Jesus’ hands. It was no longer any concern of mine. I was free. I was transformed, by seeing His glory and choosing to reflect His glory in my own life. Wow! Instantaneous freedom.
It’s fun to live Scripture (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:17,18). I just experienced a flow of images and words, direct from Jesus and applied to the moment I am living in, is worth tens of thousands of words.
A summarized statement of how this daily transformation occurs
We look and see a vision of what Jesus is doing in the situation. We mirror that same behavior ourselves. In so doing, we are receiving Christ’s wisdom and power by simply saying, “Yes, Lord”. These visions are simple. They are flowing pictures that light upon our minds. We ask for the eyes of our heart to be enlightened (Eph. 1:17,18) and then look and see. Keep this simple and childlike (Matt. 18:3). A light, gentle picture simply appears on the screen inside your mind. (Click here for more about the four keys to hearing God’s voice.)
The above approach to life keeps me from self-effort and religious works
- I choose to look and see Jesus, Immanuel, God with me and ask, “Show me what You are doing and tell me what You are saying.” (Ps. 16:8; Acts 2:25)
- Once I ask for His input, I tune to the Holy Spirit, the River flowing within, to flowing pictures, flowing thoughts, and flowing emotions. This flow is the Fountain of Living Waters (Jer. 2:13) which is flowing from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1,2) and into my heart (Jn. 7:37-39), and now is instructing my thought processes. This river is not hard to connect to. It is flowing effortlessly, continuously within me. DON’T MAKE IT HARD! Picture yourself as a child. That will help keep you from grunting.
- Say “Yes” to what I see Jesus doing and hear Him speaking.
- Experience an empowerment to accomplish what He revealed. I am now “walking in the anointing of the Spirit,” or “living by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). It’s all quite simple, easy, and childlike. Children (until about age 7) live continuously in intuition, flow, spontaneity, creativity, joy, and laughter. So I return to this simple lifestyle of continual joy, laughter, faith, hope, and gratitude. Pretty cool, wouldn’t you say?
Would you agree that the verses in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 involve a person interacting with the Holy Spirit’s power and that it is the Holy Spirit Who accomplishes the transforming work? It is NOT about my grunting or striving or working. I choose to connect to the Holy Spirit, ask for His input, and then say, “Yes, Lord” to what He is revealing. As I step forward to act upon the guidance, the Holy Spirit takes over and empowers me to accomplish the supernatural. Awesome!
My testimony of God using this transforming process to heal a hurt.
It would be easy for me to mock and scorn the church I was saved in. The church operated in extreme fundamentalism, legalism, and law, and convinced me that our denomination were the only people going to heaven. We couldn’t even marry a person outside our church!
The church used no musical instruments in worship. Since God gave me an intense love for the Bible, by the time I was age 16 I had found the command to worship God with the timbral and dance (Ps. 149:3). I shared that Scripture with the elders of that church and asked why we were not doing it. Their response was, “We don’t do it that way.” My mind was blown. I thought our church honored Scripture. I left that denomination at age 16!
How God healed my scorn toward that group
For a while, I was tempted to mock and scorn them and speak negatively about this denomination. Then I learned that “A hurt is healed when you can see the gift from God that you received through the experience” (see Rom. 8:28). So, I asked the Lord what the gift was that I received from this church where I was saved. He said, “They emphasized repentance and lordship, and you have carried this precious truth with you all of your life.” OK, so now my heart is healed from being a mocker and scorner, and I am filled with gratitude for the gift God gave me through this fundamentalist group.
I find some people who have left Catholicism or Mormonism, or who have been abused by a church, and many years later they are still carrying anger and hatred in their spirit toward the group. I recommend they go to God in prayer and ask, “Lord, what is the gift You placed in my life through this experience?” Journal it out. Get a NEW picture that you can gaze upon that fills you with gratitude and not disdain and mockery. Let the Wonderful Counselor speak to you and heal your heart, so you can walk in joy and peace and your immune system can function as God intended.
If you say: “No good could have come out of my tragedy,” simply rebuke this idea as it is a lie coming from an evil spirit. You know that God causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28).
Journaling questions
- Lord, what hurt am I experiencing right now that You want to step into and reveal Yourself?
- Lord, what hurt(s) have I experienced in the past that are still not fully healed, in that I still am not gazing at the gift You produced in my life through the experience?
Lord, since I desire complete, Spirit-anointed transformation, please bring to my mind any additional scenes that I am not seeing You in, and show me where You are and what You are doing and saying. I desire living encounters with my Lord and Savior.
If you have not yet mastered the skill of hearing and seeing Jesus, then I suggest you take the training on 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice and Counseled by God.
Review: The four keys are 1) still your mind, 2) see Jesus at your right hand, 3) recognize His voice as flowing thoughts and His visions as flowing pictures, and 4) write out the flow of thoughts and pictures.
(Part Two is here and Part Three is here)
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