Tag: transformation

How to Become a New Personality Through Spiritual Transformation

Do you struggle to manage anger?

When provoked, do you feel an impulse to slap the person upsetting you?

When you feel angry, do you experience urges to fight or break things? Does your anger ever make you want to hit someone or damage property?

Do you ever feel tempted to hit your spouse or child when you’re angry?

How do you respond when people reject your religious beliefs?

When others verbally attack you and refuse to let you share your perspective, how do you handle the situation?

After you have explained yourself, if people still accuse you unfairly and refuse to accept your explanation – no matter how valid it is – how do you react?

Some people live as though they are enslaved by their anger. They feel helpless, unable to control their emotions. When things don’t go their way, instead of calming down, reflecting, and considering how to resolve their situation, they erupt in rage.

Horace said that anger is a momentary madness, and that we ought to control our passions, otherwise our passions will control us.

If you do not learn to control your emotions, your anger will eventually drive you to react in ways you will later regret. Instead of training the mind toward patience and non-violence, some people condition themselves to think violently. And every time we justify or emphasize violent responses –whether in words, thoughts, or actions – we are reinforcing violent behavior. Over time, this shapes us into more aggressive individuals and contributes to the creation of harsh, unforgiving societies.

Angry people often lack patience. They react before they think, because anger clouds judgment. In many ways, anger behaves like a form of temporary madness – it shuts down reasoning, and in that state, people can do terrible things without considering the consequences.

 A striking example was reported by the Ghanaian weekly, The Spectator, on April 30, 2011. The paper published a story about a Chinese man who, on Mar 15, smashed his brand-new one-million-dollar sports car in public while onlookers and media recorded the scene. He claimed the dealer had sold him a faulty car and was too slow in fixing the problem. Losing whatever patience he had – if he had any at all – he picked up a heavy metal hammer and destroyed the expensive vehicle in a fit of rage.

Robert Green Ingersoll asserted that, “Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.”

That Chinese man had lost control – his anger had extinguished the lamp of his mind and left him unable to reason.

Angry people rarely show patience. Had he simply exercised a little restraining, the dealer would eventually have fixed the problem. He also had other options: he could have donated the vehicle to charity or sold it and used the money to support a worthy cause. A village school, an orphanage, or a widows’ support group could have benefited greatly. In that case, he would have been remembered as hero rather than what he became.

Anger does not allow room for patience. People controlled by anger often lack both patience and tolerance. Sadly, many societies today are missing these virtues. Proverbs 25:15 reminds us, “By long patience is a prince persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks the bone.” (KJ2000)

Brian Tracy said, “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

Anger does not consider the innocent. It is inherently selfish. When angry terrorists strike, they do not limit their attacks to those they claim to oppose; they harm countless innocent people who have no connection to their grievances. On September 11, 2001, coordinated terrorist attacks in the United States killed nearly 3,000 people across multiple locations. The greatest loss of life occurred at the Twin Towers. Except for 55 military personnel killed at the Pentagon, all the victims were civilians.

According to reports, including those summarized by Wikipedia, approximately 2,996 people died in the attacks (including the 19 hijackers), representing individuals from roughly 77 to 93 different countries.

These victims had no quarrel with the attackers or the organization behind the violence. They were ordinary people going about their daily lives. Yet the attackers claimed to be worshipers of the Supreme God – the One known for compassion, justice, and truth. They claimed they were acting on behalf of the Holy God, and that their violence was a response to His supposed enemies. But in doing so, they targeted innocent people who had no part in their conflict and no power to influence the issues that angered them.

This is the nature of uncontrolled anger. It lashes out blindly. And tragically, even after causing destruction, pain, and suffering, terrorists often do not achieve the outcomes they desire. They kill innocent people, devastate families, destroy properties – and still fail to obtain what they sought.

We can move toward positive thinking and healthy actions only when we intentionally remove negative patterns from our daily lives. This includes eliminating destructive anger – the kind that pushes us toward violent reactions. Instead, we must cultivate love and self-discipline within ourselves.

When we allow God’s Spirit to work in our hearts, He transforms our inner character. The Spirit of God empowers us to resist temptation and guides us toward divine truth and love. Scripture says that when we unite ourselves with God, we become “one spirit with Him,” (1 Corinthians 6:17). And Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God,” (Matthew 5:9; KJ2000).

Self-discipline must be nurtured deliberately. Whenever we slip back into old habits of anger, we should quickly remind ourselves that we are walking a new path – a path marked by calmness, patience, and love. As we repeat this way of thinking and consistently practice it, our brains begin to accept the new pattern. Over time, the mind reshapes itself to align with the renewed behavior we are training it to adopt.

The Holy Spirit transforms our human spirits to reflect God’s holiness and compassion by renewing our minds and shaping us into the image of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. As He works in us, we are empowered to walk in the good works God prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10). Our desires begin to align with His will, enabling us to live in righteousness, compassion, forgiveness and true spiritual maturity.

Furthermore, God’s Spirit changes us by shifting our thinking from worldly patterns to divine alignment (Romans 12:2). This renewal produces a new self – one that is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,” (Ephesians 4:22-32).

Success and Transformation Require Mindset Change

Transformation and success will not happen without the change of mindset. Fear, hate, anger, and violence will continue to be the bane of your existence until you renew your mental attitude.

Without the change of mindset, we will continue to do what we do and will continue to get the same results. And we will continue to wallow in poverty and ignorance. We will continue to live in mediocrity, believing and wallowing in inferiority and thinking we cannot achieve great heights.

The belief that an individual can overcome challenges and do the impossible led to the invention of the airplane.

Belief makes all things possible (Mark 9:23). Belief enabled man to fly to the moon. Unless you renew your mindset, your miracles will not happen.

Do you not notice the harm, the unrest, the chaos that anger and violence are causing?

The imaginations of the thoughts of the hearts of people are evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Perversity has taken control of people’s hearts, and few people can be truthful, tolerant, and forgiving. The situation will change only when there is a change of mindset.

People are becoming more skeptical each day. Even religious people, including Christians, are becoming agnostics on matters of faith and God.

Anger has become the bane of our social lives. The political landscape is violent and full of untruths. Propaganda holds sway in most political discourses. And negative attitudes are destroying the fabric of our societies. Unforgiveness is destroying the conscience of many people. Even some Christians are caught in the web, and most are reluctant to forgive wrongs.

Mindset is the power of self-realization and self-esteem. Our mental attitudes decide how we perceive things, how we believe in ourselves, and how we respond to challenges.

The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive, can challenge his or her crippled legs to climb the ladder of success and achieve results. The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive can challenge himself or herself to learn to paint with his or her mouth, despite having no hands. The visually impaired who has a strong and healthy mindset will not throw his or her hands up in despair but will forge ahead in the quest to become successful despite physical challenges. There will be no limitations. Our mental attitude towards life can make us do things that people will marvel. Either positively or negatively.

Jessica Cox was born with no arms, but she trained to become the world’s first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless back-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. She graduated in psychology and a minor in communications, drives a car without modifications, and has a scuba certification. According to Wikipedia, she has not used prosthetic arms since she turned 14.

She was in Ghana for a four-day motivational seminar in October 2011. The theme of her motivational seminar was “Just As You Are, Arise and Do Something.” Note that she was born without arms. Yet she is successful in many aspects of life while many people who have arms are languishing in poverty and begging for aid.

Neuroscience buttresses the statements in Ephesians 4:22-32 and Romans 12:2 that we can renew the spirit of our mind and transform ourselves to reach the best in life. We can learn to control our minds or develop our minds and achieve higher aspirations. Therefore, Ephesians 4:23-24 encourages us to change our mindset by renewing the spirit of our mind and become a new, or a transformed, personality.

You don’t have to remain mediocre in life. The Bible explains that God’s Spirit helps to transform our spirits and enables us to live in newness of life (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2).

Per neuroscience our behaviors are developed through repeated actions. Repeating an action will ingrain it in the brain to become a habit, or a characteristic. Furthermore, we deal with anger by controlling it. And we learn to control our anger by delaying action. Therefore, by repeating the action, we form the habit of controlling the anger.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32; NKJV)

Some people have the innate desire for evil. And when they are in positions of authority, they misuse their power and brutalize suspects in their custody. Some police and military personnel use torture to make suspects confess to crimes. That is not right. For even if suspects are guilty, the use of torture can erode the credibility of the confession.

Personally, I find it hard to believe confessions that are obtained through torture. Because people may confess when they can’t endure the pain.

The Bible exhorts us to be renewed in the spirit of the mind and learn to do what is right.

Don’t be upset when you fail in a venture or enterprise. Try again and you will succeed. Put your faith into action, and you will reach the height you envisage. It might take you longer to reach success because of the lack of financial resources. But remember that though the snail crawls slowly it gets to its destination.

Though money makes success easy, yet without money, you can still achieve success. If you have faith, time, good health, and determination you can also reach the top of the mountain. Others may have the means to fly easily and quickly to the top of the mountain, while you may not have the means to fly. However, you have faith, time, health, determination, and vision. Let your vision light your path to success.

No matter how big the project is, or how far out of sight it might appear, if you work step by step, you will reach your goal – your success. You may not have enough funds for the project, but you can still achieve your aim by working and saving a little at a time. Though it may take longer for you to reach the pinnacle of success, you will eventually get there.

Julia Carney wrote in her poem, Little Things, or Little Drops of Water, about how each effort matters, however little. Every little thing can change the situation, or even change the world.

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land. And the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. So, our little errors Lead the Soul away, From the paths of virtue, Far in sin to stray. Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above.” (Julia A.F. Carney’s Poem, Little Drops of Water).

I like the proverb that says, “You can eat a whole elephant if you take a bite at a time.” A daunting task can be done by taking a little at a time. You can eventually raise the money for your investment when you save a little at a time. So, eat that elephant by taking a bite at a time.

Have a change of mindset and press on toward the prize – your success – your goal. You will reach the goal if you persevere (Philippians 3:13-15).

Years that pass may redefine your vision into a new or different one. But your vision to be successful should not die.

Your spouse might have forsaken you, and friends may not believe that you can make it. Your resources may not be adequate. But you still have time, hands, legs, determination, and health. Your hard work, perseverance and hope will take you to your goal. Have a strong mental attitude and you will get there.

Life will not smile at you when you are striving to reach the top of the ladder. But don’t be angry when things do not go the way you want. Anger will not solve your problems.

You may be physically challenged, or you may lack resources. These can slow you down, but they should not stop you from reaching your goal. Do what is right, leave the rest to God, and all will be well.

It may take years to reach your goal, and the going will be tough and unpleasant. But God will see you through. Have the mindset to believe that no matter how poor you are, how young or old you are, whether you are male or female, God destined you to be a success in life. You can eat that elephant (poverty, illness, or whatever the challenge is). Just take a bite at a time. It might take a long time to finish eating it, but you will finish eating it if you don’t lose hope and if you don’t give up.

God was with the Children of Israel in the wilderness journey. Yet that did not stop enemies and the Devil from attacking them. They faced many challenges. There were times they did not get water to drink, or the water was bitter. But amid the challenges, God performed miracles.

The night may be very long and lonely. But if you live an honest life before God, Jesus will always be by your side and guide you. God searches our hearts and gives us what we deserve (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:6).

Don’t lose hope when help is delayed. It may take some time before your desire materializes. But “if you can believe, all things are possible…” (Mark 9:23). Be patient when learning perseverance. You won’t achieve success at a go. You must practice and repeat the actions till your mind and your body accept the new information you are feeding your mind.

Remember that you must take a step at a time. Repeat the actions until your mind accepts them. Whatever you are doing will need time. Initial stages are not pleasant. You might not see success at once. But if you practice your beliefs, your mind and body will gradually learn to adapt, and the rest of the journey, including the spiritual, will become easy.

It becomes easier as you continue working or practicing. The easier it becomes, the more flexible it becomes for the body to get used to.

Your brain adapts or changes in response to what you feed it. It reorganizes its structure or functions, as new information is fed into it. Therefore, Ephesians 4:22-24 instructs us to shed off our former conduct or way of behavior, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, by feeding the mind with new information on action or behaviors. In Ephesians 4:25-32, we are told to discard the negative behaviors and replace them with positive ones.

Practice, they say, makes perfect. Just as constant practice gives you dexterity in playing a sport, or in what you do, so also deliberate repetitions and practices are needed for new habits to become habitual and automatic. Therefore, Ephesians 4:28-32 tells us to feed the brain or the mind with positive thoughts of actions. The positive thoughts will stimulate positive actions. What we feed the mind is what will be acted on.

And so, as most people continue to feed on evil thoughts, so evil acts continue to engulf the world (Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 6:14; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-22).

No matter your age, you can change or learn a new attitude or habit. In Romans 12:2 we are encouraged to be transformed by the renewing of our minds to know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God so that we can practice and become new or transformed persons. Discard the old conduct and put on the new nature (Colossians 3:5-10).

You can achieve the height you aspire. Age is not a barrier. Joseph was 17 when he had the vision to become great. His family considered him too young (Genesis 37). But God proved Joseph right. He took Joseph out of prison, promoted him to be second to Pharaoh in Egypt, and used him to save the world from famine.

David was also considered by his family as fit only to tend sheep, but God anointed him to be King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:11-13). Moses was 80 years old when God commissioned him to lead the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. And he led them 40 years.

It is not only in the Bible that age does not pose a barrier. George Mueller, at 70, and resigning from the orphanage, embarked on a worldwide missionary tour. For 17 years he visited 42 countries until he was 87. He died at age 92. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She started painting seriously at the age of 78 when arthritis made her unable to embroider. She was a self-taught artist. Some of her works have sold as much as $1,360,000.

Neuroscience tells us that the brain can rewire itself and enable us to reframe our mindset. The ideas (or thoughts) we feed our brain change our mindset. If you feed your brain with thoughts of patience, endurance, perseverance, love, and goodness, your mindset will change and adapt to those behavioral thoughts. You will be renewing your mental attitude, or the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:22), to be conformed to the will of God (Romans 12:2).

What your mind accepts will become beliefs. If beliefs grow, faith increases. The mind adapts to the new thought patterns or behaviors you feed your brain. Your behavior changes or reshapes to the new patterns as you act on your beliefs.

God’s spirit activates his power in your spirit (Acts 1:8), enabling you to achieve your aims (Acts 2:4; Mark 16:17; Acts 19:6). And your actions lead to achievements.

God’s Spirit becomes your teacher and leads you into the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:12). God, who knows the mind of his Spirit, knows what you want because of God’s indwelling Spirit. Moreover, the Spirit makes intercession according to God’s will (Romans 8:27).

God who gives you the vision of what you can and should be, knows and understands your vision, even when other people do not understand. It is your vision. No one can understand it as you do, and no one else can have the passion for your vision more than you.

Alas, many will  read or hear this message but only a few will practice it. Many Christians believe and wish, but only a few actualize the power of the Holy Spirit. It is time to arise and actuate the power given to us by Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

God believes in you. Press on to success.

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