Do you want to change and grow? Consider this scripture.
Your job is to pull up and tear down,
take apart and demolish,
And then start over,
building and planting. Jeremiah 1:10 MSG
At the beginning of most new work happening in an existing dwelling after the plan has been made of what needs to be done the next step is almost always .. demolition. That would be the ‘pull up and tear down’ stage of the work, and it is ALWAYS very messy and dirty. After that stage comes the careful work of taking apart things you might want to save and setting them aside, and then demolishing / throwing away those things you definitely do not want, and can’t sell or reuse. And THEN you can begin to go in a new direction of the building process. Building and planting / restoring integrity with new life and structure. This would include the application of a new color that the plan calls for, with all the new adornments being put into place at the end of the project.
So many think that they can just skip to the end without going through the entire process. Just painting over a deep systemic mold or rot will end in disaster, and is highly dishonest. Here the saying might be “just like putting lipstick on a pig”. The correct process will require some demolition and deep surgery, so that any of the bad discovered in the demo can be removed and replaced with sound materials.
What the Holy Spirit wants to do with us is continually grow us into the ‘plan’ the Father had for us when He created us at our very beginning. This will mean dealing with all the bad construction we’ve allowed to be put into our lives. It may mean discarding many things we may have grown to love. It may mean being willing to rethink a lot of perspectives we thought were right and connected our egos to. It may mean walking away from certain relationships that have been detrimental to your health and well being. It will require lots of change BEFORE He can guide you into the building process of your life. And it can get very messy, emotionally, relationally, and you could feel very discombobulated for a time. The building time could involve painful processes of learning new things, and having to stretch yourself in uncomfortable situations and ways.
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to change you? Are you even wanting to grow spiritually? Have you asked the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding? If you’ve said “yes” to any of those questions — then you will be taken through a process.
Do you know the Holy Spirit well enough to begin the process? Can you converse with Him as He leads you into uncomfortable lessons and tests? It’s crucial that you work with Him in building intimacy and good communication with Him, so that the work needed can get done.
Usually the work begins in the very core of us. That will be at the very heart of our character and mental thinking processes. (Galatians 5:22-24 / 2 Corinthians 10:4-6)
IF you’re still here (on earth)— that means there is still work to be done and things we can still grow into. (Philippians 1:21-25)