“I’ve been trying to dig deeper with God, learning His heart for me.”
As the holiday season comes to a close, probably many of us have been thinking about what it really means that Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth…what a crazy way for God to redeem the world! Hebrews 2 tells us that being human meant that He went through the same things we do. For this reason, He’s able to help us in the midst of our temptations and struggles. Not only that, He now stands before God and speaks on our behalf—and He isn’t ashamed to call us brothers! Jesus “tasted death for everyone.” In doing so, He defeated the power of death in order to free the world from slavery to sin. He’s the King of Everything!
Even if we know Jesus, all of life is us learning to manage the tension between who we are becoming as followers of Christ and who we used to be…. And we certainly see and feel the evidence of that all around us, don’t we? Transformation is a process.
We chatted with Michael from New York this week about how his life is undergoing that very process, in some miraculous ways! Michael didn’t get off to a great start, growing up in a spiritually dark environment. Because both his parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol, Michael spent time in several foster homes, one in which he suffered sexual abuse. He spent his teen years on the streets. He said, “I was not a good kid or a good person then.”
As he grew into adulthood, Michael began to search for his mother. He eventually got a job as a tattoo artist. One day, a man from Florida came into his shop and began to tell him about Jesus.
“Mike, please,” the man said, “I’m telling you, you need Jesus in your heart right now!” Little did Michael know, it was his mother’s boyfriend! Michael said, “This man came from Florida to New York and God sent him to me. That was a miracle!” Michael surrendered his life to Jesus.
This began a process of change, where the kingdom of heaven invaded every corner of Michael’s life, little by little. The transition hasn’t been perfect—Michael slipped back into drugs for a while and had a run-in with the law. But even in jail, God was calling to Michael’s heart, and Michael answered: “This is when I started talking to God and hearing His heart for me and telling me how much I was loved.”
“This is when I started talking to God and hearing His heart for me and telling me how much I was loved.” Click To TweetThe more Michael learns about who he is in Christ, how firmly he stands before God in Jesus, the more he is changed. He’s now walking with God. He made peace with his mom before she died, found a church to call home, and he is hungry for the Word. Michael found Pastor Daniel’s teaching on the Hillsong Channel about 3 months ago.
He said, “I’ve been trying to dig deeper with God, learning His heart for me. Daniel just impacted my heart and soul. I know that He was real, I could see it and feel it. This is how God is talking to me, He’s using His people! I really like Pastor Daniel and what He stands for, it has truly helped with my walk with Jesus!”
Is your life submitted to Jesus Christ today? Are you understanding more and more how much He loves you and desires to walk with you through even the dark parts of your life? Our prayer for you today is that you seek Him and see yourself be transformed, not by New Year’s resolutions, but by the King of Everything.