Change. We all resist it. I know I do. Even the person who thrives on thrills will cringe when someone tries to make them do something they dont want to do. We like to be the commander of our own destiny and we dont want someone else to tell us it’s time to go or to stay. We try to retain control of our own lives. It’s a fact that we may as well admit. I guess I’ll raise my hand first.

Yet, at the same time, isn’t change something we all crave? You and I both know the self-talk that turns on after we make a mistake or mishandle a situation. Our internal scolder starts low and then grows louder like a stereo turned up to the highest volume. We wish that we were different, that we had handled it better. We want to succeed next time. We want to change. That’s the kind of change that everyone wants but no one seems able to make happen. We find ourselves making the same mistakes and mishandling the same people. We try, but are unable to truly love the people we most want to love. We’re caught in a never-ending cycle of failure. Not necessarily the kind of failure everyone else recognizes, but, when we are honest with ourselves, we know it and we want to be different. We want to change.

As believers, we often talk about the power of the Holy Spirit.What most people mean when they talk about the power of the Holy Spirit is usually some miraculous manifestation. We want to see “mighty works.” We want to see the supernatural, stupefying, stupendous. Sometimes I wonder if we reallly want to see the Holy Spirit or if we are looking for a magic show. “Be amazed as the Holy Spirit performs this powerful visible act!” Like the people who followed Jesus just to see Him multiply bread again, do we seek after the external works of the Holy Spirit rather than His internal work in our lives? There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is still at work today in miraculous manifestations of the power of God. I firmly believe that He is moving  in miraculous ways and wants to continue to do so. But are we missing a work of the Holy Spirit that is just as amazing? Are we missing the work of the Holy Spirit as He takes broken, self-centered, unloving, failing lives and transforms them into victorious reflections of Jesus?

When the miraculous occurs the Holy Spirit has one goal: to glorify Jesus (John 16:14).That is the Holy Spirit’s primary function. New Testament instances of the miraculous caused people to marvel and give God glory. Is that what happens today? Sometimes. But too often, the miracle itself is glorified and the person who prayed for the miracle gets more attention than God Himself. People look at the external change and rejoice. They stop at the seen, but the Holy Spirit is unseen and works in the unseen as well.

The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by taking what is His and delivering it to us. How miraculous is that?!

God wants to do miracles through you and through me. The Holy Spirit that worked through first century believers like John and Peter and Paul is the same Holy Spirit in 21st century believers. What they were able to do, we are able to do. Those things are the work of the Holy Spirit, but if Jesus is not glorified as a result then it is not His goal we are working to accomplish. As He works through you and me, His goal is still that Jesus be glorified. He wants to empower us to perform the miraculous by giving to us the same power that belongs to Christ, but He also wants to glorify Jesus by taking of His character and giving it to us. When we exhibit the evidence of the Spirit’s fruit in our lives, the character of Christ, then we bring glory to Jesus.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Christ then we experience the change that we seek in our deepest heart. The transformation of any human being’s selfish character to reflect the loving character of Christ is nothing short of miraculous. Isn’t that the change we most long for? Isn’t that the change that will most satisfy us? We ask God to change our circumstances with miracles, but new situations arise that cause us to call on Him again. Those changes don’t bring rest and satisfaction. When we give the Holy Spirit room to work in our character, we experience the change that we seek most. We allow Him to take what belongs to Jesus and give it to us, then we respond more like Jesus and we bring Him glory. That’s the source of true satisfaction. That’s a mighty demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power. Are you ready for a miracle?

Key thought: The most miraculous work of the Holy Spirit is a changed life.

A Scripture to consider:  “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.” 2 Corinthians NLT

A YES challenge: Where do you most want to change? Ask the Holy Spirit to transform you to reflect the Lord’s glory in that part of your character.

Prayer: Lord, You know me better than I know myself. You know where I most struggle to retain control and you know where I most need to change. I just can’t do it on my own. I need you Holy Spirit to change me from within. Let my goal be to glorify Jesus just as it is Yours. Amen.