TRANSFORMATION: THE PROCESS

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. [KING JAMES]

Transformation: To change in condition, nature, or character

John 12:24 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest. [AMPLIFIED]

God is orchestrating this dying process to facilitate your transformation. There are attitudes and behaviors that through life you have adopted as being right. It may be right with man, but God is saying no.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death [KING JAMES]

You can dress it up and make it sound good. You even justify it, but the motivation behind it is not of God. Sometimes your good is evil spoken of because it isn’t coming from a pure place. You operate from that hurting place, that rebellious place, that rejection place, that broken place, and it must die. Anything that you give birth to that is out of God’s will, plan, and purpose for your life, must yield to Him when He becomes Lord of your life. IT HAS TO DIE. When Isaac showed up, Ishmael had to flee. That’s the purpose of your transformation process. It will change your perspective, and you will give birth to a new and improved you.

While you are in your transformation, there are some elements that go to work on you. the Word is the soil that you are planted in to begin your transformation process. The Word begins the process of cleansing, healing, delivering, quickening, strengthening, developing, and prospering you. Once you get in the Word, you must yield to a life of prayer.

• Prayer develops your relationship with God. Keys to answered prayer are:

• Prayer must be in accordance with His will

• Prayer must be offered in faith

• Prayer must be in the Name of Jesus

• Prayer is best when it is guided by the Holy Spirit

Developing a life of prayer during your transformation process will yield a lifetime of benefits for you.

• Fellowship is developed

• Focus is maintained

• Faith is released

• Favor is obtained

Another element is Praise and Worship. The definition of praise is to express strong approval or admiration for someone or something. It means to glorify, magnify, exalt, or honor. The transformation process is used to reacquaint you with God renewing your knowledge through experiencing Him. Once you become familiar with Him again the aim of your praise will change.

Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. [KING JAMES]

TO PRAISE IS TO GIVE VALUE. Before Him there were things that you valued over Him because you didn’t know Him. When you praise, you are putting God first. You are celebrating Him focusing your thoughts on His majesty and power. Your praise is genuinely born out of your relationship with God. Your prayer life develops your relationship and your praise expresses it. Your praise can always be heard and seen because your passion for God is evident in your expression of love, adoration, and appreciation.

Psalm 66:8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: [KING JAMES]

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; [KING JAMES]

• Peculiar (Greek: Peripoiesis) – preservation – obtain, purchased, possession

• Should – must, ought (used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency)

Therefore, Praise is to be an everyday part of life. It should not just be when you have an audience or some help. It shouldn’t just be done when all is going well. Remember, you are in your transformation process, and things will get challenging, painful, and disappointing as change is taking place. No matter what is happening, there is one thing that will never change. Malachi 3:6 says “For I am the Lord, I change not;..” God will never change. He is immutable. Therefore, God is worthy of your praise in the best of times, the worst of times, and all the tedious moments in between.

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. [KING JAMES]

The Power of Praise

Your praise brings Him on the scene.

There is power in your praise. Praise invites God into your day giving Him the opportunity to get into your environment where He can touch your life. While you are waiting for the manifestation, challenges will come. When you relinquish your will and praise Him however the Holy Spirit leads you, you will find that His presence is the only place you want to be. It is the only place where you can find everything you really need.

Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. [KING JAMES]

Inhabitest (Hebrew:Yashab) – to sit down, to remain, to abide

You need Him to come on the scene, and one way to get Him there is your praise. He sits in your praise. It becomes His dwelling place. Remember, He is King. A King never leaves His throne behind. He brings everything with Him.

Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. [KING JAMES]

Praise ignites your faith.

Romans 4:20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, [AMPLIFIED]

Faith comes by hearing. Faith is ignited in praise, and faith is released in prayer. Praise is like adding fuel to the fire. You won't waiver or doubt His promises if you praise Him during the challenge because your praise will keep you in expectation.

Praise moves the hand of God. (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17-21)

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. [KING JAMES]

Sometimes God will reveal the plan of the enemy to you. He doesn't want you to fight. He wants you to watch Him fight for you. When He has not released you to handle it physically, then you deal with it in your praise.

2 Chronicles 20:22 2 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. [KING JAMES]

Your part is to praise Him. His part is to provide. Let’s flood the earth with praising and honoring Him. Whatever you give a voice to, you empower. You authorize and call it into action. This virus is not the new normal. Wearing masks and not being able to fellowship with each other is not the will of God. Let’s call Healing into action by Praising our Healer. Let’s call Favor into action by Praising the giver of Grace and Mercy. Let’s call Provisions into action by Praising our Provider.