Carol J German

Everyone grows up living in an imperfect world. Sin has caused the imperfections that plague life, and a separation occurs between God the Creator and His creation; read Genesis 3. Because of this separation between a holy God and sin, God continues to have an audacious love for His people. No matter how far away people turn from Him, God constantly pursues every person to come back and follow Him.

“The time promised by God has come at last!” Jesus announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15) “Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” (Acts 2:38)

When you choose to turn from your sins and follow the Good News which is Jesus Christ, the trajectory of your life changes. You live by God’s standards now. The world lives one way, and believers now live another way. You could say, your whole anatomy changes when God enters your life.

The Bible gives clear descriptions of what a believer becomes when they grow and mature in Christ. One passage is Ephesians 4:17-32. Any change that occurs within you is from the hand of God. He is the Big Kahuna, the Boss in charge, the Sustainer who keeps life moving forward in both believers and non-believes alike. The stark difference you see between the two groups is believers live out Christ 24/7. They seem to live by a different beat, and their beat to non-believers sounds like an annoying gong. While one is heading to eternal separation from God, the other is united in love and will inherit eternal life.

The anatomy of a believer is characterized in these verses: 1. You do not live confused like non-believers who wander far away from God. A non-believer has a darkened mindset and a hardened heart. He is unable to receive truths from God. You will have clear direction and able to think clearly. 2. You are a student of Christ and have learned eternal truths. The Bible becomes your lifeline. 3. You continue to throw off your former way of life which is corrupted by lust and deception. You become aware of your selfish nature. Repentance is daily and you embrace it with joy for you know it will bring you closer to God. 4. Now, you are learning to let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. You become more and more like Christ, truly righteous and holy. 5. You stop lying. If the father of lies is Satan, you do not want any part of it. 6. You let God control the anger that brews within you. The enemy loves to use it against you. 7. Stop stealing. Become aware of all the subtle ways one can steal. 8. Work hard and give generously so God’s Kingdom can be built up. 9. Use your words wisely. Encourage others. 10. Do not bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit by the way you live. Your identity is Christ, and nothing else. 11. Let God work deep within you to wipe away all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander. Anything not from God is evil. 12. Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, and forgiving. God forgives you, you must be like Him.

The anatomy of a believer is to live as a child of Light.

To become like Christ, it takes a great deal of humility and work. Sin runs deep within you and the only way to eradicate it is to fully live fully surrendered to God. Prayer will get you there. Pray for God to change you. Give Him permission to enter into all areas of your heart and mind. Let Him do some housecleaning. While He is sweeping away sinful attitudes and actions, He will fill you with Himself. As you live each day in this manner, you will become more and more like Him. And then when you are working on you, God will lead you to pray for others. God begins in you before He has you pray for others.

When my children were very young, God taught me that you cannot lead another person spiritually if you are not there yourself. This fueled my desire to know God deeply, and He has blessed me because of it. My two children, as adults, are walking with Christ.

You are called by God to mature in Him. He is your identity. From there, He desires to use you to help others to mature in Him. If believers choose to stay immature, the Church suffers, and the Holy Spirit is held back from doing His thing. Faith becomes nothing more than spinning your tires in the mud going nowhere.

Let’s be about living as true believers who are experiencing deep spiritual maturity found in trusting God, believing Jesus, and living obedient to the Holy Spirit.