We may be made in the image of God but when we are first born again, most of us aren’t too God-like. We need cleaning up and that is definitely a process, one which won’t end until we get to heaven. Thankfully God doesn’t show us our faults all at once. He is gentle and kind and leads us a few steps at a time.

Change often starts with forgiveness. The Bible tells us that we must forgive others so God can forgive us! When we don’t forgive, we allow the other person to keep us in bondage. This can lead to bitterness and eventually cause disease. We don’t forgive because we feel like forgiving or because the other person deserves it, we forgive as an act of our will. When we obey God’s instruction to forgive, He releases us from our pain and helps us move on.

Declarations are another tool for changing us and/or our circumstances. These are statements that agree with God’s Word and will. Instead of complaining about the problem and speaking words of doubt and fear, we declare what God says about our situation. These are powerful tools for encouraging ourselves and bringing about the desired changes.

See the Part 3 list for more on this subject.

Scripture References:

Romans 5:8, John 3:17, Mark 2:17, Ephesians 4:32