2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV “But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Mirror in 2 Corinthians 3:18 refers to the word of God.
The primary tool for transformation is the WORD OF GOD.
The man in the mirror is the man that has taken a position to consistently look in the mirror of the word of God. Such a man is deliberate, consistent and intentional about the word of God and he is not doing it carelessly.
No one should write a man off, the only man that does not have hope for transformation is the man that is not ready to submit himself to the authority in the word of God. That’s why we must also be careful with the way we treat people and the way we value people.
No one is irredeemable, no one is beyond the touch of God, no one is beyond an encounter.
And anytime the bible mentioned the word transformation or conformity, the next word is renewal.
There can’t be conformity or transformation without renewal.
And the tool for that transformation that brings that renewal that leads to transformation is the word of God. So there is power in the word.
Therefore the word of God can grow mightily/overwhelm a man and when that happens, it can actually prevail over the heart of man/situations.
The primary tool for transformation is THE WORD OF GOD.
We have two major categories of tools:
1) Primary tool which is THE WORD OF GOD. Hebrews 4:12.
The word of God is powerful, there is power, life, grace, wisdom in the word of God. The word of God carries so much grace and power that can transform life.
The word of God has the capacity to deal with situations. It can open up the intent of the heart; that is when situation comes before the word of God, the word of God has the ability to penetrate, such that the heart of men will receive light such that it will expose to us the reality of our life before our very eyes and the same word of God has the ability to transform.
Nothing can be hidden before the word of God. Psalms 29:3-11
The phrase “the voice of the lord” in Psalm 29:3-11 also means the word of God. In the word of God is his voice. So when we see the voice of the lord it is also the word of God. As we study scriptures the voice of the Lord can come to us.
The voice of the lord comes to us in a very unique and distinct way such that we hear differently. Meaning that we can be in the same gathering hearing the word of God and what we are writing are different from another because we are not hearing the same thing. What we have written is what we have heard and that is the word of God to us.
That is why sometimes when we listen to one message, one teaching, one teacher the same message and under the same atmosphere, God’s word is coming to us individually. What somebody can say he heard from that same message or teachings may be different. Automatically that becomes the voice of God to us.
So therefore, the understanding light of God that comes to us, sometimes meets us directly and it hits us. And the voice of God is the product of his word.
The voice of God is a product of his word and becomes a tool for transformation. No child of God or believer can claim transformation outside the word of God. God does not have too many things to work with.
The primary tool for transformation is the word of God. The rate of our conformity, is the function of our yielded ness to the word of God and interaction with the word of God. If you are a person that is deliberate and intentional about the word of God, the corresponding impact is transformation and conformity. It causes you to be aligned, shaped and structured. In Genesis we see that there was a void and when God spoke, where there was emptiness and void became full, and what was shapeless became structured.
You must understand that God does not do anything outside his word. God only reaches a man through his word because that is the only platform he has. There is nothing in your life presently that is not traceable to the word of God. Whatever is not yet in full manifestation in your life currently is a function of the fact that you have not given yourself to the word of God.
If a man is not growing spiritually it means he is not feeding on the right diet. The word of God has been likened to different things like fire, hammer, water, honey, two-edged sword, food, milk, strong bones. If a man is not praying and he needs to pray to come to a place of alignment, how will God do it? By regular meeting with his word.
As we behold as in a glass, we become. That “glass” is the word of God. This tells us that the basic tool for transformation is the word of God and you must be a covenant practitioner. The word of God comes in different directions.
When God has you in mind, the only way he can help you sometimes is by sending you to a program, sending you a book, or a message. It may be a little spark, and it then depends on what you do with it. You can work on it and it now becomes a great stream and becomes something great such that that revelation can change your life.
Most ministers have claimed they have had some encounters that formed the premise for that faith in God concerning some issues in their life, and it’s possible it was just a verse of the scripture that caused that. Some have claimed to encounter the supernatural just by studying the scriptures. This is to show that God does not do anything outside his word.
Everything a man can become is through his word. A man’s capacity is in his word. God does not have another system or method. That’s why when we get born again we have to give ourselves to learning and discipleship because that’s the only way we can become.
This is why we say the local church is important. It is a place of equipment. It is a place where we can be equipped. This is the place where to conform with time.
Some believers are not under such tutelage but under mundane and non-biblical ones.
This is why we must give attention to the word of God, deliberately and intentionally.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
This is in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose and actions.
It is given for instruction for teaching, correction for conformity in thought, purpose and actions.
The amount of the word a believer exposes himself to will determine how transformed and conformed he will be. The basic and the fundamental and the primary tool that God has put in place for transformation and conformity is the word of God.
The word of God is a powerful tool for transformation, equipping us for every good work. The word of God has been tried and tested. There is evidence of such. We have seen losers become worthwhile ones. We have also people who lacked direction gained it. We have seen the literal one illiterate who did not go to the formal school, the word of the Lord transformed them.
They stayed continuously with the word of God. This change cannot be known and cannot be suppressed. It is an inside out transformation.
The elders and the Pharisees saw something astonishing concerning Peter and John. They emphasised they had been with Jesus in spite of their being uneducated.
The transformation and the look of people that keep beholding the word of God become transformed. The makeover for the believer by the Holy Ghost has now rendered him or her composed.
When we keep beholding we are changed; made over by the Holy Ghost. The hand of GOD has rested on us in such a way and manner that man cannot remain the same again.
We don’t have Spiritual life , career life , market life (separated life’s) rather we have just one life in God and do everything we have to do with that life.
Hence people see the reflection of God in the things you do.
Our life in God affects everything, every area of our lives.
It causes total transformation ;(rebirth)transformation. It should be the reason you’re calm, gentle , considerate and not aggressive.
So, it’s a total transformation by the Holy Ghost; we receive boldness, we are not timid because. The Bible says He has not given us the spirit of fear but of boldness and of sound mind hence all of these things come together for us.
It brings about a consistent, better version of us every day.
It’s an internal reconfiguration taking place in us and all of these happens by the word of God.
Trouble and trials work out patience; it’s a tool for transformation(job said after He’s tried me I will come forth by gold).
The word is the major tool for transformation. Learning the word of God helps you to embrace wisdom for difficult situations.
When we have been stretched by God we don’t return back to the original state. Therefore the dealings we have endured made us a better version of ourselves. We went through the process to experience transformation.
God wants to change us. He wants to make us a channel for transformation. We can’t be salt and light indeed if we haven’t gone through this process.