When God raised up His servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. -Acts 3:26 NIV
Don’t be misled; don’t believe that you can turn from your wicked ways on your own. God blesses you by turning you from your wicked ways – it’s not the other way around! Apart from Christ you will remain in your flesh and its wicked ways.
Too many Christians are misled into believing that their “good” behavior is a blessing to God. God isn’t impressed by our works. We cannot produce Spiritual fruit on our own; therefore, we cannot produce anything that would be of value to God. We need Him to do the Spiritual work in us; we need to abide in Him if we want Spiritual fruit in our lives.
You must understand that His Word is full of His promises to you – promises for your behavior, your thoughts, your words, and much more! Instead of looking at the Word as a rule book, look at it as God’s loving promise book. For example, when you read about treating others according to love, don’t look at it as a challenge or something you must accomplish if you want God to be happy with you; look at it as a promise you can count on – if you will abide in the Word of God you will love others and treat them right. The opposite is also true; however, if you ignore the Word you will never walk in love. You cannot adjust your behavior to fit into the mold of the Word; only God can transform you into His image.
Written by Stephanie M. White
