How Does Facing the Truth Create a Defining Moment?

A defining moment can be a life-altering experience affecting how life is perceived from simplicity to profound truths. It’s as if a light has been turned on that penetrates an ever-dark crevice in your mind and soul. A defining moment is analogous to understanding something for the first time.

This happened to David when Nathan, God’s messenger, told him a story that illustrated a profound truth. It caused David to see himself as a thief who stole Bathsheba, with whom he had committed adultery. He then had her husband murdered.

Facing this truth was definitely a pivotal moment for David, which inspired Psalm 51. This Psalm was like an e-mail to God containing a confession of sin and heartfelt repentance. He promised to teach others about God’s mercy and forgiveness. This defining moment changed David’s self-centeredness by transforming him into “a man after God’s own heart.”

Can you imagine that?         

_________ 

I have sinned and done wrong since the day I was born. But you want complete honesty, so teach me true wisdom. Wash me with hyssop until I am clean and whiter than snow. Let me be happy and joyful! You crushed my bones, now let me celebrate. Turn your eyes from my sin and cover my guilt. Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.

~Psalm 51:5-10 Contemporary English Version

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Pursued by Troubles?

It seemed as if he were always looking over his shoulder for trouble that consistently pursued him. Minor troubles weren’t what plagued him, but major ones that threatened his very existence. Jacob’s attitude toward life was an open invitation to trouble even after God personally changed his name to Israel, which means "one who wrestled with God and prevailed."

Jacob's transformation was a progressive development. The Apostle Paul warns us "not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind." This indicates that transformation is an on-going process and does not prevent trouble from pursuing us.

Perhaps God uses troubles we must endure to bring to the surface hidden possibilities that lie dormant within us. Oliver Wendell Holmes was fond of saying, "Troubles create a competence for managing them." It is God's will that we mature and grow strong in faith, so we can serve Him and His church in a hostile world. God gives us strength to overcome and be victorious.
____________________

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. 
~ROMANS 12:2 The Living Bible

Break Free from Shame

Taking ownership means claiming possession, like after you purchase a home. This is comparable to taking responsibility for making amends to those who have been hurt by our conduct. Taking ownership implies that no one else is to blame for my behavior except myself. Therefore, I will make things right by taking responsibility to change my hurtful behavior.

Making amends parallels repenting for sins committed against God and others. Repentance implies turning away from sin and moving toward righteousness and wholeness. It signifies a willingness to be transformed into the person God intended for us to become.

If you’re willing to make amends, then shame and embarrassment that would keep you in bondage can be overcome and broken. Coming to Christ in true repentance gives you courage to seek forgiveness from God and from others who were hurt and offended by your deliberate actions and attitudes. You are then empowered by a clear conscience to embrace the life God has intended for you to live. 

Transformation? Praise, Don't Pout!

In the story of the Prodigal Son the father decided to acknowledge the demands of his younger son and give him his inheritance so he could leave home. The father yielded, knowing that the immaturity of his son could lead to disaster. The father was wise enough to know if he held on to his son, he would not have his son's commitment to lead a productive life. This son not only lost his inheritance but also came close to losing his life.

 

          When the son returned home broke, sick and ashamed, the father saw that a transformation had taken place. Gone were the arrogance, the self-centeredness and "I don't need you" attitude. Now there were humility, a sense of gratitude and a true repentant heart.

          The older brother refused to celebrate the transformation of his younger sibling. He chose to be angry and pout. Anger’s message in the older brother was, “All I’ve done is work to please my father and it means nothing to him.” The father's response to the transformation was like the angles who rejoice when a sinner repents and returns to God.

From Jealousy to Generosity

Even the noblest person is subject to jealousy when circumstances become threatening. To be generous and noble toward someone who is the object of jealousy requires sincere acts of generosity to diminish its power. Jealousy is shameful because its objective is another's misery, which violates God’s law to love one another.

          The motivation for overcoming jealousy and envy is to avoid thoughts and acts of malice. Malice is a state of mind that seeks pain, suffering and injury to others. These behaviors result in guilt, and guilt demands pardon and forgiveness. 

          To be liberated from jealousy and envy requires a process of being made new spiritually in one's mind. Only as you permit your mind to be transformed by the saving power of Christ Jesus can you experience being made new. The Apostle Paul instructed us to be imitators of Christ Jesus, meaning to give ourselves to others as Jesus gave himself up for us. 

A Bridge to Belonging

I’ve often wondered who was the first human to come up with the concept of building a bridge. Maybe that person got the idea from some acts of nature. Perhaps a tree had fallen across a stream making a natural bridge to the other side. Imagine using a rope bridge stretched across a great expanse of a mountain gorge as a means of travel.

 

Bridges have transformed cultures and landscapes. The Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge are two examples. It would be difficult to imagine what the scenery was like before they were constructed. Equally hard to compute is the impact these bridges have had on our society and the tourists who bask in their beauty.

Take a moment to consider how bridges are transformers. There are emotional and spiritual bridges that transform you from one perception of yourself to another. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a bridge designed to transport you from alienation to friendship with God. Faith in Christ is a bridge to newness of life and a godly purpose for living. 

Change Is Coming...Embrace It! - Part 2

Architecture and fashion are subject to change. Occasionally a person like Frank Lloyd Wright comes along and ushers in a revolution in architecture that others will follow and imitate. Jesus was an architect of change, bringing transformation that never ends within the heart, mind and soul of committed Christians.

I recently talked with someone involved in a relationship perceived as confining, like an emotional prison. Feelings of powerlessness, fear and depression in addition to anxiety made the future look bleak and hopeless. Sharing the truth of the situation and setting goals for change created an attitude of hopefulness and assurance.

Commitment to change is essential but must center around God’s specific purpose, which becomes apparent as his guidance and direction are clearly understood. Jesus told his disciples in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Realizing Jesus chose you is a confidence builder that change is forthcoming and good.  

Open Minds and New Ways - Part 3

The movie, The Winslow Boy is about a fourteen-year-old boy who was expelled from the British Royal Naval College after being accused of theft. The script presented a collision of values in British society and demonstrated the way each character dealt with facts and truth, as well as the nature of their core being that needed transforming.

Transformation awakens and creates values. Psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote, "Many problems disappear or could easily be resolved by staying in conformity with one's values. Honesty with oneself and clear knowledge of one's character are prerequisites to trustworthy moral decisions."

In the case of The Winslow Boy, justice was overridden by doing what was right, which demonstrated God’s mercy and kindness. Through God's grace and faith in Christ Jesus we are made righteous in God's sight. If you receive justice, what you deserve, what do you get?  We’re redeemed by God's righteousness, which gives us hope and determination to make choices pleasing to Christ Jesus.  

Open Minds and New Ways - Part 1

Tolerance does not come easy for some folks. In fact, tolerance may require total transformation by God’s redemption. An indication of spiritual transformation signals a change from being an enemy of God to becoming his friend. This makes way for developing new values that are compatible with God's values.

God's transforming power replaces a closed-minded attitude with an open mind that includes God’s love and purpose for ourselves and others. What seemed hopeless becomes possible because with God’s gift of tolerance we have peace and a developing attitude of confidence. Peace produces compatibility with God and a partnership with him to do his work in the world.

Tolerance gives evidence of a deepening love for God, a healthy love for others and an adequate love for self. It also produces a framework of personal conduct that affects the lives of others and encourages them to enter the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Sounds challenging, but exciting.