🕊️ Sermon Summary: Transformed by the Spirit of God

This week, we were blessed to hear from our speaker, Erica Lugg, as she continued our series on "Life in the Spirit" with a powerful message titled "Transformed by the Spirit of God."

Erica's message focused on the profound promise of transformation found in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.

The message centred on 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV):

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all who with unveiled faces, when we contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 

Erica first set the scene by explaining that the "veil" Paul refers to is no longer needed because of Jesus' sacrifice. The barrier that once separated people from God’s glory, as with Moses' veiled face in Exodus 34, is now removed for all who turn to the Lord. This means everyone can freely come into God's presence and encounter His glory.

Erica explored the question: What does it mean to be transformed?

God transforms us because He is restoring His original image in us.

Erica used the moving story of Little Ted, Liz Patton's rescue dog, to illustrate the nature of the Holy Spirit's work.

While the Spirit sustains and completes the work, we have a role to play:

Erica concluded by encouraging us to listen to the words of our own hearts to discern our mind's "slant" and to surrender those worldly mindsets to God, committing to be transformed to be like Jesus.

 

Transcript

We pray. Amen.

Good morning, everybody.

Really good to see you all.

We're continuing in our theme.

My microphone is at the hem of my jumper.

There's always a drama with this when I'm speaking, isn't there?

There's always something I haven't done.

There we go. Is that better?

Great, okay.

Good morning, everybody.

Great.

It's good to see you all again.

We're following our series on being in life in the Spirit.

We've looked at what it means to be led by the Spirit,

the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit,

and there'll be more of that coming as we go on in the next few weeks.

But the title of my message this morning is

Transformed by the Spirit of God.

And we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18,

if you've got your Bibles on you,

or this is a great opportunity to get out your phone,

and you could even pretend to be on games.

And people will think you're reading the Bible.

Except the Holy Spirit sees, you know.

He sees everything.

Just saying.

So 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18,

and I'm going to be using the NIV version.

Karen mentioned last week about using different versions of the Bible,

which I like doing,

but the NIV uses a word here that I think is really important.

Now, before I come to reading that scripture,

I want to kind of set the scene a little bit,

because we've kind of arrived at the end of,

or in the middle of, Paul's thoughts to the church in Corinth.

And if you want to know more about the church in Corinth,

you can look that up in Acts chapter 18.

So they were a vibrant church, a passionate church,

but also they were a bit of an immature church.

And although they loved Jesus,

they were easily swayed by all the different snazzy teachings

that were coming up.

And so what Paul is doing is establishing a foundation,

and that's where we come to.

And before we get to our verse this morning,

Paul is reminding the people

about an encounter with God that Moses had

back in Exodus 34.

So those of you that will remember

where Moses fits into the picture,

if you don't, Exodus 34 and the chapters before

will fit you in.

But Moses goes up Mount Sinai,

he has this incredible encounter with God,

separate to the people that he's leading,

and God's glory shone so brightly on him

that as he comes down from Mount Sinai,

that glory is radiated all over his face.

And there is this veil that covers the glory of God

to protect the people from the shine,

but also so that the people couldn't see

the glory of God fading,

because that's what happened.

And what Paul is saying before we come to our scripture

is that that veil, that protection isn't needed anymore.

That with Jesus,

there isn't an elite bunch of people

that can encounter God,

and those that weren't elite

that just got the ends of everything,

but all of us,

we can come freely into the presence of God

and encounter his glory freely

because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

That when we turn to Jesus,

he removes everything that blocks us

from truly seeing him,

and that's the work of the Holy Spirit.

With me so far?

Okay.

Thank you, Cornelius.

I'm looking out for your amens there,

the rest of you.

Okay.

So, 2 Corinthians 3, 16 to 18 says this.

Paul is saying to the people,

but whenever anyone turns to the Lord,

the veil is taken away.

What's the criteria?

Whenever anyone turns to the Lord,

the veil is taken away.

This thing that separates, this barrier.

Now, the Lord is the Spirit,

and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom.

Now, you can read it the other way on

that says if the Spirit of the Lord

is not involved,

whatever we are experiencing

is not freedom.

Looks like freedom,

masquerades of freedom,

but where the Spirit of the Lord is,

that is where there is true freedom.

Good so far?

Good.

And we all who with unveiled faces,

these are the people that have turned to the Lord.

Nick, if I could have a glass of water,

that would be really good.

Thank you.

We all who with unveiled faces,

when we contemplate the Lord's glory,

so contemplate means to behold,

to look upon,

to think upon,

to be at the presence of,

are being transformed into his image

with ever increasing glory,

which comes from the Lord,

who is the Spirit.

Verse 16 is the promise.

Whenever anyone turns to the Lord,

the veil is taken away.

So if you have given your heart to Jesus,

and you have opened your life to him,

God removes the veil,

that barrier is taken away,

which means we have the opportunity

not only to see God,

to encounter his glory,

but for that glory then to be reflected out of us

to the people around.

Which is great news.

Paul says,

we all can see and reflect the Lord's glory.

This is not just for spiritual elite,

this is for all of us.

And then he goes on to say,

the Lord is the Spirit.

And I just want to...

Is this yours, Roland?

Yeah.

It's in my space.

I nearly drank it.

Is there vodka in there?

Just checking.

The Lord is the Spirit.

It's important to remember

that the Holy Spirit is not an it,

or a force,

or a vibe,

or a thing,

or an emotion,

or a tingle down the spine,

or a moment in the church service.

The Lord is the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.

He is God himself in our presence,

here with us today.

He's a person.

So we all,

who with unveiled faces,

contemplate or look upon the Lord's glory,

we are being transformed into his image

with ever-increasing glory.

And that is the verse

that I want us to kind of look at today.

And there are four questions

that I want us to ask.

I want us to ask what it means

to be transformed.

I want us to ask the question,

why are we being transformed?

How does it work?

And when does it happen?

And then,

I also want to ask the question,

what does that mean for me

tomorrow morning,

Monday morning,

at work,

Tuesday morning,

in the middle of all the things

that I'm going through?

What does this scripture mean for me?

And how do I apply it to my life?

So,

some translations,

we're going to ask the question,

what does it mean to be transformed?

Some translations use the word changed.

We are being changed.

But I feel that that is really

a very weak word.

Because we change clothes

all the time,

don't we?

We change appearance all the time.

Cut our hair,

grow our hair,

dye our hair.

Some of you haven't got any hair.

That's okay.

But we change things all the time.

I'm a different person

to how I was

when I was a lot younger.

There's a lot about change

that I can do myself.

But the scripture here

is talking about transformation,

which is a deeper thing.

In fact,

the Greek word

is the word metamorpho,

which is the word

that Paul uses

in this translation,

which is where we get

the word metamorphosis.

Is that how you pronounce it?

Metamorphosis.

When you say that word,

what does it remind you of?

Caterpillar and butterflies.

Okay.

Thank you very much

because that's in the notes.

Ten points for Jules over there.

It's the same word

that we use to describe

what happens to a caterpillar.

Now, a caterpillar starts small.

It crawls around

on its belly on the ground.

It is incredibly limited.

It has a very limited lifespan.

And then there comes a moment

when it spins a cocoon

and then something incredible

happens inside the cocoon.

Any of you

that have done biology before,

what happens inside that cocoon

to that caterpillar?

It dissolves.

It does what?

It dissolves.

It dissolves.

It mulches down

into an unrecognisable blob of something.

It's good, isn't it?

A blob of something.

Very technical.

Every single cell changes.

Thank you.

Every single cell changes.

It's the same word.

It's the same word in here,

the transformation.

And it becomes unrecognisable.

And in the process of the cocoon,

where every single cell is broken down,

something is then reformed

or reborn,

and out comes...

Thank you.

Out of the cocoon comes a butterfly.

It doesn't come

and become a caterpillar with wings.

Because that's what change does, isn't it?

When we change ourselves,

we become caterpillars with wings.

But what God is speaking about here

is that the old has gone,

the shape of the caterpillar,

all of that is gone.

And out of this cocoon

is reborn something completely brand new

because every single cell

has been broken down.

And out comes this thing

that we call a butterfly.

And which is the thing

that we ooh and ah at

when we see?

Do we ooh and ah at the caterpillar

or do we ooh and ah at the butterfly?

It's the butterfly.

And it somehow becomes

from this grovelling on the ground

kind of creature

to this beautiful,

unlimited,

expansive

life of freedom

that this butterfly has.

I remember once...

Was it you or was it Aidan?

We went to...

Oh, no.

When I was a TA in a school,

went to the butterfly farm in Cleethorpe.

Have you ever been in there?

And we walked into the butterfly house

and a butterfly landed on...

His name was Charlie, actually.

A little boy's Charlie's head.

And one of the kids said,

Oh, look, Charlie,

there's a butterfly on your head.

And he went...

That's just a bit of an aside.

It's nothing to do with the scripture.

No one's going to start

whacking you on the head

or anything like that.

It's just a...

Okay.

So, and that's the Holy Spirit work in us.

When we turn to Jesus,

he begins to transform us

from the inside out.

He breaks down the cells.

He mulches us into something,

bit by bit,

so that out of it comes this new creation.

That's what it means to be reborn.

God's vision is not that we become

better versions of ourselves.

I have to admit that I've used that

in some of my evangelistic spiel

and said, you know,

what God wants to do is to make you

kind of the best version of yourself.

God knows.

He's breaking everything down

and transforming us completely,

not into caterpillars with wings,

but into butterflies.

Isn't that amazing?

Okay.

So that's the first question.

That's what it means to be transformed.

We are not being edited

or adjusted

or tweaked

or...

improved.

We are being changed.

We are being transformed

from one degree of glory to another.

So why does God want to transform us?

And to answer that question,

which is point number two,

we have to go back to the beginning.

In the beginning,

God made mankind in his own image.

No other creature on the face of the earth

is made in the image of God.

No other creature.

We are completely different

to the rest of God's creation.

We were made in the image of God.

And you have that wonderful picture

of God walking in the garden

with his creation,

those that were made

in the image of him.

And in that relationship,

because of that uniqueness of it,

it was shame-free

and blame-free

and sin-free

and peace and joy

were natural.

Can you imagine a world

where peace and joy

comes naturally to us?

Put your hands up this morning

if peace and joy

flow naturally out of you

all the time.

David,

I'm going to ask Jen.

I'm going to ask Jen.

She's my friend.

She'll tell me.

But imagine that,

where peace and joy

flow naturally.

That's what the relationship

used to be like.

And that is because

we were made

in the image

of our creator.

So there was that

natural sense of relationship.

and then we all know

the story

that a lie was told

and a lie was believed

and humanity,

we weren't content

to be like God.

We wanted to be God himself

and so all of that.

And basically,

what happened in that moment,

it was as if somebody

came along

with hot tar

and threw it

up against

that beautiful relationship,

up against that image

of God

that was in us.

And then

that relationship,

the natural flow

of joy and peace,

shame free,

sin free,

all of that

was destroyed.

And that is because

the image of God

in us

became broken

and damaged.

Still with me?

Okay.

And that natural relationship

was shattered

and separation

came.

Now,

before Adam and Eve

ever knew how to even

ask for forgiveness

or ask for a way back,

we already see God

beginning his restoration

process,

process,

don't you?

And that's why

you can see Jesus

all the way through

the Old Testament.

So,

we were made to bear

God's image

but sin covered

the image with self

and when the spirit

comes along

to transform us,

he is not

improving us,

he is restoring

or reforming

or reborning

the image

of Jesus

in us

that was there

right back

at the beginning

of time.

because he's not

changed his mind,

he's actually saying

I want it back

the way it was,

I want you to know,

I want you to experience

what it means

to live

in the natural place

of joy

and peace

and relationship

with God.

Ezekiel 36,

26 says this,

I will give you

a new heart

and put

a new spirit

in you

and that's

the difference

between costume

Christianity

and spirit

transformation

because we all

can wear costumes

can't we?

We all

do wear costumes.

I know

that it's a gift

that I've learnt

over many years

how to put a costume

on

but that's the difference

between costume

Christianity

and spirit

transformation.

We can change

our image,

what we look like

on the outside

but only God

can transform

the identity

within us

and I don't want

to live

from a place

of costume

Christianity,

I want to know

day by day

what it means

to live the identity

of Christ,

Jesus in me,

Christ in me,

the hope

of glory.

That's why

we need

power.

Not self-help

or how

to be

a better

person

podcast.

Those things

are good

because they

help us

to manage

habits

but they

can't

make us

new.

They polish

the outside

but only

the Holy Spirit

can change

the inside

of who we are.

In fact,

we can't

change the

inside

of who we are

and we're

arrogant

if we think

we can

somehow

change

the core

of who we are.

You can read

every book

and still

feel stuck

because

information

is not

transformation.

That's why

we need

power.

The world

offers tips

but the Spirit

offers transformation.

The world

will give us

advice

but God

is the only

one

that gives

us

power

and the

only one

that gives

us freedom

through the

Holy Spirit.

Now I want

to tell you

a story

this morning

about a dog.

If I could

have his

picture up

here.

Oh, I knew

that would get

you.

Do you know

who he is?

Little Ted.

His name

is Little Ted.

So I kind

of want to

use this story.

He's really

had a huge

impact on me.

This story

to try and

give us

a bit of

an idea

of what I

mean.

So all

of you

know Liz

Patton.

Yes.

So this

is Liz

Patton's

dog.

And by

the way

I have

asked

permission

to put

him up

on screen

this morning.

He's allowed

to be

streamed by

the way.

It's all

right.

We've got

permission.

Now Little

Ted was a

rescue dog

until about

two years

ago.

And two

years ago

I had the

privilege of

going to the

rescue center

to meet him.

And Liz

and I took

him out for

a walk and

immediately

could see

that he was

an incredibly

anxious and

fearful dog.

You could

tell from

his behavior.

And also

really reactive

to other

dogs.

Really I've

never seen

anything quite

like him and

his response.

And all you

could imagine

was what has

he experienced

in his little

life to have

got to the

stage where he

was such a

distressed and

sad to say

trauma.

So sad.

Is that the

word?

Trauma?

I can't.

And when we

went to the

shelter and

inquired about

him, Liz

obviously had to

go away and

make up her

mind.

And so she

said to the

owner of the

shelter, do

you mind if I

let you know on

Friday?

I think this was

probably Wednesday.

And the woman

said, oh don't

worry about it,

let me know

any time because

nobody wants

him, he'll

still be here.

I know,

doesn't it

pull on your

heart strings?

And I

didn't say a

word to Liz,

I thought I

can't say

anything, I

can't even

look at her

and went to

where I

thought because

my heart was

already like

well I can't

leave him

behind.

Anyway, within

just a few

hours Liz had

decided that

she was going

to have him

and I don't

know that

whether or not

at the very

beginning of

having him she

thought maybe it

had been a

mistake because

he was

incredibly,

incredibly

difficult dog

because of

what he'd

gone through.

Anyway, I

had this idea,

I said I

know what

will help

him and

because he's

reactive to

other dogs

and he's

scared of

other dogs,

I'm going to

introduce him

to Max.

Oh.

He died in

January.

Oh.

Max is like

a big

baluba bear,

just a real

big therapy

dog,

everybody loved

him,

in fact when

he died in

January the

condolences I

received were

just,

everybody loved

Max and I

thought I know

what I'll do,

I'm going to

invite Liz and

little Ted over

and we're going

to introduce

little Ted to

Max and

there's going

to be this

huge,

just like this

amazing

transformation as

little Ted

comes into

contact with

Max.

What a

brilliant idea

you've had

Erica and

Liz was saying

to me all the

time,

do you think it

will work?

And I'm

going,

absolutely it

will work.

First of all

it's my idea

and my ideas

generally work,

isn't that

right Nick?

Yeah.

And also

we're talking

about Max

here,

I mean,

and she said

to me,

are you sure?

And all the

way in the

car,

yeah,

yeah,

I'm absolutely

sure.

So we

pulled up to

the house and

little Ted

started barking

in response to

Max and then

we put them out

in the garden

together and

guess what?

It was a

disaster.

It was an

absolute

disaster.

It was utter

chaos.

With this

gentle giant

here ending

up with

little Ted's

head in his

mouth.

And it

was not

friendly.

And I

think the

only reason

that Max

didn't come

out without

any marks

is because

little Ted

has got no

teeth.

But it

was absolute

chaos.

Now I

have thought

about this

a lot.

That

actually

although it

was kindly

motivated,

it was

incredibly

arrogant of

me to

think that

a dog that

had been

through

everything that

little Ted

had could

be fixed in

a moment by

one of my

bright ideas.

Now you

all know I'm

a bit of a

fixer.

That's how I

work.

I like to

fix.

And if I

can't fix,

I get

frustrated.

Now I

want you to

move on two

years.

And Isla

knows this.

Two years

on little

Ted has

been at

Liz's and

he's not

perfect.

but he's

a completely

different dog.

And it

wasn't Max

that did it.

It was Liz

who took

the long

view.

Faithful,

consistent

love,

discipline,

security,

acceptance,

boundaries,

and the

determination

that said,

and I

admire her

for it,

she said,

no matter

what,

you are

my dog.

And that

has been

a faithful

commitment

over two

years.

What I

thought I

could fix

in a

moment,

Liz has

with her

faithful

commitment

to this

dog over

two years

begun and

is continuing

a transforming

work in

this dog.

Now he's

not perfect

but I

tell you

what,

he's a

million miles

better than

he was.

And I

just want

to encourage

you because

that's what

the Holy

Spirit does

in us.

He is

working

Jesus in

me.

And it's

not a

one-time

fix.

I didn't

say the

sinner's

prayer and

suddenly all

the issues

that I

deal with

or all

the issues

that are

as a

result of

my broken

character,

they're not

dealt with

in a way

abracadabra

but a

steady,

patient

transformation

from the

inside out

and out

working of

the Holy

Spirit in

me.

Yes,

Amen.

I looked

back as

part of

this message,

I looked

back and

saw what

God has

been doing.

So he

goes on to

say it's

changed from

one degree

of glory

to another.

I want

to encourage

you that

small degrees

are still

a work of

the Holy

Spirit.

We celebrate

the big

jumps,

don't we?

Wow,

look how much

that person

has changed.

But then we

often look at

ourselves and

yeah,

but look at

me,

I'm really

rubbish at

this or

what is

God doing?

Celebrate

the small

things that

the Holy

Spirit is

doing in

you and

then don't

despise the

small things

that the Holy

Spirit is

doing in

someone else.

Are you

still with

me?

Okay, so it's

the power of

the Holy

Spirit,

aware of

time.

When does

transformation

happen?

When?

Well, it

starts the

moment the

veil is

removed, the

moment we

surrender to

God.

In fact, that

in itself is a

work of the

Holy Spirit.

To be able to

see is a

work of the

Holy Spirit.

But then the

Bible goes on

to say that

he who began

a good work

in you will

carry it

on to

completion.

There's the

promise, he

will do it.

Completion, there's

the fulfilment.

When we stand

before Jesus on

that day, we

will be like

him in

entirety.

But in the

process, we are

being changed.

The Spirit began

it, he sustains it,

and he completes

it.

Good with

that.

So now we

know what, and

we know why, and

we know how, and

we will know when.

What does that

mean?

If the Spirit does

it all, does

that just mean we

get to sit around

and go, Holy

Spirit, change

me?

No, we

don't.

The Bible says

in that

scripture, it

says, those who

contemplate, behold,

look upon, they're

the ones being

transformed.

In Romans 12,

2, it says, do

not conform to the

pattern of this

world, but be

transformed by the

of your mind.

Paul is not

talking about

gaining more

information.

He's not saying

we should all go

home and read a

concordance.

Information is not

transformation.

But we do all

have mindsets.

We all lean

towards something,

and the Bible

says either we are

conforming to the

world or we are

being transformed.

There is no

neutral ground.

So either we are

leaning into the

spirit and we are

allowing him to

change us, or we

can have a lean

into things of the

world.

And he's talking

about mindsets.

And so when we are

thinking about the

renewal of our

minds, we are

thinking about what

position has my

mind taken?

What is the

posture or the

lean or the

attitude of my

mind?

If it leans

towards the

things of the

world, we will

by nature be

conformed to the

patterns of the

world.

But if we, with

unfilled faces,

contemplate his

glory, lean into

the spirit, then he

is faithful to

begin that work

within us.

Still with me?

Minds are never

neutral.

Sometimes they

lean our minds

towards fear or

self-reliance or

pride or negativity

or shame.

That's just some.

That's the pattern

of the world.

But when the

Holy Spirit renews

our mind, he

wants to straighten

our lean so that

we lean into him.

So instead of

fear, we begin

to trust.

I'm learning that

a lot when I have

one of my children

on tracker.

They've allowed me

to have them on

tracker.

But when that

little green thing

stops flashing and

it's three o'clock

in the morning and

and they're no

longer, you know

what I'm talking

about, right?

They're no longer

live and you, last

time they were

connected to the

internet was 20

minutes ago and

it's three o'clock

in the morning and

they're in the middle

of Luton coming out

of the airport

walking.

My mind in the

middle of the night

goes down the road

of fear.

As natural as

that.

And I'm learning,

last night,

learning to drag it

back.

And say, I trust

you, God.

I trust you.

My mind has a

lean towards fear.

My mind can have a

lean towards grumbling

if I'm not careful.

But the Holy Spirit

wants to lean me into

an attitude of

gratitude.

As you can see with

Max, my mind has a

lean towards pride

instead of humility,

thinking I could fix

something.

It can lean towards

despair instead of

hope.

Or rebellion instead of

obedience.

Or criticism instead of

compassion or worry

instead of worship.

Am I the only person

in this room?

Yeah, let's be honest

here.

Come on.

Renewal isn't about

knowing more, but it

is learning to think

differently.

And that's what the

Bible says.

So, we need to

position ourselves.

We position ourselves

to contemplate him,

to think about him,

to look over him,

to have our minds

changed by his truth,

and allow him to

renew our minds

in order that the

transforming work of

the Holy Spirit can

continue freely.

I'm going to ask the

musicians if you could

come back for me.

Please.

How do you know

if your mind is

leaning in the

right direction?

And let's say,

just begin to play

something.

I'm going to ask us

to respond.

Because maybe you've

realised this morning

that you do have a

slant towards

something

of a worldly

pattern of thinking,

a mindset,

an attitude.

Maybe your mind

automatically goes

towards fear or

control.

My mind goes

towards control

or pride or worry.

And the way

I think about it

is, or the way

I discern it

in my own life

is to listen

to the words

that I use.

Because you know

that out of the

abundance of the

heart, the mouth

speaks.

And when we speak,

not when we speak

to our friends

and we're putting

on a costume,

but when we speak

in the privacy

of our own hearts,

what are the words

that we use?

Because that will

tell us which way

we are slanted.

Do I talk

about Jesus

but really and

truly I trust

myself?

Or maybe

you can tell

because peace

is not the norm

for you,

it's the exception.

We've been called

to a life of peace

and part of the

transformation of our

minds and of our

lives is to recognise

that we are

completely safe

in him.

That's the truth.

Maybe

we go down

the road

of controlling

everything and

thinking if it's

hard it mustn't

be God

or I need to

somehow control

it in order

for it to work

out well.

You know,

God is great

and all that

but he really

needs my help.

Maybe

you just feel

exhausted

but you feel

you can't stop

pretending

or performing.

Could be an

indicator of

where our

hearts and our

minds are

leaning.

It might be

that you know

your heart is

sharp about

something or

someone but you

know that Jesus'

heart is soft.

well there

immediately is a

what do they

call a

disparity.

It's forming

him,

Jesus in

us.

Or maybe it's

living in fear

so more

influenced by the

headlines than

by scripture.

Or maybe

faith is tired

and hope

feels naive.

Well it's all

very well to have

faith but we

need to be people

that live in the

real world.

Have you heard

that before?

Or maybe it's

just really simply

I know that

Jesus, yeah he's

part of my life

but he's not

really the centre.

Those things

lean us into

conforming to the

patterns, the

mindsets, the

postures of the

world.

And the way we

recentre and lean

into Jesus is by

beholding or

contemplating him.

So I just

wonder if we

could stand

together.

Maybe we need to surrender some of these things to God

and actually name them for what they are.

I have recognized, and I'm being really open here today,

I have recognized how easy it is for me to live in a place of fear.

Not about everything, but about certain things.

I live in a place of fear and see how my mind goes down that road.

It's just like a light switch, it goes down that road.

And I know that I have to keep bringing that to God

and surrendering it to Him and saying, I trust you.

And it might be that's where you're at today and you just know,

you know that there's a lean and there's an imbalance.

We're leaning into the logic or the understanding or the wise words of the world.

Lord, as we worship, I would just love for us to respond together.

Holy Spirit, thank you for the transforming work of your power within me.

Thank you that you are faithful to complete that which you've started.

But our Father, I also know that I have a role to play in all of this.

Forgive me for believing the lies of the enemy.

Forgive me for my prideful heart that thinks that somehow I can fix things.

And if you feel that the Holy Spirit's been pointing something in your heart

or highlighting something, just we've got a few minutes.

Let's come down to the front and join me here.

Let's just pray together.

As we surrender our lives, Holy Spirit, we want to be transformed to be like Jesus.

I don't want mindsets that don't look like Jesus in my life.

I don't want that.

I don't want to proclaim freedom and Jesus with my mouth

and yet live in bondage in my heart

because of something that I'm scared to let go of.

If the Holy Spirit's been speaking to you, come and join me

as we worship together.