As we continue our ‘dead man walking’ series, we are reminded once again that the Christian life is a life of surrender. In Romans 12:2, Apostle Paul urges believers to present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, and to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. It is through this transformation that we are able to discern and walk in the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Salvation, therefore, is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a lifelong process of yielding to God so that His purpose may be fulfilled through us. Transformation and mind renewal are not optional for the believer; they are essential for spiritual growth and for walking fully in God’s will.
One of the clearest examples of this transformation is seen in the life of Moses. Before God could use Moses to deliver Israel, Moses first had to undergo a process of mind renewal. Acts 7 tells us that he was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (vs.22). Though raised in Pharaoh’s house as an Egyptian, Moses sensed that God had called him to deliver Israel. Scripture says “when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel” (vs.23). Seeing one of them being mistreated, Moses impulsively intervened and killed the Egyptian, “for he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand” (vs.25). Moses had correctly discerned his calling, but he attempted to fulfil it in his own strength, wisdom, and timing. This is a trap many believers fall into: sensing God’s purpose, yet trying to bring it to pass through human effort instead of surrendering to God’s process. The issue was never Moses’ calling, but his assumption that the time for manifestation had already come. The next day, when he tried to reconcile two Israelites, one responded, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ “ (vs.26-28). Realising that his actions had become known, Moses fled into the wilderness of Midian, where he remained for forty years (vs.29).
Yet, the wilderness became the very place where God transformed Moses. There, hidden in isolation, the man who once trusted in his own strength learned dependence on God. This is often how the Lord works in us before releasing us into assignment. Through His Word, and through seasons of separation, He deals with our pride, impatience, insecurities, and every mindset that hinders His purpose for us. Transformation requires us to surrender self-reliant attitudes and embrace the mind of Christ, so we can become who God has called us to be. That is why when God appeared to Moses through the burning bush after those forty years, we encounter a very different man from the confident prince of Egypt. The Lord said to him, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows … Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:7-10). This was now God’s appointed time for Israel’s deliverance. But unlike before, Moses no longer trusted in his own ability. Instead, he responded, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (vs.11). The same Moses who once tried to deliver Israel through human strength would now deliver them through dependence on God’s power because his mind had been renewed to trust in the One who called him. Saints, God is not looking for self-confidence – He is looking for surrender; that is where true transformation begins. And as we daily surrender to His Word, allowing it to renew our minds, He transforms us into vessels fit for His purpose.
Interestingly, when Moses attempted to move ahead of God’s appointed season, it caused Israel to remain in Egypt longer than the years God had earlier communicated to Abraham (Genesis 15:13 & Exodus 12:40). In the same way, when we rely on our own wisdom and strength rather than God’s process, we can create unnecessary delays in our journey. Let us therefore not despise seasons of preparation and training. Instead, may we embrace them so that when the appointed time comes, we are ready to walk faithfully in the assignment God has called us into. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for calling us into a life of transformation and surrender. Teach us to depend on You and not on our own understanding. Help us to trust Your process, even in seasons of preparation. Renew our minds through Your Word so we may walk in Your perfect will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
