What an interesting thing God has told us
- that a leopard cannot change its spots.
Before I met the Lord, I tried everything,
and in fact isn't that what psychology is all about? I read books, talked
to people, found a great therapist, and "discovered" myself.
I had reasons for everything and knew what "work" had to be
done to get those spots changed.
The oddest thing was that no matter how
hard I tried to change, I could only make surface changes. There was no
permanent healing from depression, anxiety, or insecurity.
Just when I thought I was making progress,
the right button could get pushed, and the same ugly things would surface.
There is still work involved, but now I
am changed by transformation.
The process occurs when I submit to what I am told in God's Word and obey
an inch at a time. The process also occurs when I concern myself with
the needs of others rather than my own needs.
No one "arrives."
But there sure is a place of rest - it is
the Rest of Hebrews 4, and it is right up against the passage that
talks about the Bible (two-edged sword) dividing between the soul and
the spirit.
That is the process that could not take
place naturally. All the human experience and wisdom could not help me
to be transformed.
I needed to be rescued and didn't even know
it. I was so sure I could rescue myself.
I needed Jesus.
