Have You Experienced the Change the Bible Teaches?

The cold water sprayed over the crowd in front of the Indonesian village mosque. Gun-toting, white-clad jihad warriors surrounded the place. The ritual washing was a forced preparation for the group to convert to Islam. The crowd knew that they would convert or be shot or beheaded on the spot.

    The young girl wept for her faith, because she imagined the ritual washing would reverse her faith. She didn’t know that her faith in Christ was in her soul, despite what happened to her body. She also wept out of fear, for she knew that she would be circumcised, along with all the other men, women, and children in the group. The forced circumcision was their final act of taking on a new religion. She didn’t want a new religion, and she cried out to God.
   

 Indonesia used to be a haven of tolerance. Though the nation is home to more Muslims than any other nation in the world, there was little trouble. Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists lived side-by-side, working together with little animosity.
   

 That has changed. Radical Muslims have dragged the nation into jihad, or holy war, and every Christian is a target. Many recite the Muslim creed just to save their lives; yet in their hearts, they cry out to God, knowing only he can offer salvation.

People attempt to change us from the outside in. But only God can change us—from the inside out. Before we come to Christ, we often try to fit into the world’s standards for our lives and lose sight of our real selves. We are forced to become people we were never meant to be. However, once God changes people from the inside out, they are changed forever. We cannot be moved. We cannot be changed back into our old selves. Like the girl in this story discovered, others can influence us and exercise some degree of control over us. But they can no longer change us like Christ has already done. Have you experienced the “change” the Bible teaches?

Source: Extreme Devotion