You can Become
the Person You Really Want to be.
1.
Down deep inside, we all know the kind of person we
really want to be.
Have you ever noticed down deep inside you there is an
urge toward goodness? It's a quiet
drive, but a steady one, always prompting us toward the good, the right, and
the just. It's as if we have an inner
ideal telling us what we really ought to be.
You've probably noticed this
"inner ideal" at work in your own life. You've sensed the urge to do good to other
people. You can probably recall times when you were prompted to be absolutely
honest even when stretching the truth might bring you personal benefit. Or perhaps you have sometimes sensed this
inner ideal urging you to help someone in distress. Maybe you helped them,
maybe you didn't, but you probably recognize what I'm talking about when I say
there is this inward ideal in all men and women prompting them toward good.
This inward ideal is common to human beings everywhere in the world. It is always there prompting us toward honesty, compassion, justice, kindness, loyalty, devotion, but most of all... to love. All men and women have been designed with this inner imprint of rightness. We all know down deep inside the kind of person we ought to be. Not only do we know what we should be, we have a desire to actually become like this inner ideal. It is perhaps our deepest trait prompting all human progress and betterment of life. Have you sensed this inner prompting toward goodness in your life?
2.
We all fall short of this inner ideal.
However, just like an arrow sometimes falls short of
hitting its target, we have all discovered that our lives often fall short of
this inner standard of right. Though all
humans have this inner drive toward good, no one fully lives up to their inner
ideal. We know what is right, but often
we do not do it.
Instead of forgiving those who hurt
us, we sometimes hold grudges. Instead
of helping someone in distress, we pass by in a hurry. We lie or cheat a bit,
simply to better our own position even though our "better self" tells
us otherwise.
This is the common experience of
human beings. We know what we want to be, yet we often fall short of this inner
light. When we live below our inner
potential for good we feel guilt or shame.
Maybe we don't make a big deal about it.
And perhaps we have never shared these feelings with others, but all of
us know that when we slip below our inner standards we feel bad... as if we're
not being true to our real self.
It seems we humans are destined to a life of inner frustration. We have this inner prompting to do right, yet we repeatedly fall below this inner ideal. Not that we always fall short. We may follow these inner promptings more often than not. Yet, when we don't obey these deep urgings and we do what we know is wrong we feel guilty deep down inside. It is as if we have betrayed ourselves... or someone else. We know what we want to be, down deep within us, yet we often fall short. Have you ever sensed that you have lived below your inner ideal of good?
3.
Good news... You can become the person you really want to be.
This wasn't written simply to say that we all
recognize an inner ideal prodding us toward good. Nor is it particularly startling to point out
what all men and women everywhere have observed ‑‑ that they often
live short of this inner ideal. The good
news is that you actually can become the kind of person you really want to
be. You really can!
This may sound like pie‑in‑the‑sky
dreaming to you, but it is true. You
really can become like that ideal person imprinted on your heart. It's not
magic, nor is it easy or quick. But it
is possible. There are thousands of
people just like you who can honestly say that they are actually becoming the
very persons they really want to be. How? How can you become what you really want to
be?
You won't change by simply trying
harder. Men and women do not have the inherent power to become all they were
meant to be. Self‑discipline, self‑talk,
auto‑suggestion, and determination can bring many changes in your
life--at least for a while. But you and I both know that it takes more than
self improvement strategies to raise us to our full potential. Eventually we will hit a ceiling on change
which we can't break through. The human
spirit is powerful, but ultimately it is limited in its energy to change us.
So how can we change? Where will we find the power to actually
raise us to our full potential of goodness?
The answer is: In God. Only God
can actually change us into the persons we really want to be. Don't run away. You may have hostile feelings toward God or
people who claim to speak for God. Or
you may simply be ignoring the whole God issue figuring, "I don't think
there's anything to it." Maybe you
are angered at the mere mention of His name because of some injustice you have
experienced in life or because of some past experience with someone who claimed
to speak for God. Or you may seriously
doubt the existence of God, considering all the pain and anguish in the world.
But please stick with this a little
while longer and give this idea a fair shake in your own thoughts. Let the ideas presented here turn over and
over again in your mind. Be
open-minded. Then decide for
yourself. You can decide whatever you
want, but at least give these ideas a fair chance. So don't leave now. Read the rest of this little booklet with an
open mind.
God is a Spirit. We can't see or touch God. But God's invisible Spirit is
everywhere. God's Spirit prompts all the
good things we humans do for each other.
God's Spirit brings what unity, love, peace, joy and hope that we humans
experience. This invisible Spirit is
constantly at work among us bringing out the best in us. In fact, God has designed you with your desire
for good ‑‑ what we earlier called your "inner
ideal." You are imprinted with
God's own image.
In the deepest recesses of your
nature you can sense what God is really like, and you want to become like this
Ideal. When you hunger to rise to your
full potential, you are hungering to be more like God. For God is the perfect standard of honesty,
compassion, justice, mercy, tenderness, fairness, and most of all... of love.
I don't mean to suggest that all of
God's followers are like God! There are
some terribly poor examples of god‑likeness in churches. And down through history thousands of people
have been killed or tortured in the name of religion. However, I'm not speaking of following a
religion. I am speaking of a
relationship ‑‑ a personal relationship with God's invisible
Spirit.
God's Spirit is with you even
now. It is His Spirit which has been
with you all along, and has been prompting this inner urge to do right. The good news is,
there is power to change you into the person you really want to be. God has not left us only with an urge to live
right ‑‑ He has provided a way to actually become what we really
want to be. This power is from God. It is God.
You can receive this energy to change through a personal relationship
with God. You don't have to keep trying
to change yourself, failing to see permanent improvement. God's Spirit will come into your life and
release new energy for you to actually become the person you really want to
be. Do you ever sensed God around and
near you in life?
4.
You could begin this new life today.
You can receive this changing power from God
today. You can begin a new life of
becoming the person you really want to be.
You have already recognized that you sometimes live below God's ideal
planted within you. This is the same
ideal the Bible talks about. God's ideal
‑‑ the same one stamped down deep inside you ‑‑ is
mentioned all through the Bible.
But the best place to see God's
ideal is neither written on your heart nor in a book. The best illustration of God's ideal is the
human being named Jesus who lived about 2,000 years ago. Many others have been like God in one way or
another. But Jesus was God. God has always been trying to get through to
human beings... through nature, our inner urges toward good, and through the
great prophets of old. But in Jesus God
Himself became human like you and I.
Jesus was 100% God and 100% human at the same time. Jesus was the only person who ever perfectly
lived up to the inner ideal.
All the rest of us have lived below
God's standard stamped within us. We "fall short"
of God's standard, and our own.
The technical term for such falling short of God's ideal is
"sin." And sin separates us
from God and cuts us off from God's power to change us.
Though Jesus lived up to the fullest
potential of God, He was eventually killed.
People who knew better crucified Him on a cross. He died and was buried like any other man or
woman. But three days later God actually
raised Him from the dead, and He appeared to hundreds of people before
returning to God. These followers believed in His coming back to life so
strongly that they were willing to be put to death rather than deny the facts.
After Jesus returned to heaven,
God's Spirit came upon the group of followers He had left behind. This Spirit ‑‑ really the
"Spirit of Jesus" ‑‑ is still here today. This Spirit is with you right now. Your inner ideal yearns for the Spirit to
come into your life and become an ally in changing you into the person you
really want to be.
But there is a hitch. God's Spirit is not pushy. The Spirit will not force itself into your
life. You must receive the
Spirit
personally. It is a decision only you
can make. Though God imprints the hearts
of all men and women in the world with an inner ideal ‑‑ the desire
to be like Jesus ‑‑ you must personally invite God's Spirit into
your life. When that Spirit energizes
your
life, you will start becoming all you were meant to be. Can you see any good reason why you
wouldn’t like to begin this new
relationship with God right now?
To
receive the Spirit of God ‑‑ Receiving Jesus Christ ‑‑
you need simply to pray, ‑‑ which is talking to God. Not some distant God far off in space. But to the invisible Spirit of Christ which
has been around you all the time. Simply
pray something like this:
"God,
I know down deep inside what I ought to be.
You made me that way. I admit I
have lived short of this inner ideal, therefore I am a sinner. I believe you exist and care about me. Right now I receive the invisible Spirit of
Christ into my life. I am beginning a
new relationship with You. Beginning now I trust the Spirit of Jesus
Christ to start changing me into the person I really want to be. Thank you, God, for answering my prayer and
forgiving my sins. Thank you for coming
into my life right now. In Jesus name, Amen."
If
you prayed this prayer, and really meant it, the invisible presence of Christ
is now in your life. You may not feel
any different, or sense anything unusual right away. But just as sure as you are you, God's Spirit
is now living inside you.
Did you
pray this prayer to God?
Did you
mean it?
If
you did, God's Spirit has come into your life right now and you have already began a new relationship with God.
NOW WHAT? Start becoming the person you really want to
be.
At the very moment you received the Spirit of Christ
your status instantly changed with God.
God adopted you and the Spirit of Christ entered your life with
power. You are now a follower of Christ.
You became a "child of God."
But this life with Christ is more than a change of status. It is more
than joining a club or signing up for a team. It is a life ‑‑ a way
of living, growing, changing, becoming.
If you seriously received Christ, you have already been born into this
life. But there is much growing and
maturing to do.
You will notice a difference ‑‑
the Spirit of Christ is within you unleashing new power and energy to help you
become all you were meant to be. Marriage is a good illustration of this
idea. A wedding ceremony or common
covenant starts the life of marriage. But
a wedding doesn't make a marriage perfect.
Much growing, changing, giving, trusting and compromise will have to
occur before a marriage will even become a good marriage, let alone a perfect
one. Likewise, beginning this special
relationship with Jesus Christ starts a life ‑‑ a life of growing,
changing, and becoming... everything you really want to be. But you can become the person you really want
to be. The Spirit of Christ will
constantly give you power to change. And
as time passes, you will notice‑‑and many around you will see ‑‑
that you are changing... becoming the kind of person you were intended to be,
and that you always wanted to be down deep in your heart.
As you grow in this new life as a
follower of Christ there are several things you may want to remember. Read these hints several times during the
next few weeks to help you keep on track with this new way of living:
1. Watch for changes.
If you seriously received Christ's Spirit into your
life you will notice some significant changes over the next weeks and
months. It never fails to occur. You may notice changed attitudes, different
language patterns, new thoughts or desires, or maybe even some habit you've had
for a long time will disappear or change.
Others may say something like, "You seem different, what's
up?" You will notice it too. Not that you will become perfect
overnight. There are plenty of changes
you'll still need to experience. But you will see some changes. After all, that is what Christ's Spirit does
in us ‑‑ begins changing us into the person we really want to be.
2.
Listen for the Spirit's voice.
A quiet inner prompting, not usually
an audible voice. It will be similar to the urgings of the
inner ideal you have always experienced, but stronger and clearer and closer
than ever before. The Spirit of God will
begin nudging you to do some things, or to stop doing others. This inner
nudging now comes with power to actually change. God will never prompt you to change without
providing the power to do it. Changing
may be painful, and it may take time. But you are sure to change. Over a period of months and years you will
see how much you are actually becoming the very person you always really wanted
to be. In fact, you will even become
more than you even dreamed of ‑‑ this has been the experience of
others who have walked this life. So, listen for that quiet voice inside you...
and as God speaks, obey the voice, trusting the Spirit's power to change you.
3.
Find out more about God.
In the next few weeks you will notice one particular
spiritual hunger arising ‑‑ interest in the Bible. Perhaps you have read from the Bible when you
were younger, or maybe you've never opened this book. Maybe you tried to read in it once but it
seemed too confusing or boring to you.
If you received the Spirit of Christ today the Bible will likely begin
being of interest to you. You are likely
to feel yourself drawn toward finding out more about God and Jesus. You will probably try to get a Bible
somewhere and read in it. If you start
at the front and read straight through it will take forever (though sometime in
the future you might want to try that.)
Most followers of Christ start by reading the book of John or Mark. These tell what kind of person Jesus was and
what we can become. See if you are drawn
to read the Bible during the next few weeks.
If so, get one of the modern easy‑to‑read versions and read
in it.
4.
Talk with God.
Most people call this prayer. But sometimes it is
better to think of it as simply talking with God. Remember, if you seriously prayed to receive
Christ, the
Spirit of Christ lives within you. You
have a personal relationship with God.
Any relationship needs communication. God speaks to you through the
Bible and the quiet promptings inside of you.
You speak to God through prayer.
Simply talk to God in your thoughts, on paper,
or even right aloud. Tell the Spirit
everything that comes to your mind. And
watch how you will begin to sense God's quiet responses to your words. Try it and see!
5.
Find other followers of Christ.
In the next weeks and months you will likely notice
another thing. You'll want to find some
other followers of Christ. You will want
to talk with other people who have also received Christ's Spirit and are
becoming changed people. You might not
understand this desire at first. Maybe
you've never even thought of going to church or a Bible study group. Or perhaps
you attend regularly. But you will
likely notice a new hunger for friendship with someone who understands this new
life with Christ. You can usually find
some in every church.
Sure, most churches have lots of
people who aren't genuine followers of Christ.
However, if you allow the Spirit of Christ within you to draw you, you
will inevitably be drawn toward other followers of Christ. When you find a group of people who are
becoming all God wants them to be, join them.
Settle into such a group where you will be challenged to keep changing. A group where others are
changing and willing to help you in your journey together. These associations will provide a major boost
toward your becoming the person you really want to be.
6.
Tell others. You may not want to at first. You may even be fearful people will think you
have gone off the deep end, or have "gotten religion." But you will notice as you continue this walk
with the Spirit of Christ that you will want to share what you have experienced
with others. You will likely discover
some of your friends and associates have this same desire to become more like
their inner ideal, and sharing your experience with them may help them find the
power to actually start changing.
Perhaps you might like to share this little book with them, telling them
it has been helpful to you.
YOU CAN BECOME THE PERSON YOU
REALLY WANT TO BE.
If you have not already prayed to receive the
Spirit of Jesus Christ, and decided to become His follower, you can do so
now. Simply turn to God and pray
seriously the kind of prayer outlined earlier in this booklet.. You'll never regret it!
‑‑ Footnotes
from the Bible ‑‑
1.
Down deep inside, we know the kind of person we really
want to be.
"So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him... God did
this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from any of us."
Genesis
2.
We all fall short of this inner ideal.
"Yes,
all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal." Romans 3:23
3.
Good news... You can become the person you really want to be.
"If
anyone becomes a Christian he becomes a new creation inside; the old life has
gone and new life has come!" 2
Corinthians 5:17
4.
You can begin this new life today.
"God
loved the world so much that he gave his only son, so that anyone who believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life... To all who received him ‑‑ to
those who believed on his name ‑‑ he gave the power to become
children of God."
John 3:16, John 1:12
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If
this writing has been helpful to you, please pass it on to someone else. If you would like to discuss the ideas
presented here, talk to somebody at a church or to the person who gave you this
booklet.
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(c)1986 by