Yesterday the Lord prompted me to share my testimony (see God Uses Our Weaknesses For His Glory). When I sat down to write my post yesterday, I had no intention of “putting myself out there” like I did, but I was obedient to what He wanted me to share. This morning I understood that this was for His glory, and truly had nothing to do with me; He used my story to show His power, which He shows throughout the Bible.

When the Lord called Abrahm (who was 75 and without children) to leave His country–all that he knew–to go where God wanted him to go, God wanted to use Abrahm to show His power (Gen. 12:1-3). The Lord called him to obedience and faith. And unlike me, Abrahm wasn’t raised by a father who trusted in the Lord God, in fact his father worshipped other gods (Joshua 24:2).

The Lord made a promise to Abrahm (later renamed Abraham) if he would follow Him by faith: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:3) This promise is clarified in Galations 3:16: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”

If you, like me, aren’t from the earthly lineage of Abraham you may wonder how this promise applies to you. “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith…Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” (Rom. 4:13, 16)

We have only to accept God’s grace by faith and acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26-29)

As I told you yesterday, I accepted Jesus as my Savior at a young age. But during the majority of my adult life I didn’t chose to walk in His way. I have since made the choice to live as a new creature by the transforming grace of our Lord. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17) I am no longer a slave to sin. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6)

Does this mean that I am perfect? Not even close! What has changed for me is that I realize that my life is not about me–not my pursuit of earthly pleasures nor living in shame for my mistakes and things beyond my control. I no longer “have to figure it out” and depend upon my own very finite wisdom. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

I have the freedom to walk by faith in the Lord, spend time with Him in the Word and in prayer, and know that I am never alone, no matter what comes. And because I have “let go”, The Lord (not me) is transforming me and using me for His glory. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)