Changing your life can be extremely difficult to do on your own; in fact, it’s nearly impossible. If you’re looking for transformation, surrendering the capacity for change over to the Lord is the only true option. With that being said, I’ll let you in on a few specific things I did recently to work with God on myself. If you’re seeking growth, follow along for my top four most transformative steps I took in the past year!

Made Reading My Bible a Priority

When you think of transformative steps, taking action may come to mind. However, I can honestly say that most of my transformation came from sitting quietly in God’s word. I made reading my bible a daily priority over a year ago, and it’s still my favorite part of each day.

Romans 12:2 says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The main way that God transforms us is through the renewing of our minds, but it doesn’t happen immediately. Also, the renewing of your mind only comes when you spend time filling it with God’s word. In other words, getting closer to God, becoming more in-tune with the Holy Spirit, knowing His heart, and understanding His will is nearly impossible without reading the Bible.

And I’m not talking about reading the verse of the day or a daily devotional book. While these things are swell, we can’t understand scripture as a whole unless we actually read, study, and meditate on each chapter and book.

Over the past year, I’ve read the entire New Testament twice and various books of the Old Testament. This is not at all to boast; but rather, to tell you that I can attest to how powerful it is to read and understand large portions of God’s word. Truthfully, I didn’t realize how often the Holy Spirit can speak to you until I knew scripture. He doesn’t yell at you—instead, it’s a tiny internal whisper that’s usually scripture. That said, you won’t hear Him if you don’t know scripture.

That’s not to say that you have to have tons of scripture memorized, but rather, getting familiar with it is the key. You might hear a small snippet of a verse ringing in your head, and even if you don’t know exactly where it is or the exact wording, you’ll know that you’ve read it before.

With all of that said, I know that it can be challenging, and even intimidating, to pick up the Bible to read it. If you need some help deciding where to read in the Bible, I’ve got you covered!

Stepped Outside of My Comfort Zone

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is one of the most straightforward ways to grow. When you do so, you basically force yourself to face your fears and adapt to the situation. I can also personally attest to the power of stepping outside of your comfort zone for growth—especially when it involves answering a call from God.

Believe it or not, everything that I do now—this blog, owning a business, being bold on a Christian social media platform, leading a bible study, and calling people higher—is outside of my previous comfort zone. I couldn’t have imagined myself doing any of these things a year ago, but here we are!

Honestly, all of these things were calls from God, but that didn’t make them any easier to step out and do. However, I don’t think I could’ve grown so much in a year had I not answered each of these calls with faith.

If you want to become exactly who God created you to be, just try stepping out of your comfort zone to answer one of His calls. Whether it be writing a book, making Christian content, telling someone about Jesus, sharing your testimony, or whatever else God has called you to do, JUST DO IT!

Let Jesus Clean Me Up

As Christians, we often feel the need to clean ourselves up for Jesus. While the desire to change is a good thing, we tend to get it backwards.

We don’t clean ourselves up for Jesus. Rather, Jesus cleans us up.

We can try and try to stop cussing, drinking, partying, sleeping around, doing drugs, lying, stealing, gossiping, or any other sin. However, we won’t be able to do it on our own strength and accord.

I finally realized and accepted this fact and decided to surrender it all to Jesus. It wasn’t an instant cleansing, but after a few weeks, I started to realize that I was changing!! I wasn’t who I used to be, I didn’t talk like I used to, and I had new desires.

Let Jesus clean you up. Stop “trying not to” or “working on.” When you actively work on something or try to stop doing something, it’s constantly on your mind. As a result, you’re more likely to fall into doing it again and again. Just let Jesus be the change and listen to the convictions of the Holy Spirit!

We’re never fully clean this side of heaven. As long as you always welcome Jesus’ cleansing efforts in your life, living in sin won’t sit right with you—He’ll continue to cleanse you for the rest of your life.

Asked God to Shape and Refine Me

Aside from letting Jesus clean me up and deliver me from my chosen sins, I also asked God to shape and refine me.

But what does this mean?

Well, I asked Him to mold me into who He wants me to be and refine my character to make me look less like me and more like Jesus.

This one is a lifelong process as well. As long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we are under construction.

Think of yourself as a carpenter’s project (Jesus wasn’t a carpenter for no reason!).

What do carpenters do with rough wooden surfaces?

They use sandpaper and other tools to smooth them out. They start with larger grain sandpaper for the bigger impurities and then work their way down to gradually smaller grains.

In the same way, Jesus shapes us. He starts with the big stuff—our big, outward sins. And once those are dealt with and cleansed, He starts working with us on the smaller, internal stuff. He refines us.

Sandpaper is harsh—it hurts. And sometimes, Jesus’ refining process does too. He calls us to lay down sins we don’t want to lay down and let go of things and people we don’t want to let go of. Letting the Lord work in our lives isn’t always easy or painless, but it’s necessary for growth.

Now that you know the top four most transformative steps I took in the past year, I pray that you have the courage to do the same. The deep desire for change, growth, and becoming a new creation just might be God’s call. Don’t be afraid to answer that call—get in His word and surrender all that you are to Him and His purpose for your life.

Transformation is found in the red letters—you just have to be open to what they have to say. Eventually, God’s word will go from being highlighted in your bible to being written on your heart.