Weekly Articles

                                                                                                                        The Process- Part 2                               

“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it."  Jeremiah 18:4

As we continue our discussion of this process of change which takes place in our life we see that we go from a rough unpolished vessel, the old man, to one that is polished and refined; the new man created in righteousness and true holiness. In our text the potter takes a marred clay, this is what we were because of the sin nature that we were born with, and after our new birth he began to make “it again another vessel.” This is what God wants to do in us; make us again into that which He created us to be in the beginning, and it is done through a process that takes place over a period.

Philippians 2:13 Amplified says that “[not in your own strength, for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” This process of change is an internal work that God initiates within us upon our new birth. It is the sanctification process that begins at salvation, and will continue throughout our life, and finally be complete when Jesus returns. He begins His work from the inside out making the necessary changes for us to be that which He originally intended before sin entered the world. This vessel starts out marred simply because it was born in sin (Job 14:1/ Psalms 51:5) and came into this world spiritually dead. This process that we must go through begins in our heart. God starts by correcting this so that we can do His will. In Ezekiel 36:26 God tells us what He will do to begin this process of change: He says, “a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put in you.” In order for you to start this process of change you must first have a heart that is sensitive to the things of God and ready to allow the Holy Spirit, which took up residence within you the day you got born again, to guide you as you take control of your flesh which will oppose this process of change in your life. Because of the flesh this vessel is marred with bad habits, attitudes, and personalities that do not line up with the things of God. These are the lumps that the potter is working to smooth out. This is the place where you need your patience (James 1:4); to understand what God is doing in your life. It is vitally important that you understand the process because this is not a comfortable place. Sometimes the lumps are harder to get out of the clay and may take some pressure from the potter so that He can eventually smooth them out. Some of those lumps will be stubborn and resist the work that is being done, so these vessels will require more time on the wheel with this increased pressure, to ensure that the intended purpose of God will be accomplished. God needs to remove all these impurities so that you come out a refined and pure work ready for His use (2 Timothy 2:21).

This initial step of the process that begins in the heart requires two steps. First let us look again at Ezekiel 36:26. God also said in that verse that He will “take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh.” This is the new heart that He gives us when we receive the new birth (John 3:3). The bible tells us in Romans 5:5 that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” God gives us this new heart which has the same capacity to love just as Jesus did, but it must be cultivated as our flesh will, and does, oppose this new heart of love that God has given to us. The second step is that since we have a new heart of love, we must be transformed and renewed in our minds by the Word of God so that we are sensitive to the things of God, enabling us to be led by the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is the transformation that we see in Ephesians 4:22-24 where we go from the putting off the old man and his deeds, to the new man that God desires. It is there that the potter is shaping and molding, removing all the rough spots, and making the lumps smooth so that we come out this new refined creature. Again, this can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to remove all these lumps so that you become the finished product that God desires. Within us God has deposited His Divine nature, and it takes this work on the wheel so that the perfection we have within can begin to be manifested outwardly. We must experience this change within before we are ever able to do what God desires of us. First Samuel 16:7 tells us clearly that “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Remember that the polished trained soldier in the Army had to go through a process that changed his thinking and attitude about who he was, and what was required of him. This process that he went through yielded the results of a trained soldier ready to fulfill his purpose. As we go through this process of change, we Christians will be tested and tried to see what is in our heart (Deuteronomy 8:2),and to see if we will stand as a trained polished soldier who will be an effective witness for the kingdom of God. In the end the soldier represents the Army, and now because he went through the process he is now prepared for the battle. That is what God is doing in us with this process of change; He is preparing us for this spiritual warfare that we will be engaged in everyday of our life. That is why God starts with the heart; to build us up on the foundation of love. It is the love in your heart for God, and the things of God, that will cause you to stand during this process and all that you encounter in life. This love that He has for you, and that you now have for Him by way of your new heart, will cause you to seek to understand His ways so that you walk right through these periods of testing  knowing He is with you because He said He will never leave, nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). This process is not to destroy you but is necessary to develop you into a living epistle, a walking ambassador, an armed soldier for Christ. You will grow spiritually in this process, and learn to depend on and trust God if you will just be patient and remember the words of Job in Job 14:14b where he said, “all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” The potter will keep you on the wheel as long as is necessary to make you again another vessel meet for the Master’s use, and prepared for any and all good work.