Intentional 21 Devotional: Day 9 - Pastor Tim Maxwell

Lifestyle of Transformation

Genesis 17:5 (NIV) - "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."

There's a profound moment in Abraham's story that we often overlook. God doesn't just promise Abraham a son—He changes his name first. Abram becomes Abraham. Sarai becomes Sarah. New names. New identities. A complete transformation before the promise could be fulfilled.

We love talking about the promises of God. We claim them, declare them, frame them on our walls. We want the promise, the blessing, the breakthrough. But here's the uncomfortable truth: God changed Abraham's identity before Sarah ever conceived. The transformation preceded the promise.

This is where so many of us get stuck. We want God's blessings without God's refinement. We want the destination without the journey. We want the promise without the process of becoming the person who can carry that promise.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) reminds us: "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."

Notice the order: transformation first, then the ability to walk in God's perfect will.

The modern church has become remarkably good at preaching "come as you are." And praise God for that—His grace meets us exactly where we are. But if all we say is “come as you are” and not “change who you are” when we are missing the point.

Because grace invites us in, but love refuses to leave us unchanged.

Jesus never said, "Be yourself." In fact, He said the opposite: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24, NIV). That's not affirmation of who we are—that's a call to death. Death to the old self. Death to the old patterns. Death to the old identity.

He never said, "Follow your heart." Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) tells us why: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Instead, Jesus simply said, "Follow Me" (Matthew 4:19). Not your feelings. Not your preferences. Not your comfort. Refuse to live the modern lie to follow your heart, which is deceitful and wicked, instead follow Jesus, who is Holy and righteous.

Philippians 2:5 (NIV) makes it even clearer: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." Not "have your own mindset." Not "be true to yourself." Have the mindset of Christ.

The Lifestyle of Transformation Unlocks the Lifestyle of Blessing

Here's the key: Abraham didn't receive a one-time transformation and then coast into the promise. His name change was a mark of a lifestyle—99 years of walking with God, obeying God, trusting God even when it made no sense. Thirteen years passed between the covenant and Isaac's birth. Thirteen years of living into his new identity before seeing the promise fulfilled.

We want microwaved blessings. God is slow-cooking character.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) describes this ongoing process: "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."

"Are being transformed"—present continuous tense. Not "were transformed" once. Not "will be transformed" someday. We are being transformed. Right now. Today. In this season. Through this trial. In this waiting period.

Only by embracing a lifestyle of transformation do we unlock a lifestyle of blessing. Not because God is withholding—but because blessing in the hands of an unchanged person becomes a burden, a distraction, or even an idol.

Abraham needed to become a different man to be the father of nations. Sarah needed to become a different woman to mother a miracle child. The promise required a new identity because the old identity could never sustain what God wanted to give them.

The Invitation

So here's the question: What is God trying to change in you right now?

What old identity is He asking you to release? What new name is He speaking over your life? What transformation are you resisting because you're focused only on the promise you want to receive?

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) gives us clear instruction: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

The blessings you're asking God for may be waiting on the other side of the transformation you're avoiding.

Don't despise the process. Don't rush the refinement. Let God change your name. Let Him reshape your identity. Let Him transform you from glory to glory.

Because Abraham teaches us this: the promise is worth the transformation, and the transformation makes you worthy of the promise.

Prayer: King Jesus, I want to step into a lifestyle of transformation. I want to be transformed, so God I am asking you to change and refine me. I surrender who I am so I can be more like you. I embrace the new thing you want to do in my life, and I pray that I can reflect your transformative power to the world around me. In Jesus name I pray, amen.