Are You Allowing the Holy Spirit to Change You from the Inside Out?

April 9, 2025

Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, in his book, Fresh Power, writes,

Humanity faces two great spiritual dilemmas.  The first is what to do about our past sins and transgressions, which separate us from God and produce a guilty conscience.  This sense of condemnation makes us shrink from any communion with God – the very thing for which we were created.  But Jesus came and gave his life so we could be freed from all that.  The ugly record can be erased and our names written in the Book of Life through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross of Calvary. 

But then comes the second problem we all face: How can we be changed so that we don’t go on repeating the same old sins in the future?  How will we rise above the moral pollution of compulsive sin that caused us to need Jesus in the first place?  Unless Someone can get inside us and overhaul the very fabric of our being, we will continue to live sinful lives that grieve God.

Cymbala explains that God’s gift of salvation is more than just forgiveness for our past sins—it offers victory over our inner struggles and the promise of true transformation and new life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38 declares, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” In his book The Holy Spirit, Billy Graham writes, “All believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit. This does not mean, however, that they are filled or controlled by the Spirit… It is never a question of how much you and I have of the Spirit, but how much He has of us.”

It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to confront and overcome sin in our lives. Through God’s sanctifying grace, we are gradually transformed, growing “into his likeness from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we welcome Christ into our lives, He takes up residence in our hearts through the Holy Spirit—and that’s where the journey of spiritual growth truly begins.

Sanctification—the lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ—can be imagined as exploring a grand mansion, something like the Palace of Versailles with its 2,300 rooms and sprawling 250 acres. When we invite Christ into our lives, it’s as though we’ve stepped through the front doors of this magnificent estate. We stand in awe in the grand foyer, taking in the beauty of our new home. But as we glance to the left and right, we notice many doors—each one closed, each leading to a different room we’ve yet to explore.

We approach one of those doors and slowly open it. Inside, the room is cloaked in darkness. We can’t see what’s there—until the Holy Spirit gently shines a light on just one small corner. In that corner, we see the face of a friend from long ago, someone we’ve never forgiven. In that moment, we realize the Spirit is revealing the unforgiveness that still lingers in our hearts. It’s preventing us from fully experiencing the life Christ has given us—the fullness, the abundance, the joy He intends for every room of our soul.

In another room, the light illuminates a homeless man we walked past without a second glance. In yet another, we see a woman of a different race, quietly sitting in silence. In one corner, a suitcase lies open, overflowing with money. In another, a computer screen flashes with images that reflect our hidden struggles. Each of these rooms reveals something deeper: our indifference, our prejudice, our greed, our private battles.

These rooms represent areas of our lives that need healing, cleansing, and surrender. With God’s strength, we can face them. As we open the doors and invite the Holy Spirit to shine His light, transformation begins. One by one, the rooms brighten. The mansion of our soul becomes alive with light, and we begin to experience more of God’s presence, becoming more like Christ in mind, body, and spirit.

Some rooms are easier to confront; others take time—weeks, months, even years. Some can be faced through personal prayer and God’s guidance, while others may require the support of Christian community or wise counselors. But always, the choice is ours: will we enter the room? Will we allow the Spirit to show us what lies within?

Often, we hesitate. We fear what God might ask us to confront or where He might call us to go. Sometimes the refining process feels more like a wire brush scraping away the layers of dirt and grime that have built up over time. Sanctifying grace can be uncomfortable—even painful—as it strips away what doesn’t belong and reshapes us into the image of Christ.

But with every step, God whispers His promise: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And as we continue to open door after door, yielding more of ourselves to the Spirit, God begins to “strengthen, energize, and create in [us] the longing and the ability to fulfill [our] purpose” (Philippians 2:13, AMP). The journey may not always be easy, but it is always worth it—for in every room lit by grace, we discover more of who God created us to be.

I shared in an earlier blog how, after losing my father, I sank into a deep depression. Grief took hold of me in ways I didn’t expect—it started to affect every area of my life: my job performance, my relationship with my supervisor, even my marriage. Eventually, it all caught up with me. I was called into the District Superintendent’s office. The poor decisions, missed workdays, and the tension between my supervisor and me had come to light. It had become a real concern.

That meeting was incredibly painful. I felt ashamed, exposed, and like I had failed. They asked me to seek counseling and undergo an evaluation. Though well-intentioned, those requests only deepened my feelings of failure.

I began to pray, asking God to just make the whole situation disappear. At the same time, I turned more intentionally to the Scriptures and was led, by the Holy Spirit, to a passage in the first chapter of Isaiah. It read: “I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. I will restore your judges as in days of old… Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”

That was Sanctifying Grace in action—God purging away my “dross,” scraping off the grime that had built up in my soul. It was clear: God was ready to change me from the inside out. The Spirit impressed on me that this work—this refining, this restoration—wasn’t something I could do on my own. I had to choose to let God do the work. I had to trust Him in the process. So, I stepped out in faith. I voluntarily went to grief counseling, where I was diagnosed and began treatment for bipolar depression. Through that step—and through God’s grace—healing began.

Often, it’s through God’s Word that the Holy Spirit speaks, guides, convicts, and heals us. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

There’s a story I love about a grandfather and his young grandson that beautifully illustrates the power of Scripture, even when we don't fully grasp it.

The old man lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Every morning, he sat at the kitchen table reading from his worn-out Bible. His grandson admired him and wanted to be just like him, so he tried to imitate his routine. One day, the boy said, “Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you, but I don’t understand it. And what I do understand, I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does it do?”

The grandfather paused from tending the stove and handed his grandson a coal basket. “Take this down to the river and bring back a basket of water,” he said.

The boy did as he was told, but the water leaked out before he could return. His grandfather chuckled, “You’ll have to move faster next time,” and sent him again.

The boy ran back and forth several times, but each time the basket was empty by the time he got home. Frustrated, he finally said, “It’s useless, PopPop!”

But the old man smiled and pointed to the basket. For the first time, the boy noticed it was no longer black and grimy. It was clean.

“Son,” the grandfather said gently, “that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but it’s changing you. It’s washing your heart and shaping your life—bit by bit, from the inside out.”

Remember, it's not about how much of the Holy Spirit we have, but how much the Holy Spirit has of us. Even Jesus didn’t begin His public ministry until He received the Holy Spirit at His baptism. If the Son of God needed the Spirit to fulfill His mission, how much more do we?

Are you trusting the Holy Spirit to guide you?

Are you letting Him use you, shape you, lead your decisions, and speak to you through God’s Word?

Are you truly allowing God, through His Spirit, to change you—not just outwardly, but from the inside out?