Salvation is not the end of your spirituality; it is the beginning. In my years of experience, I have found that there are 7 major shifts that every Christian can experience.

Your spiritual life is a life of continuation, change, and growth. You can experience constant change and shifts in your life.

The Bible says, “you are being renewed day by day” (II Corinthians 4:16). Being renewed is a daily process. The renewal process starts on the first day you find Christ — you become a new creation. Your spiritual journey begins with an experience with God. There is no salvation without meeting God and finding Jesus. I know that’s controversial, but it’s, nonetheless, true.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJ).

Christians are to grow in grace and knowledge, which is a significant part of the Christian experience. Christianity is not only about spiritual stuff; God uses everything about you — your mind, will, emotions, and personality.

Let’s start with transformation.

1. Transformation

 

Transformation (change) begins when an unbeliever confesses to Christ and believes in God. This is the process of exchanging our old ways for God’s new way of life.

As we allow God to lead us, He will lead us to surrender the things (even the good things) that are counterproductive to our spiritual life.

God’s ways are not our ways. God does not think like us, and his thoughts are higher than ours.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8, NKJV)

2. Intimacy with God

 

Intimacy is the experience of really knowing and being known by another person. Growing your Intimacy with God is no different than with people. Connection and intimacy happen through conversation and shared experiences. Conversational prayer is a great start and a tool to deepen your intimacy with Father, God.

Worship is another benefit to deepening your intimacy with God, and the Holy Spirit. In worship, we open our hearts and spirit to God, and God inhabits our worship moments by His Spirit.

This is where intimacy and awareness of the Spirit are cultivated and shared.

3. Holy Spirit Awareness

 

Living the Christian life without the Holy Spirit is like driving your car with diluted gasoline. So many believers are trying to live their Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I will tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (John 16:5–7, NKJV)

God sent Jesus to save us from our sins, and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. Your spiritual growth will soar when you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

4. Soul Takeover

 

When we meet Christ and accept Him as Lord, our spirit is regenerated by God. God, the Holy Spirit, sets up residence in us, and we are saved. So your spirit is saved, but your mind must be renewed. The soul is the mind, will, and emotions, and the mind must be renewed. Your will must be surrendered to God’s will, and your emotions must be submitted to the Holy Spirit. No small task, for sure. We will close this portion with a focus on renewing the mind.

Take note, your mind is not your brain. The mind is the faculty of knowing and understanding how you reason and think, and the brain is the organ that holds your thoughts. Therefore, it’s impossible to fake your thoughts because your subconscious will always know the truth and your body will act it out.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NKJV)

Renewed is defined as “renovated.” God totally renovates our lives as we renew our minds. There is no complete transformation without a renewed mind. Some people pray for God to renew their minds.

God does not renew our minds. We do.

The devil does not control our minds. We do.

God does not control our minds. We do.

This leads us to spiritual formation.

5. Spiritual Formation

 

The Word of God has a distinct difference from all other books. The Word is living and powerful. The word living means active-to operate with ability.  God’s Word has inherent power. This means when God speaks, what he speaks carries the ability to fulfill what He says.

God’s Word heals and delivers. The Word of God divides our soul from our Spirit, which means it reaches into the soul, apportions truth to the dark areas, and enlightens our hearts to turn toward Him.

6. Identity Shift

 

Psychologists say the most frequent cause of self-devaluation is a person’s uniqueness. Sixty percent of the population would rather be someone other than who they are.

Shocking.

Success or failure cannot define our lives. Wealth and prosperity make poor masters. Wrapping your identity around your beauty or body is vanity; bodies decline, and beauty vanishes. We surrender our God-given Identity when we surrender what we believe for what we experience. Let’s not relinquish who we are and settle for something less.

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39, NKJV)