Supernatural Transformation: Change Your Heart Into God’s Heart (44 page)

3. Breakthroughs in Regard to Your Environment

Jesus healed a certain blind man in an unusual—but prophetic—manner. (See Mark 8:22–26.) To begin with, Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of town, so that the restoration of the man’s sight took place outside his normal environment. Couldn’t Christ have healed him within the town? Of course! But I believe there was an “atmosphere”—such as unbelief—in that town that would have prevented the manifestation of God’s power to supernaturally heal. After Jesus had healed the man, He told him, in effect, “Don’t go back to town—go directly to your house.” Why did He say that? I think the reason was to keep the man from losing his healing by returning to that atmosphere.

Our environment may be keeping us from transitioning into
a new dimension.

Is there anything in your environment—spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, or another realm—that might be hindering you from experiencing the transformation of your heart and mind, making you unable to receive revelation or to demonstrate the supernatural? Our environment can greatly influence us to conform to false ideas and attitudes that prevent us from being transformed. As we have noted, many people conform to the stagnant doctrine of their religion or their particular church denomination, or to other erroneous beliefs that are promoted by their culture, embraced by their family members, or adhered to by their close friends. Some people conform to negative circumstances, such as sickness or poverty; others conform to emotional bondage, such as fear or depression. In all these cases, those who are trapped in conformity must break through their oppressive “environment,” or “atmosphere”; otherwise, they can never become what God has called them to be through the finished work of Christ.

Breakthroughs in regard to environment can be accomplished only by the Spirit of God, but they are initiated as we make the decision to surrender our life completely to God. If you have allowed yourself to conform to others’ false beliefs because you don’t want to offend them or make them feel “uncomfortable,” or because you are afraid of what it will cost you to stop conforming, you are accountable to God for your lack of response to Him. If you know that you must break through an environment that is spiritually stifling to you, don’t delay! Make the decision today, take the risk, and push through the atmosphere that is preventing you from reaching new levels in Christ.

The following testimony, from a man named Eduardo, shows what can happen when an individual leaves his environment in obedience to God and surrenders his life to the Lord. Here is his story: “I grew up in a dysfunctional home. My father abandoned my mother when I was only sixteen years old, leaving her with seven children to raise by herself. By the time I was eighteen, I was drinking and having promiscuous sex. I was also irresponsible and a liar.

“I reached a point in my life where I questioned God, asking Him if He was even real, because my family members and I lived such chaotic lives. I asked Him to allow me to raise a family of my own, if He really did exist. He spoke to me in dreams and said that I should leave my family. I didn’t understand His request then, but I still left my country of Colombia and journeyed to the United States.

“When I was thirty-eight, having a great void in my life, I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. When I went to the altar, I immediately felt as if the great weight I had carried all my life had been physically lifted off me—a spiritual burden of unforgiveness, lies, and adultery that hadn’t allowed me to live in peace. When I confessed and received Christ, I felt free and full of joy, and the fear of death that had followed me for years was lifted from me. In its place, the love of God entered my heart. I thank God because He took my life of torment, falsehood, and death and exchanged it for one of joy, peace, and love. I understand that I have a purpose to carry out on this earth.

“After twenty years, I can testify that God is faithful. He gave me the family I asked for, and together we serve the Lord. I thank Him for King Jesus International Ministry, where we have been educated in God’s Word and where God has raised us up as pastors to carry His Word to the ends of the earth.”

Each time God calls someone for an unusual purpose, He calls him out of his usual environment.

4. Continual Supernatural Encounters with the Presence
of God

Perhaps the greatest obstacle blocking a move of God in the life of an individual or group is the idea of having “arrived.” As we have seen, many people have a difficult time accepting the fact that there is something for them spiritually beyond what they have already known and experienced in God. They believe they have seen, learned, and done it “all.” What a mistake! To think in such a way is to overlook the truth that God is infinite in power and in creativity. There is much arrogance in such a mentality. How can we preach about an eternal, sovereign God—the Creator of heaven and earth—and then imagine that there is nothing more we can learn from Him or experience in His presence?

This mind-set is typical of the spirit of religiosity that comes to deceive Christians and stop them from growing spiritually and multiplying a harvest of fruit for the kingdom. If we are unwilling to progress to new dimensions in God, then we cannot say that we live by faith. When we already have something, we are living by “sight” rather than by faith.

The answer is to continually seek supernatural encounters with the presence of God. There are some people who have never
sensed the nearness of God or witnessed any of His manifestations. In one of the countries where I ministered, a woman approached me and said, “Pastor, I have been a Christian for over fifteen years, but I have never experienced the presence of God.”
I have heard the same comment from various pastors and other leaders. This leads me to wonder what form of Christianity they have been living.

Sadly, it seems that what they have really known is religion—human tradition that speaks of merely a historic Christ and/or follows a series of rites and practices lacking true life and the power to transform. Countless ministries and churches have been founded on doctrines and theologies that have never changed anyone’s life. The most they manage to do is provide some information or entertainment or offer a setting where people can get to know one another and benefit from their association in certain ways. But those functions are identical to the ones we would find at a social club or a trade association.

Transformation is not possible outside the presence of God.

Why follow a belief system that doesn’t produce genuine, significant change in your life? Once we experience the presence of God, we are inevitably transformed in some way. And, after we have been transformed, we inevitably manifest the effects of that transformation—we can’t help but radiate the change.

As I wrote earlier, the world wants to see genuine transformation take place in us, because that is what it needs. We must provide living evidence for people to see that supernatural encounters with God are real—and that they can experience them! We owe the world supernatural encounters with the presence and power of God. Accordingly, we must preach a complete gospel—a gospel of both Word and power (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 2:4), a gospel that continually produces spiritual knowledge and supernatural experiences in keeping with what has been preached.

Our God is always bringing us new revelations of Himself, new levels of supernatural power, and new dimensions of His glory with the manifestation of His presence. Therefore, it is essential for us to understand and accept the fact that we don’t know “everything” about God—
“we know
[only]
in part”
(1 Corinthians 13:9), as the apostle Paul declared. The best approach for us to take is to be open, humble, and expectant before God, always seeking to see, experience, and receive something new from Him beyond what we have known to this point.

Regardless of how much revelation we have already received, God always has more for us! We must be transformed and renewed by His glory through continuous encounters with His presence, from which the new life of His Spirit flows!

Some of our heart issues can be dealt with only when we are in the presence of God. Our changed heart is a sign that we are moving “from glory to glory.”

Prayer for Moving from Conformity to Transformation

I believe it is time for us to make a decision. The era in which we live demands committed Christians who are totally surrendered to God and to His will. We cannot bring about change in this world by presenting people with messages that merely give them information or entertain them, or by promoting various rules and religious formalities. We must therefore access the supernatural power of God that can transform people’s hearts and circumstances; otherwise, the “Christianity” they follow will be just another religion, subject to the present corruption of this world. Our world is collapsing under the weight of the fall, and people’s only hope of salvation and deliverance is Jesus Christ. Our part is to
be
transformed
in order to
help transform others.

The purpose of Jesus’ lordship over us is to transform our heart,
so that He may manifest His life through us.

Sons and daughters of God, what is your decision? Will you remain stagnant in your religion and conformity, or will you break through your current environment to become “new wineskins” capable of containing the “new wine” that Christ is pouring out upon this generation? Will you join the “old guard,” never participating in the great new manifestation of God’s glory on earth, or will you continuously seek encounters with the presence of God that will lead you to experience a radical change of heart so that you can reach out to others with His grace and power?

It is time for us to surrender our heart, our family, our work, our talents, our past experiences, and our calling to Christ, so that He can become Lord and Master over our whole life. When He does, He will take responsibility for everything that concerns us. This is the only way we can experience a true transformation of our heart so that it may be filled with new life—the very life of God.

If you want to make the decision to be transformed by God’s presence, please pray the following prayer:

Heavenly Father, I come before Your presence with an open heart—not hiding anything from You or pretending to be “spiritual.” I recognize that I have lived according to a religious mind-set, with patterns of conduct and deficient “structures,” or methods, of ministry and service that have left me spiritually stagnant. I ask You to forgive me for ignoring and/or rejecting the supernatural. Today, I make the decision to break away from the environments that hinder me and to begin seeking Your presence wholeheartedly, because I am hungry and thirsty to know Your transforming power!

Come to me, Lord, and show me the areas in my life that need to change. I don’t want just a “touch” from You—I want a complete transformation of my heart. I want to think as You think. I want to believe as You believe. I want to do what You do. Change my heart and my life. Open my spiritual eyes and ears so that I may see and hear the move of Your Spirit and follow it, regardless of human opinion or any other temporal, earthly influence. I want You to dwell within me and to enable me to become useful and relevant in service to Your kingdom. Thank You, Lord, because my transformation begins today! In the name of Jesus, amen!

Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is a man called to bring God’s supernatural power to this generation at the local and international levels. Active in ministry for over twenty years, he is the founder of
Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesús (King Jesus International Ministry)—one of
the fastest-growing multicultural churches in the United States—which has been recognized for its
development of kingdom leaders and for visible manifestations of God’s supernatural power.

Having earned a master’s degree in practical theology from Oral Roberts University and a doctorate in divinity from Vision International University, Apostle Maldonado stands firm and focused on the vision God has given him to evangelize, affirm, disciple, and send. His mission is to teach, train, equip, and send leaders and believers to bring the supernatural power of God to their communities, in order to leave a legacy of blessings for future generations. This mission is worldwide. Apostle Maldonado is a spiritual father to more than 100 pastors and apostles of local and international churches as part of a growing association, the New Wine Apostolic Network, which he founded.

Apostle Maldonado has authored many books and manuals, a number of which have been translated into several languages. His previous books with Whitaker House are
How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God
,
The Glory of God
, and
The Kingdom of Power: How to Demonstrate It Here and Now
, all of which are available in Spanish.
In addition, he preaches the message of Jesus Christ and His redemptive power on his international television program,
Time for Change
(
Tiempo de Cambio
),
which airs on several networks, thus reaching millions worldwide.

Apostle Maldonado resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald.