Transformation--What Does it Mean?
We want our cities transformed and that is a good thing to desire. But first, God wants us (the individual) transformed. We are no longer to be conformed to this world, doing the things they do, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (See Romans 12:2.)
As we evaluate that verse, slowly and carefully, we can find many things. What does it mean to be conformed to this world? When we think about the things they do, we are to not do them. These include many of the things we did before we were saved. It starts with the way we think, or rather what we think.
True transformation starts with the inner man. God transforms us from the inside out. As we renew our minds to the word of God, thinking His thoughts based on His word instead of our own, that is when transformation begins.
In the 1980s, I heard of a minister who said he had prayed in tongues one day for several hours. The devil told him that he couldn't pray another hour, so he did. This went on until that minister had prayed a total of about 6 hours in tongues. He then got the greatest breakthrough ever in his ministry.
Hearing of this, I decided that if that minister could pray in tongues that long, so could I. Up until then, I had only prayed for about 2 or 3 hours in tongues in any one day. Upon praying in tongues that day about 1/2 hour longer than this particular minister said that he prayed, I declared my breakthrough in ministry.
I recognized the necessity for praying in tongues daily. I would pray in tongues each day until I sensed a breakthrough into the Spirit realm. Sometimes it would take 1/2 hour. At other times, far less. Then, all of a sudden one day, after only uttering a few words in tongues, I was "there." I had had my breakthrough into the other realm.
It took determination in order to do this. I knew that God wanted His people transformed. I also knew that God would never tell His people to do anything that was not possible for them to do. He said to be transformed by the renewing of the mind and that in doing this, they would be able to prove what is His good, and acceptable, and perfect will.
Prior to this renewing of my mind, I did not like the way my mind thought. I realized that I did not have to stay that way. With God's help and power, He could and would change those thoughts. I decided to cooperate and participate with Him and realized that it was a very slow process, changing one thought at a time to God's way of thinking.
Anyone can do this, if they are willing to go through the process of transformation. It is a process. It does not happen overnight. It does not happen merely by the laying on of hands or as other people pray. It happens through time with the Savior.
After we have been converted, we are to strengthen others. (See Luke 22:32.)
Transformation of our cities will come through the transformed lives of a group of believers. It is like a "domino effect." One person becomes transformed and then shares their experiences with others, who in turn become hungry for what that person has and understands that they too can have it.