Character Transformation

We often think transformation is about behavior — trying harder, doing better, fixing what’s wrong. But real change doesn’t start on the outside; it starts deep within.

In Ezekiel 36:26, God says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

That’s not self-improvement — that’s spiritual renewal.

We can try to modify our habits all day long, but only God can truly change our hearts.

That means He doesn’t just want to make you act better — He wants to make you new. He wants to replace anger with peace, pride with humility, fear with faith, and bitterness with love.

So maybe today, instead of asking, “How can I fix this?” we start asking, “God, how can You transform me through this?”

Because transformation isn’t about perfection — it’s about surrender.

Do you use your anger, pride, fear, and anything else as a crutch to keep you from things? Do you often say, “That’s just who I am”?

When my daughter was little, she used to tell me she couldn’t do things because she was afraid or it made her feel anxious.

I believed these things; I was the same way. But when talking with her, instead of focusing on those, I would direct the conversation to why she was feeling them, how she could overcome them, and how, with God by her side, she was capable of learning and growing so that these things didn’t keep her from living fully.

Sometimes we just need tools to know that we can do things. When we learn, we become confident in ourselves — but more importantly, in God, who has seen us through. Our character begins to change when we know that we have a supportive Father walking with us.

We have all done some self-help things. There are a lot of books to read and people to listen to and talk to, and they can hit on a few points that make sense in your life, but the only One who truly understands you enough to help you heal and grow is the Lord.

I remember my self-help journey began with books. I would do my research, and I would find Christian-based authors that could help.

I knew that God was the way, but instead of going to His Word or to prayer, I decided to read books by others who could somewhat relate.

These books did help, but it was actually the scripture references in the books that helped me more. Those references taught me what the Bible had to say about what I was going through. With that open door into God’s Word, I was better able to seek Him to get the answers and fulfillment I was looking for.

So, as you go through seeking answers and direction, know that God is there, and He can help.

When we become a new life in Christ, that word new is so true. I’ve known many people who literally became new. Their whole outlook changed, and their character changed.

That is what the love of God does — it takes the old and makes it new.

We can see things change more nowadays because of social media and how transformation is happening everywhere. Some of those people never heard of God nor stepped foot in church, and God met them right where they were and, in that instant, He changed them.

I would love to hear about your transformation story. You can email me at rachel@kjic.org. Let us all rejoice in the work the Lord is doing.

Character transformation takes time. It’s not an overnight change — it’s a process.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT): “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

God often uses real life to shape our hearts: difficult people, delays, disappointments. The things we wish He would take away are often the very tools He uses to refine us.

When you’re patient in the waiting, gentle in the conflict, or forgiving when it’s hard — that’s transformation. That’s the Holy Spirit doing heart work that no one else can see.

It’s not about pretending you’re strong — it’s about letting God be strong in you.

Ezekiel says God takes out our “stony, stubborn hearts.” Sometimes that means He’ll put His finger on something we’ve been holding onto — an attitude, a hurt, a habit — and say, “Let Me change that.”

And when we let Him, the results aren’t just visible — they’re lasting.

When God has pointed something out in you that needs to be changed, that is the Holy Spirit doing some work in your life.

We are to become more like Christ, and the only way that is possible is to be changed. First comes a heart change, and then comes the heart work. With that work, you will notice the change within yourself.

When we grow in Christ, our character becomes more like His. We love differently, we think differently, we handle situations with more discernment, we are more patient and more forgiving.

You will find that you are more content with who you are in Christ than ever before.

Character transformation is a slow yet important transformation as a Christ follower.

Some things happen in life that absolutely break us, but when we know that we can depend on God to help us through, we can find strength and clarity that we never knew we could have.

God supplies what we need during these times so that we will know and remember who He is and what He has done for us.

Sure, we are able to make it through difficult situations without God, but we won’t have the peace and understanding that we would have if God were with us.

Let God transform you, and once you do, you will understand that peace that surpasses all understanding so much better.

God does allow tough things to happen so we can grow and learn.

The thing that we are learning the most is that God is there guiding us.

True transformation shows up in the small things.

It’s how you respond when you’re interrupted.

How you treat people who can’t give you anything in return.

How you handle moments when no one’s watching.

Those are the quiet places where character grows.

And here’s the beautiful thing — God doesn’t rush the process. He patiently molds us, moment by moment, prayer by prayer, until our lives start to reflect His nature.

He doesn’t expect instant holiness — He invites daily surrender.

Transformation happens when we stop trying to “be better” and start letting Jesus shape us from the inside out.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT): “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

My response to frustration is where I have seen the change the most. I’m pretty dull and like my routine, and I am pretty easygoing… but I don’t like change — except in some instances — but when it brings big change, that is where I would tend to spiral.

That part of me that doesn’t like change is still here, but now I know that interruptions in life are because God has a plan.

Releasing control of my plans and my want for control has changed my response to frustration.

Now I really am more easygoing than I once was, and that was because God showed me that I don’t need to have full control and that I can depend on Him.

Sometimes the character changes that we notice in ourselves are just for us. This is because it is our relationship with God that needs that.

When we notice the little things, we are able to see and understand the work of the Lord. Others will also notice the change, and that change is to be seen so others will come to understand what God can do — and maybe they will want it too.

We are all a work in progress, learning God’s character and adapting it so that we can also have character transformation that points who we are back to God.

If you feel like you’re still a work in progress — that’s okay. You are. We all are.

Ezekiel 36:26 reminds us that God doesn’t just polish up old hearts; He gives new ones.

Every day is an opportunity to let Him soften what’s hardened, to breathe life into what feels weary, and to shape your character into something that looks a little more like His.

The goal isn’t perfection — it’s transformation.

And that happens when you keep showing up with a willing heart and an open spirit.

Let God do what only He can do — make you new from the inside out.