Nature has beautiful illustrations that teach us about the great power of God, as well as His redemptive work in our hearts. The cycle of butterflies is composed of four stages, namely: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The process is short, taking about a month. Butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves of the plants on which their larvae will feed. When the egg hatches, a small caterpillar emerges from its shell. Caterpillars, on the other hand, are very voracious; they eat a lot and grow quickly. When the caterpillar reaches maturity, it forms a pupa, which is also called a chrysalis. Once inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar will undergo a transformation known as metamorphosis and after a few days, from the pupa will emerge a beautiful butterfly.

The caterpillar undergoes a total transformation. He becomes a completely different creature with a completely new and distinct nature. And this is what God intends for our spiritual life in Christ: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s plan is to transform our lives, to restore His image in us, to change our hearts. He declares, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26, 27).

The word “conversion” means to transform, to make different, to change completely into something other than what it was. An example of this is found in John 16:20, “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy” or in Revelation 11:6, “. . . they have power over waters to turn them into blood.”

So, when we speak of conversion, we’re talking about God’s transforming work for man and in man, a work whereby man is forgiven and transformed, a sublime work that justifies and sanctifies the believer. It is a work whereby the old man is crucified and buried and where the new man is born to new life.

Conversion is God’s work in man by the power of His love and His Holy Spirit. There are radical conversions such as that of Saul, a conversion which was very marked when the man of Tarsus had a personal encounter with Christ on his way to Damascus. Saul’s life was impacted by the revelation of Christ’s glory. This encounter changed his life instantly to the point that, smitten with blindness and prostrated on the ground, he declared: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). He who had been heading to Damascus with dark purposes against the church of Christ, regained his sight only after spending three days of fasting and prayer followed by baptism. Then he immediately began to work to build the church that days before he had persecuted with a passion. Saul was now eager to preach Christ who was now the center of his life and message. “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20).

The conversion of Saul, also called Paul (signifying “the little one”), was a work of God’s grace and the transforming love of Jesus Christ. This caused the fierce persecutor to be himself persecuted for Jesus’ sake, and to proclaim His message without fear, facing all kinds of difficulties, even death itself. There are also other types of conversion such as in the case of Nicodemus. It took three years after that interview with Jesus (see John chapter 3) for Nicodemus to reach the point of making public his faith in Jesus and surrendering himself completely to the crucified Saviour.

“The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the leaves and flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes or whither it goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God—a patient, protracted process.”1

“How, then, are we to be saved? . . . The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the soul. The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience to the will of Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of Him who works in us to subdue all things to Himself. Then the law of God is written in the mind and heart, and we can say with Christ, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O my God’ (Psalm 40:8).”2

“While the wind is itself invisible, it produces effects that are seen and felt. So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its saving power. When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of God.”3

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

“Without true repentance, there can be no true conversion. Many are deceived here, and too often their entire experience proves to be a deception. This is why so many who are joined to the church have never been joined to Christ.”4

“Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30).

“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.”5

However, to experience this kind of repentance, we need to understand how it is produced. “As the sinner is convicted of sin, he is also attracted by the love and holiness of Christ; for Jesus is drawing him unto Himself. No man can originate the repentance which is essential for the saving of the soul. He can no more bring himself to repentance than he can bring about his own conversion. Repentance is born in the heart by beholding the love of Christ, who gave His life to save the sinner. It is the love of God that softens the hardest hearts.”6

The work of conversion brings with it wonderful fruits: A new life, a clean and renewed heart, a right spirit and other fruits, are glorious evidences of conversion. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• The Samaritan woman, upon converting to Jesus, gave up her life of adultery and went to the city to confess Jesus Christ as the Saviour Messiah. John 4:28, 29.

• The demoniac, who was naked when he was released, was now seen clothed and in his right mind; his nakedness disappeared after his conversion. Luke 8:35.

• Peter, the unlettered fisherman, after his conversion became a faithful shepherd of the gospel, a learned man and a herald of the kingdom of light. Matthew 4:19.

• Zacchaeus, the tax collector, who was accused of being a traitor and an enemy of the people after his conversion, gave half of his property to the poor and decided to make restitution to those he had defrauded. Luke 19:8, 9.

• Mary, who was possessed by seven demons because of her licentious life, after her deliverance and conversion brought Jesus a precious gift in order to express her love and gratitude. Mark 14:3.

Conversion will cause the excellence of Christ to flourish in our lives; there will be a missionary spirit, submission to the will of God, faithfulness, and holy joy. All that is noble and beautiful will abound in the life of one who has been converted to the Lord.

“The spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour.”7

“Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life. The receiver becomes a giver.”8

It is fashionable to make a profession of religion. Not all who profess to be religious are indeed Christians; many who call themselves Christians do not obey the principles of God’s law, they live fed by the old man pleasing the flesh. They are self-deceived into believing they are converted when in fact they are not. Many proclaim: “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11, 12). The profession will have no value if the heart has not been changed.

The reason for false conversions is not due to a lack of knowledge or opportunities, but to a lack of total and complete surrender, to the failure to open one’s heart fully to Jesus and allow the transforming work of His grace to operate in the life.

A prime example is that of Judas Iscariot, whose notoriety is well known.

“Judas did not come to the point of surrendering himself fully to Christ. He did not give up his worldly ambition or his love of money. While he accepted the position of a minister of Christ, he did not bring himself under the divine molding.”9

When you are willing to separate totally from all your sinful ways, you will be one with Christ, and to be one with Christ is to enter into the way of life and the regions of peace.

So now that we are in the Week of Prayer, let this be an opportunity to examine our hearts and see if there is any path of iniquity we are following—if our affections are divided, if we have idols that occupy the throne of the heart, and to ensure that we have an experience where Jesus is the King and the only King who occupies the throne of our hearts. (Isaiah 33:22.) “Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21).

It is time for us, like Jacob, to remove the idols that have been in our hearts and bury them forever (Genesis 35:2–4). It is time to be born again by the word of God and the power of His spirit (1 Peter 1:23). It is time to be free with the freedom with which Christ made us free. It’s time to leave the divided heart, and, by God’s miraculous grace, be transformed into men, women, and youth after His own heart (Acts 13:22). It’s time to say yes to Jesus. If you surrender to Jesus today, He will perform the miracle that may be missing in your life. His purpose is firm: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19, 20).

Conversion must be real, not superficial. The inner heart must be changed, not just the outward life; the core of faith must go beyond the ritualistic or ceremonial. In the Saviour’s day, Jews and religious leaders made a great show of godliness, but Jesus declared their lives to be empty and immoral. Matthew 23:27, 28. More than external changes are required; these have their place, but the “spiritual heart”—that is, the mind—must be renewed, and this will bring forth new life.

The Jewish people in Christ’s day relied on sacrifices and rituals instead of the One to whom these pointed. And as if that were not enough, they came to replace the lost presence of God with numerous requirements of human invention—even going so far as to measure their holiness by the multitude of ceremonies, while their hearts remained unchanged, full of pride and hypocrisy.

It is not outward changes or improvements that are required, but a total and complete transformation of life. The fur of the Arctic fox is brown, but during the winter its fur becomes as white as snow. It then seems that the fox is a different being, but in truth the only thing that changed is its fur, a change that will provide it with camouflage during the winter season. Although his outward appearance changes temporarily, his nature remains the same, he is still that of a bold, stalking, murderous fox.

“The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit.”10

Our walk with God must be daily; every day we need His renewing grace in our hearts so that our old sinful nature—”the old man”—is utterly annihilated. The observation has been made that while the old man is buried in the waters of baptism, the wretch also happens to be a good swimmer. Hence the determined words of Paul: “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31).

“There is need of constant watchfulness, a daily reconversion, that our individual traits of character shall be wholly sanctified to God. All our powers are to be purified from the dross of sin, and trained for service.”11

“Paul’s sanctification was a constant conflict with self. ‘I die daily,’ he said. Every day his will and his desires conflicted with duty and the will of God. But instead of following inclination, he did the will of God, however unpleasant and crucifying to his nature. If we would press forward to the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus, we must show that we are emptied of all self, and supplied with the golden oil of grace.”12

Daniel in Babylon is described as a blameless man: “Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him” (Daniel 6:4).

Where was the secret to living such a faithful life? King Darius reveals Daniel’s secret to us; he recognized on two occasions that Daniel’s secret was in his continual communion with God. Daniel maintained a life of faith and daily prayer, enjoying intimate communion with God every day. The inspired record says: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” “Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God” (Daniel 6:20, 23).

“Genuine conversion brings us daily into communion with God. There will be temptations to meet, and a strong undercurrent drawing us from God to our former state of indifference and sinful forgetfulness of God.”13

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Every one of us needs to make sure of our individual consecration, a personal conversion. We all need to gain a living experience; Christ must be enthroned in the heart, His Spirit must control our affections. Parents need the redeeming grace of God through a personal experience with Christ, just as children do. Each one must be grafted into the true vine to yield the fruits by which our heavenly Father is honored. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).

“God is dealing with us through His providence. From eternity He has chosen us to be His obedient children. He gave His Son to die for us, that we might be sanctified through obedience to the truth, cleansed from all the littleness of self. Now He requires of us a personal work, a personal self-surrender.”14

“Into the city of God there will enter nothing that defiles. All who are to be dwellers there will here have become pure in heart. In one who is learning of Jesus, there will be manifest a growing distaste for careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought. When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and refinement of thought and manner.”15

Enoch walked with God 300 years after the birth of his son Methuselah, and for more than 300 years every day Enoch invited God to walk with him, until one day God came and essentially said to him, “Enoch, you have invited me to walk with you for all these 300 years, so today I have come to invite you to walk with me,” and took him to heaven. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch not only prayed but also faithfully fulfilled his duties to God and to his fellowmen; Enoch came to love what God loved and hate what God hated; he lived by faith a life in the way of obedience, pleasing God in all that he did. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

“Now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). Take enough time today to consider your ways and see if you are in a right relationship with Jesus.

• Would you like to surrender your heart to Jesus today to be changed?

• And you who have already given yourself to Jesus, would you like to renew your surrender to Jesus so that your heart may be ever more beautiful like Christ’s?

• Would you like to pray right now to give your heart to Jesus?

Let us pray together.