Is there an area of your life you seem to fall short in more often than not?

Ever felt “off” or stagnant in a specific area of your life?

If so, God may be showing you that a reform needs to take place.

It could be in the area of relationships, finances, career, discipline, or your spiritual life.

At one point or another, most people have experienced this.

I’ve come to learn that when this is going on usually the Lord is showing me that something is out of order.

We must be diligent in seeking what is causing the disorder because if you do nothing, your results will remain the same.

And you may even open the door for Satan to reek havoc in your life resulting in depression, anxiety, and irritability.

God is a God of Order Not Chaos

Think of an assembly line, when an assembly line of a particular product is being manufactured.

Everything is running smoothly, operating efficiently, and the results are great.

In other words, everything is in order.

But what if is there is a small kink, and one little detail is out of order, then all of a sudden the machine stops working.

Then products are no longer meeting their quotas and time, and money is lost as a result of the disorder.

That’s how it is in our lives.

It doesn’t always need to be a huge event to feel out of whack.

Our “machine” could run down too if we let it, all because we allowed something in…or didn’t take something out, that created disorder.

That’s where reformation must take place.

Reform is a fancy way of saying making a change in something in order to improve it.

Most of the time it’s not a one time act, you may need reformation many times.

Think of the laws of our country, hundreds of reforms on laws and bills of the same kind.

Sometimes a reform may open the door to show you another area that needs change.

Remember reform is about improving something, and sometimes that’s a long process but always necessary to grow and look more like Christ.

Change Happens From the Inside Out

True reformation must always begin with knowledge and faith in the Lord.

Once you’ve received Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you now have the Holy Spirit as your helper and guide.

Reformation should always ultimately lead to transformation.

Reformation must begin within yourself.

It doesn’t matter how little you have, whether it be money or time.

You must always look inward to see if something is not in order, and then seek to correct that wrong.

A lot of times when something is out of order, people will naturally look externally, outside of themselves.

They may say it’s their spouse’s attitude they can’t communicate, their lack of finances why they cant save or tithe, or that they’re too busy to spend time with God.

But when you entertain these types of ideas in your mind, you automatically close the door to right those areas that are out of order…

Being in denial and making excuses for not so good choices and behavior won’t fix the problem or change anything.

Hoping or waiting for the external to change itself won’t work either.

God shows you instead, that when you reform from within, you will always find that the outward has improved too.

Romans 12:2 is a perfect example of this principle: “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you may find the acceptable will of God.”

God makes His will known to you in a variety of areas in scripture.

God’s will is made known for relationships, offenses, marriage, finances, our speech, work ethic, etc.

All found in the Bible.

So to know God’s will in these areas of disorder, you must renew your mind with His Word, not the world.

Renewing takes place from within first, and only then will you see what disorder God wants to correct in your life.

For His name’s sake and His glory.

God Cleans House!

In 2 Kings 23, the Lord is kindled with wrath against the inhabitants and plans for their destruction.

But because of King Josiah’s humility and a plea to God, God had mercy, and His alternative for them was that a reform must take place.

The city was rampant in idolatry and immoral acts.

King Josiah went up to the house of the Lord and read the covenant that was found to all the inhabitants there, small and great.

And all the people joined in the hearing of the reading of the covenant.

He burned everything in the temple that was devoted to idolatry—the altars, pillars, astrologers, and priest who made offerings to idols were removed.

Even the tombs of bones were removed and burned.

It’s easier to see when you read this whole chapter that God cleaned house!

Idolatry was rampant, and God had to deal it.

A reform took place in Jerusalem which meant the removal of anything that was creating chaos and disorder in the hearts of God’s people.

It all started with God’s Word.

The people needed to know and remember their original covenant with God.

Chances are they just forgot or were too caught up in the cares and concerns of life.

So, God had King Josiah remind them of His promises and regulations.

The same is true for you today.

God wants you to use His Words to remind yourself of what He says about those areas causing disorder in your life.

Not to condemn you, but to convict you, so you’re led to repentance.

Repentance should happen sooner rather than later because God knows destruction is waiting at the door.

God Hates Sin But Loves the Sinner

God didn’t destroy the people of Israel because of disorder.

Instead, He wanted to remove those things that were creating the disorder.

This is the same with God’s people today.

He doesn’t want to condemn or destroy you because you got it wrong.

Remember, God doesn’t hate the sinner, He hates the sin.

He hates what the disorder is causing inside of you.

And He loves you so much that He allows you to go through the pain of removing things that are not good for you.

God wants to bless His people.

Delight in His people.

But knows that bad habits and choices will hinder those blessings.

In Deuteronomy 28, God exhorted His people about blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

Time and time again He told them all the ways He would bless them if they only followed His commands.

God knows you won’t always get it right, but He knows you also can always right your wrongs.

Remember you are free in Christ and no longer a slave to sin. (Romans 6:20)

Key Takeaway

God is always in the business of reforming and restoring.

Sometimes you don’t recognize your need for reformation in a certain area because you may have become desensitized to it.

Seek and pray for God to show you those areas that need reform and be ready to hear it.

Not by arguing with God, but with humility as King Josiah did.

Remember, God is a God of order not chaos.

He will always try to guide you in the right direction when disorder has taken root because he hates what the disorder causes in you and those around you.

Reforming old ways may not be easy; it may be painful for a season.

But God’s will isn’t to punish you…it’s ultimately to perfect you.

That way you’ll be a better reflection of Him in your everyday life and reap the blessings He has in store for you.

Amen?