The means to live in God’s Kingdom now is to “fool” every part of our normal self that we can actually be transformed. In football, we would call this an “end around.” If you take the direct approach it almost always fails. Like,

This time I am really going to live a godly life! I am going to quit being an angry person. I am going to be patient and I am going do it- right now!

Whenever we take the direct approach, our whole being cries out, “It can’t be done!” Or, “Who do you think you are?!” Or, “I’ll just die if I follow through on this!!”

How do we go about indirectly impacting ourselves to live the transformed life? The spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced are the key.

Through silence and solitude, study, worship and such, we are able to focus on what is there in front of us, and it will naturally be used by the Spirit to change us from the inside.

For instance, we don’t say, “From now on I am going to be a loving person,” but rather we say, “I am going to work on becoming the kind of person who can love.” The spiritual disciplines then become the tools that make us available for that transformation.

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