For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. 1 Peter 3:18.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
My Word is truth, and if you remain, abide, and continue in the truth you are set free. My Words are Spirit and life. My Word will transform you from death to life—into the you I created you to be in the beginning by My Word. I made you by My Word and I heal and save you by My Word. I brought you forth from My Word and you are born again from above by My Word—born again from death to life, from lies to truth, from flesh dominated to Spirit led.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every act of giving good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Having willed and desired it, He birthed us by the Word of truth, so that we would be the first fruits, the chosen ones of His creatures. James 1:16-18.
By remaining in My Word, continuing and abiding in it, making it your abode in all you do, you are in the secret place, the womb of My Word, the birth canal to release you from the slavery of sin and death. And I describe this process of renewing your mind in the resurrection of your spirit as metamorphosis.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2.
In Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written, the word translated “transformed” is “metamorphoó (μεταμορφόω),” which is from metá, which means “change after being with” and morphóō, which means “changing form in keeping with inner reality”, properly, “transformed after being with.” It is also translated as “transfigured,” as Jesus was on the mountain before Peter, James, and John. Metamorphóō is the root of the English terms “metamorphosis” and “metamorphize.” The process of a caterpillar changing into the form of the butterfly is the process of metamorphosis. The caterpillar is changed into a new creations, transformed by metamorphosis.
How does that happen? To you, the process of metamorphosis is discernible but still a mystery. And that is how it is with many of My works and ways. They are discernible but a mystery.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8.
But to you who are in the spirit, who have opened your hearts to My Spirit. I reveal mysteries.
The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Daniel 2:47.
And I reveal them to you by My Spirit. And where are they revealed? In My Word. The opening of My Word sheds light, giving understanding to the simple. My Spirit guides you to all truth, which is My Word, which is Spirit-breathed. My Word is not complicated to read, but until you go deeper to the very fountain of its source, the fountain head, you are not at the depth and height, breadth and length, of where I want to take you. And that is the process of being transformed by the renewal of your mind.
Let us look at the butterfly. Born as a caterpillar, which is comparable to your birth as a descendant of Adam’s corruptible seed with your mind set on things of the flesh and not of the spirit, the caterpillar crawls and often does not leave the one plant on which its egg was laid. Its eyesight is dim and sees mostly darkness and light with no colors. It only perceives the physical surroundings close to it and cannot see into the heights or the distance. But the caterpillar knows to eat, all day long it eats and eats and eats until it is so enlarged it sheds its exoskeleton and enlarges to a new level of growth and movement and a capacity to eat even more.
Think about your life, born in the slavery of sin and death in the realm of darkness where you were born as a citizen due to Adam’s transfer to that realm, you discover My Word and you begin to eat and grow thereby.
Your Words were found and I ate them, and Your Words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16.
And as you partook of the banquet of My Word that I set before you in the sight of the enemy of your soul, you began to enlarge your heart and your mind began to be transformed to see a new image of yourself and the things around you.
This happens in metamorphosis. When a caterpillar emerges from the egg, it has special cell groups called imaginal discs. The imaginal discs contain very few cells, but contain all the directions for making a butterfly. There is a disc to make the wings, a disc to make the legs, a disc to make the antennae and so forth.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11.
Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him, but to us God revealed them through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
In the caterpillar, these small clumps of cells called imaginal discs, grow larger along with the caterpillar, that is, as it eats they also enlarge. And thus, though the caterpillar knows not how, the wings that take it to new heights and distances it never believed possible, the new eyes that see far and all the colors of the spectrum, the antennas that perceive, long thin legs that can move about lightly on flowers and transfer pollen about, and a new mouth that draws sweet nectar from colorful flowers.
So too meditating day and night on My Word, abiding therein, will give you a new set of eyes—the eyes of your heart which My Word enlightens, eagle’s wings to soar and glide on the current of the wind of My Spirit, and a new mouth wherein I put My Word.
I have put My Words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to plant Heaven and to establish it upon the earth. Isaiah 51:16.
And after enlarging and shedding its old skin five times, the number of grace (the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Hei, and there are two of this letter in My Name (יהוה), I give you grace upon grace), the caterpillar spins and winds up in its own cocoon, its own burial shroud, and a process begins to take place that is a mystery but a manifested reality.
The caterpillar dies to itself by completely destroying the stronghold and bondage of its old self and turns into a liquid and in that nutrient rich form of its old self the imaginal discs began to take form. Wings appear, new, long and delicate antennas, big new eyes that see great distances and many colors that the human eye cannot even detect, and above all, a new mouth, called a probiscis like a coiled straw by which it can only draw the sweetness of the nectar of colorful flowers.
So too it is for you who abide in the secret place of My Word, as you renew your mind and grow on the pure milk of My Word you become stronger and no longer behave as infants blown about by every wind of doctrine and deceptive philosophies of men. And as you shed the old man and move on to the new you enlarge your heart to eat the meat of My Word to grow mature thereby and be able to discern good from evil.
But there is always more in the revelation of My Word. As you feed on My Word and draw more and more from My Word in the Spirit you enlarge your heart to receive greater levels of revelation as you ascend higher and higher in your view of that around you, it is then you come to eat the honey of My Word, the honey from the rock. And it is then you have a new mouth.
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood, for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:4-8.
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:11-13.
You are in the cocoon of the Word where you die to your old self and are formed anew to be released a new creation in Christ in the resurrection of the spirit to newness of life. And this I put in your heart from the beginning.
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5.
Metamorphosis. To tear down the old and build up the new. To dig up and destroy the weeds and plant the new seed. To emerge a new creation in Christ out of the womb of the Word.
Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:9-10.
Jesus spoke of this process as well. And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:23-26.
And now I think, by looking at your metamorphosis to a new creation in Christ which is the process of being born again of and renewing you mind in My Word, as you offer your bodies to be part of the Body of My Son on earth as your living spiritual sacrifice, you will understand these words which are quoted so often but focusing only on the physical, but there is another level that they really address, the process of the metamorphosis of your spirit and soul and body. From walking in the flesh to walking in the spirit.
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
It is time to tear out what is of the flesh in you—the gossiping, the malice, the fear, the grumbling and complaining, the bitterness, the hate, spreading discord and discontent in your workplace and elsewhere. It is time to grow up past that to the new mouth and the new eyes. It is time to tear down the old and build up the new. Time to die to the flesh and walk in the spirit. Mourn over sin and rejoice over forgiveness and a whole new way of righteousness. Above all rely on that I make all things work together for good for those who love Me and are called according to the purpose in My heart, which is salvation, truth, and shalom for all. Are there some things you have to get rid of to go forward.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. Hebrews 12:1-4.
Be firm, you have died with Jesus to sin and I raised you with Him to walk in newness of life. Get rid of the old leaven of sin, Christ your Passover has been sacrificed.
I love you. It is time you let go of your old ways of the flesh, put it to death without pity, and began to walk in newness of life, that is, life in the Spirit. Step up higher and be transformed into the person I made you to be. I never planned that you would crawl around in the dirt and eat it all the days of your life, instead I give you wings to soar like eagles. You have imaginal discs. Feed them with My Word.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.