The Need for Transformation

The difference between the mindset of a 21st-Century Virgin and the mindset of the Bride of Christ is the perception of who Jesus is in everyday circumstances. “But for you, who thought this was evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people.” (Genesis 50:20) God doesn’t find pleasure in seeing His children suffer in the midst of adversity. There are occasions when God tests our faith or love, which causes us to wonder whether these tests are intended to destroy or to give us life. The answer, of course, depends on how we think. The testing of our faith is not meant to destroy the individual but rather to destroy a poor perception of Jesus and replace it with a stronger version. The mindset of a 21st-Century Virgin sees life’s challenges as full of impossible adversity because she has

not yet come into her purpose. Thinking like Jesus fosters a change in the twenty- first-century virgin’s mindset; this allows her to discover her purpose by seeking the kingdom of God and its righteousness, seeing herself as the beloved bride of Christ and no longer a virgin because her purpose has come into fruition.

The mindset of the twenty- first-century virgin often gets stuck at the altar of salvation, and she finds it very challenging to transform herself into a new creature in Christ Jesus. Were, as the brides of Christ, share a much warmer, intimate relationship with Him as the two become one. This transformation allows for Christian followers to think more effectively in their walk with God. This process increases their capability to live an abundant life as men and women in the body of Christ. The twenty- first-century virgin mindset puts the individual at risk of becoming an ineffective member of the body of Christ. What point is there in having a body part that does not know how to function in relation to the others and its members? These followers are also at risk of seeking Jesus in the tomb, or solely in the confines of religion, as opposed to seeking Him within their hearts and going through the process that is designed to lead them into their purpose in the kingdom of heaven. The mindset of the Bride of Christ is one of knowing her purpose through Jesus because she is connected to Him. Being aligned with Jesus as His Bride comes with the benefit of knowing who we are in the eyes of God. God is present in our lives to effectively respond to our trials, tribulations and chastisements with love, grace and mercy. God’s grace doesn’t always remove mountains or obstacles in our path, but it does give us the strength and a strategy to overcome them.

When I was a child I remember accepting Jesus as my Lord, although I didn’t learn until much later that it was God who chose me. However, I remember sharing with my younger brother and uncle that I was saving myself for the Lord’s use. They responded with laughter as they quickly began to make fun of me. Being a member of God’s boot camp is not easy, so expect to be picked on. Spiritual boot camp prepares you to be a warrior for Christ by transforming your thinking process from a 21st-Century Virgin mindset to the mindset of a Bride of Christ. What makes it so hard and painful is that the process often causes us to become separated, broken into the pieces that God will put back together to prepare us our destiny. The amount of time that each individual has to complete spiritual boot camp and to understand the process varies from one individual to another depending on the things that God needs him or her to learn. The process of spiritual boot camp is both bitter and sweet. The bitterness of boot camp is the working of our faith, which forces followers to learn to love the challenging process of discovering the God that lives inside of them.

In Matthew 25, similar to the parable of the ten virgins, the journey in seeking the kingdom of God is a type of boot camp to prepare followers to discover their destiny. However, you have to engage yourself fully while seeking the kingdom of God by having a personal, intimate relationship with God as Jesus prepares you for your purpose during the journey. The things you learned during the journey are the spiritual homework assignments that you have successfully completed. All followers as His bride need to seek out their purpose to become more effective members of the body of Christ. God is predetermining the transformation of the mindset of the twenty- first-century virgin into the bride of Christ. The process of transforming into a mindset of the bride of Christ is what sets us free. In this transformation, the mind changes from an old way of thinking to a new mindset. This development gives birth to a new creature in Christ Jesus and gives rise to a change in our behavior.

In the Virgin Mary, God chose a mother for Jesus. She was tremendously favored, anointed, and appointed by God as a conduit in bringing His Son into the world. She came into her purpose first as a virgin and later as a bride. In her own time, Mary was in danger of being rejected by her family, culture, and her fiancé, Joseph, who believed she was no longer a virgin. Furthermore, the law threatened to kill her because she was pregnant before marriage. How awesome that God, in His great majesty, would choose a woman who should be viewed as impure by society to be the mother of His Son. The way God saw Mary pregnant with purpose he sees the mindset of twenty- first-century virgin pregnant with promise even before the transformation process begins.