THE CHURCH TODAY holds a more worldly view of the Bible than a biblical view of the world. We’re being shaped more by culture than by the Word of God. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NKJV). We have a better option: transformation.
Transformation doesn’t start with behaving differently but with thinking differently. Until that happens, a gap remains between what we’re believing for and what we’re experiencing in our lives. I call this the transformation gap. Closing it requires a process. If we follow that process, it will work for us.
Recognize the Gap
In gap management within a company or organization, you have to look for a gap to see it. The same applies to your life. If you’re facing an unsolved issue, your first step is to recognize the gap. To do so, ask questions. Where do you want to be? What do you want to know? Where’s the gap, and how will you close it?
In 1989, my wife and I were led by the Lord to pastor a church in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was a great opportunity, but we struggled to survive on 30 percent less income than we had before we began pastoring. I thought a part-time job would solve the problem, but I knew in my heart that neither of us should seek one.
I thought, “I know the scriptures I was taught about finances, so I’d better dig back into them.” As I reached for those teachings, it felt as if someone had taken my hand and pulled it away. Inside, though I didn’t hear words, I knew I couldn’t use someone else’s revelation to fix the problem. God wanted us to solve it with a revelation that would come directly from Him. I had found the gap.
Prioritize Closing the Gap
When you recognize the gap, make closing it a priority. Ask, “How much renewing of the mind should I do until transformation happens?”
Then, once you recognize the gap and make closing it a priority, you’ll need to mobilize someone or a team to take it on. In our case, the Word and the Holy Spirit are the mobilizers.
Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (NKJV). This passage speaks of devouring the Word. That’s meditation, which is more than passive listening.
Meditation is an active, attentive engagement with God’s Word. Christian meditation is a relationship with the Word of God, a biblical process. It means staying with what God has already said long enough for it to speak back to us.
Don’t Quit Until You Reach Transformation
That’s what Romans 12 is about. Renewal or transformation happens when truth is no longer merely visited but lived. Psalm 1:2–3 captures the delight, discipline, and blessing that follow a person who meditates in God’s Word day and night. “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3 NKJV).
Meditation in the Word leads to revelation, and revelation leads to transformation.
Revelation can come while you’re studying, praying, or meditating. It’s not a new doctrine or a revelation outside of scripture. It’s an insight into an established truth, or a deeper layer of that truth.
That year in Terre Haute, I was determined to receive the revelation I needed. I prayed every day. After months of walking, praying, studying the scriptures, quoting them, and asking questions, the light finally came on. There was a connection of scriptures that I hadn’t seen before. It changed our lives and our finances.
In your life, what is the gap? Are you missing it in your health or finances? I urge you to go to the Word to find the answer, because if you learn to do it once, you’ll know you can do it again.
Author
John Grunewald
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