One Thing

By Seung-woo Byun

“We were told if we pray, we can be transformed. If we seek God’s face, we can be transformed. If we reside in the Lord’s glory, we can be transformed. We believed those words and we desired God, sought after Him and pursued Him, but why hasn’t it worked?”

“The Bible clearly says, ‘we all … beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,’ but why haven’t we seen this effect? Why is it that we can only suppress the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, but ultimately, are not able to overcome them? Whatever must we do to become overcomers? Is there even a way? If so, then how?”
 
I have heard many sincere believers fall into despair, moaning, “prayer does not work,” or “seeking God does not work.” Then why is it that only some people, who have sought God’s face and spent time in His presence have been changed, but others, who, likewise took the same actions, have not been changed? And what kind of response do we give to these people?

I want to share with you the revelation that the Lord gave to me regarding this topic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Holypearl
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9791190341622

Book preview

10:38-42

Prologue

Any sincere Christian desires to be transformed. In places where the diluted, Salvation-Sect*-doctrinated gospel is spread, church members are deluded and are satisfied with their present state.

* The Salvation Sect, known as Guwonpa in Korea, is a cult that proclaims the heresy that once one receives salvation, one is eternally saved. They thus believe that they are exempted from hell regardless of how they live their lives on earth.

However, in churches like ours, where the gospel truth is correctly proclaimed, believers are not satisfied with their present state and desire to be truly changed. They also desire to know the specific way to achieve change.

During the beginning years of my ministry, I attended many charismatic movement conferences. The speakers there would often teach these kinds of sayings:

Transformation does not happen because of your determination, diligence, or prayers. It will not happen through these kinds of things, but rather, through dwelling in the presence of God. Only when you seek God and spend time in his presence, will you see transformation.

After hearing this, many people, including myself, started seeking God in pursuit of transformation. And we spent our time truly encountering the presence of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Through this experience, some were able to be transformed. However, there were also others that did the same actions, but were not able to see transformation.

Even though they were seeking the face of God and spending time in His presence, they were only momentarily suppressing their lust of the flesh, their lust of the eyes, and their boastful pride of life. Not long would go by before their sinful nature would resurface. And so, there were many more people than not, who felt frustration and who experienced what is described in the following scriptures: 

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:14-24)

What the true proverb says has happened to them: The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire. (2 Peter 2:22)

They were earnest and sincere people. Nonetheless, they could not overcome sin. Just as the dog returns to its own vomit and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire, they seemed to change for a little while but would always go back to their original state. This became just one of many cycles, and this vicious cycle continued. It seemed like putting in even more effort only resulted in feeling like the desired freedom and transformation were distancing farther away from their reach.

Eventually falling into chaos, strife and deep despair, they cried out and pleaded in this way:

We were told if we pray, we can be transformed. If we seek God’s face, we can be transformed. If we reside in the Lord’s glory, we can be transformed. We believed those words and we desired God, sought after Him and pursued Him, but why hasn’t it worked?

The Bible clearly says, ‘we all … beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,’ but why haven’t we seen this effect? Why is it that we can only suppress the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, but