“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
There is a song I've come to love that talks about an atmosphere shift, our chains being broken, and Heaven being open.1 At first, it was just a song. But recently, the words started to pop out at me with deeper and deeper meanings as they reminded me of my dear friend Jessica,2 who has always been beautiful on the inside.
Not too long ago, things were going very badly for Jessica. For multiple reasons, life wasn't going as she had hoped. She made one bad decision after another. She would drink to the point of throwing up. She looked for love in all the wrong places and sometimes with the wrong people. She married a psychopath, and the marriage lasted months before they separated and soon after divorced. She was in pain. She was broken, but despite all the hardships, she had an infectious laugh, and her friends loved her and supported her through it all.
One day, Jessica said she was moving with a friend to Texas. That turned out to be a nightmare, and she ended up in Nevada. Jessica was looking for life to give her a break. She desired a significant shift in her circumstances, an “atmosphere shift.” She decided to stop drinking. She decided to remove the many tattoos she had on her body. As she explained the tattoo removal process, I wondered why she needed to go through all of that. However, Jessica cleaned up nicely. Soon after, she met a clean-cut, handsome chiropractor. He showed genuine interest in Jessica as a person. Shortly after, they started dating, and now they are in a meaningful relationship where she is overflowing with love.
I believe Jessica shifted her atmosphere when she decided that drinking and tattoos were not for her anymore. She chose to stop the negative habits in her life. Because she made these changes, Jessica was transformed by renewing her mind with much better things. When she made that shift, she went from having one-night stands to a deep, fulfilling relationship with a professional man. Instead of making harmful decisions, she began to make helpful decisions.
This kind of life transformation is the working of God’s grace in us. Our Savior desires to save each of us from the harmful life decisions we are making and transform us into something so much better, so much healthier. He wants us to be full of His love and able to receive love from Him and others. It can be a difficult process, but HE can do it!
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Call to Action
"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13 ESV). Could it be that God is waiting on us to ASK to be transformed before we can obtain what we desire? Maybe we need to shift our atmosphere by getting rid of people and things that do not serve a positive purpose in our lives, and instead focus on Jesus.
If God was able to take my dear friend from one destructive life path and place her on a much healthier and better path, then I believe He is able to do that for each and every one of us who is willing to be transformed by Him.
Ask. Your miracle awaits.
- Thompson, Phil and Jubilee Worship. “Atmosphere Shift.” Genius. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://genius.com/Jubilee-worship-atmosphere-shift-lyrics.
- Name changed for privacy reasons.
