Inspirational Vs. Transformational

I used to think that I had the ability to change someone and someone had the ability to change me. Then I was truly changed by the power and love of the Holy Spirit. After seeing my ex go back to being pretty much the same person he was before we met and countless other people taking or leaving my advice, I was upset for a while about the fact that I didn't have the power to change others. That's when the Holy Spirit told me that I may not be able to change someone but I could inspire someone to want to change for the better, by directly talking about God and telling people my story of how the grace of God changed me and is still changing me.

People, especially successful people by wordly standards, are beyond a shadow of a doubt inspirations for other people when you hear their stories in their climb to success. T.D. Jakes and Bill Gates got successful through different avenues, but both of their stories didn't start out with them being rich or well-known before they were successful. But, they still are world-renowned now because of the hard work they dedicated to their specific calling. However, neither of those men can transform you. They can only inspire you and their stories can only motivate you to not give up.

The Holy Spirit is the only being who can completely transform someone into someone better than they were before. Personally, I never realized how rude, lazy, arrogant, and deceitful I was before the Holy Spirit gently pointed out these flaws in our walk so far. I learned what I was raised around. Not that the Holy Spirit requires you to change who you are, but over time, you start wanting to be a better person and become more Christ-like. God will never mess with your free will and will never make you do anything you don't want to do. He will lead you as quickly or as slowly as is necessary to change you into a better version of yourself. "For there is a time for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him." -Ecclesiastes 8:6

God loves everyone as they are and there is no prerequisite to be accepted by Him. All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ, which is God and the Holy Spirit, as Lord and Savior and seek Him in your daily life, and He will start to reveal Himself to you the more you seek Him. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." -John 3:16. The hardest part is surrendering your life over to Him and trusting that His way is better than yours.