When God gets a hold of someone, He really does a transformative work on them. The same is true of me. Case in point. At one time I was a huge braggart, and attention whore. "Look at me, I'm special!" and "Do you know who I am!?" and "Forget about you, let's talk about me." Then God got my attention, saved my soul, and made me one of His children without precondition or change. All the transformation came afterwards.

Now I find myself in the opposite place where it's extremely hard to talk about myself (you can see that in how quiet I am here), or to brag up, or even talk much about any of the things I do, have done, am doing, etc. Promoting myself in any way is nigh on impossible, as what once was second nature now feels out of place to me. Where once I wanted to be on top, now I'm content, and desirous to be at the bottom. Where once I was "Look at me! I'm special!" I'm now "Look to Jesus! He can save your soul!" The transformation, when I really think about it, is something else.

And it wasn't quick. God took a lot of years of hard work to get me where I am, but I'm so outstanding appreciative for all He's done. And He's still got some work to do, but I'm no longer resisting saying, "No Lord, don't change that!", and instead saying, "Transform me, Lord. Make me what You desire me to be." And I think that's true of all of us, that we should all desire the latter over the fore, the new man over the old, and the God life over the World, and the sin, suffering, and destruction it contains.

And as we do, God blesses us. That's the amazing part that he can take a marred vessel like me, and do so much good with it. Case in point. God took a person who nearly flunked out of both high school, and even college for a time, and brought me out of my Bachelors degree Cum Laude. He took a man who nearly flunked English class and turned him into a prolific and successful author (although you've probably not heard much of me as I'm not Tom Clancy famous, which is fine by me). He took someone who wanted nothing to do with missions to craving them.

He took someone who did nothing for the Kingdom to someone who does a lot and has a well known and respected prophecy tracking ministry, and other ministries still in the pipe to come. He took someone who was a follower and (reluctantly, as it's not my giving IMHO) made them a leader. And the best part is, you wouldn't know it, and I like it that way. Yet before this I would've spent the whole day making sure you knew about the peanut worth of stuff that I'd done, or wanted you to think I'd done.  Yet now He's given me the whole elephant, yet you'd never know, and I like it that way.

And all the credit for this amazing transformation goes to God.  I don't get one ounce of credit for any of this, save for my making of the absolutely disgusting, dung filled, festering mess that He lifted me out of.  I did that part with gusto and lots of energy, and I'm completely abhorred at what I made in my own power, my sin, my pride, my depravity.  Yet, when I gave my heart to Jesus, and let him transform me, and take the filthy wretch that I am, and mold me, and make me the perfect vessel that He needs me to be, that was ALL HIM.

Without Him I could not, and would not be what I am today, and for that I am eternally grateful. :)