Most of us have heard the phrase “Out with the old, in with the new.” This denotes leaving behind old things and ideas, and starting fresh. When we look at the messes we’ve made in our lives by our mistakes and bad choices, we may wonder if we could ever start over again. On our own, we can’t get away from our old, sinful selves; with God’s help, however, it’s entirely possible.

We all can remember times when we messed up so bad that we didn’t think we could ever forgive ourselves. We may have felt trapped in the dark by our failures. Choosing to accept Jesus Christ allows us to bring everything that we can’t handle to God and leave it all at His feet. Involving Him begins a transference we could never manage ourselves, and puts everything in a new light. “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14, NLT).

Everyone has things about themselves they’d like to change. It’s normal to want to improve ourselves and become better people, but we all have our blind spots. The Holy Spirit points them out to us while reminding us of God’s love. The Spirit of grace is the one who now lives in us and begins the transformation from who we were before to who we are now in Christ. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:23, 24).

Real and lasting transformation is an ongoing process that begins with changing the way we think. Even after we’ve been born again, there’s a continual need to let the Holy Spirit show us wrong ways of thinking that we learned. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). Following the Spirit’s lead lets Him clean us up and reveal the truth of God’s unmerited, undeserved favor toward us. He works in us, rearranging things and replacing our old characteristics with the character of Jesus.

Accepting Jesus turns us from sinners to saints, in God’s eyes. His work is permanent and what He does can never be undone. When we make a mistake, we mustn’t think that we’re no longer saved; we’re brand-new beings. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our right-standing with God doesn’t depend on what we do, but on what Jesus already did and our belief in Him.

The idea of being perfect is an unrealistic goal, if we strive for this on our own. Thankfully, living under grace removes all barriers to our transformation. Having faith in the power of the blood sacrifice Jesus made for us does things we could never do on our own. “For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14, NLT). Faith in God’s grace puts us on the path to continual change for the better.