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Kirsten

Holmberg

Kirsten Holmberg is a speaker, author, and coach based in Colorado. She speaks regularly at business, church, and community events, encouraging others to step closer to Jesus and better know His love for them through the Scriptures. When she’s not immersed in studying the Bible or crafting a message of her own, Kirsten enjoys helping others learn to communicate effectively as a public speaking coach and trainer. Find her online at www.kirstenholmberg.com.

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Changed by the Spirit

When Neil Douglas boarded his flight to Ireland, he was met with quite a surprise. He discovered his seat was occupied by another passenger, so he began a conversation to sort out the discrepancy. When the passenger looked up to answer, Neil was face to face with his lookalike! Onlooking passengers laughed at the men’s resemblance while the two took a selfie. The coincidences didn’t end there: they ran into each other again when checking into the same hotel and a third time at a local pub. The next morning, they discovered their selfie had gone viral on social media due to their striking facial similarities.

Bearing a resemblance to another human being is a surprise for those of us without a biological twin, but the Bible says we’ll begin to look more like God as we follow Him. In the Old Testament, Moses’ countenance was changed by his face-to-face encounter with God—so much so that “the Israelites could not look steadily at [his face] because of its glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18; see Exodus 34:33-35).

Today, we see the glory of Jesus revealed in the Bible and through it “we . . . are being transformed into his image” (v. 18) by the Spirit. Though our physical appearance may not be changed in an observable way, our growing knowledge of and love for God results in an unmistakable transformation. When God “makes over” our hearts and minds, it’s visible to our fellow travelers in this journey of life.

Out of the Mouths of . . .

What if you could understand what your dog was saying? New technology uses “bark” recognition to help determine what feelings canines are expressing when they bark. The artificial-intelligence-enabled collars interpret the dogs’ barks for their owners using data from more than ten thousand barks to identify the emotion they’re expressing. Though the collars don’t enable a word translation, they do foster a greater understanding between owner and pet when something needs the owner’s attention.

God used an animal to get Balaam’s attention, too. Balaam saddled his donkey to travel to Moab in response to God’s instructions to “go . . . but do only what I tell you” (Numbers 22:20) The donkey stopped when he saw God’s angel “standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand” though Balaam couldn’t see it (v. 23). Balaam continued to try to press forward, so God enabled the donkey to speak in human words. When Balaam’s eyes were finally opened to the danger, “he bowed low and fell facedown” (v. 31), admitting his inward intention to either collect a reward or curse God’s people contrary to God’s instructions (vv. 37–38). “I have sinned,” he said. “I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me” (v. 34).

May we heed the instructions God gives us in the pages of the Bible, through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and in the wise counsel of others—not just outwardly, but inwardly, too.