I want to begin today with the definition of a word you likely know, but probably don’t use very often. The word is amend.
The dictionary defines amend as: to put right; to change or modify for the better; to improve a situation; to alter formally by modification, deletion, or addition; to reform oneself.
That makes amend a powerful word for Christians to add to our vocabulary.
Our lives should involve a healthy measure of self-examination and ongoing adjustment. Scripture tells us this plainly:
1 Corinthians 11:31 (NLT2) “But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.”
When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the Bible says we become new creations. We are called to be transformed. The Apostle Paul tells us to put off the old self and put on the new. All of this points to inward change—our old nature being reshaped into the new life we now have in Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) “And we… are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Recently, I was reading in Jeremiah chapter 7. God had given Jeremiah a strong word of correction for His people. He had brought them into a place of great blessing, but over time they had drifted away from Him. Their intimacy with God faded, and they became casual, even disrespectful—nearly pushing Him out of their lives.
They were backslidden, and God instructed Jeremiah to say this to them:
Jeremiah 7:3 (NKJV)“Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.”
The moment I read those words, they leapt off the page. I knew the Lord had been speaking to me for some time about certain changes He wanted me to make—and He wanted me to deal with them now.
This wasn’t about sin or backsliding. It was about adjustments God wanted me to make that would draw me closer to Him and ultimately increase my influence as a leader. I couldn’t shake those words: “Amend your ways and your doings.”
Day after day, they kept rising up in my heart. I’ve learned through experience that when this happens, the Lord is calling me to act—not later, but now. I also knew something else to be true: if God was instructing me to make a change, then His grace—His supernatural help—was already available to empower me to do it.
So I put an end to procrastination that very day. I chose to amend my ways and my doings, trusting that obedience would draw me closer to God. With His help, I stayed consistent. Within a month, that one change began to ripple through other areas of my life. It led to additional adjustments—each one bringing blessing, growth, and greater godly influence.
There are many things the Lord desires to help us amend in our lives. Why? Not because He’s angry with us. Not because He’s disappointed or disgusted with us. Quite the opposite.
It’s because His love for us is so great. He knows the changes He invites us to make will deepen our intimacy with Him, bring greater peace, and lead us into richer places of blessing. He is our Heavenly Father, and like any good father, His motivation is love—wanting what is best for His children.
And this is critical to remember: God will never call you to amend something in your life without also supplying the grace to do it. When He speaks to your heart, listen. Respond. And trust that His help is already at work within you.
When God invites you to amend your ways, it is always an invitation into greater grace, freedom, and life.
Jonah 2:8 (NIV) “Those who cling to worthless vanities forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
