Both groups were expected to change the way they thought and acted and to turn to God. I told them to do things that prove they had changed their lives.
Acts 26:20
What are you doing that proves your life has changed? When you were saved, you became a new person. But sometimes you still resort to your old ways of thinking, acting, talking, and even believing. But that won’t do. You can’t hang on to who you were. The old you with all of its selfish ways used to guide your life, but now a greater God does that, so you have to let go of your old nature and hold on for dear life to the new nature. Prove to yourself, to God, and to others that you aren’t the same person you were.
As a God Girl you are growing, changing, and forever becoming the new and improved you. As you grow up you have to choose between the old and the new. Are you gonna go back to your old ways, or will you keep moving toward a more holy way of life? Becoming more like Christ is a hard job, but it’s a command (see Rom. 13:14; 1 Cor. 11:1). Don’t let the world tell you that compromise is okay because holiness is too hard. You need to imitate his perfection, not respond to your flaws by saying, “That’s just who I am, so deal with it.” No, that’s not who you are; that’s who you were. Now you are a new person—changing, growing, becoming a better girl and an amazing woman.
Look at the life of Paul. He was a violent person, persecuting early believers (see Acts 26:11), but he changed when he was given a new nature in Christ. You have to do the same. You can become more like Christ every day. And when you do, your reward will be good stuff like hope, joy, and peace—everything that comes from obeying the Word of the living God.