“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
People change. They can go from better to worse, or worse to better. The same person you knew years ago may or may not be the same today. The changes that matter most are not external; they are deep, spiritual changes that reflect whether we are hearing from God or not.
There is nothing more troubling than to see the slow, subtle shift of a soul away from God. Some believe they have “evolved” over time; that they are now more enlightened, open-minded, free. Even more dangerously, they may believe they still know God, or know Him better than before. But the proof is always in the pudding. Actions speak louder than words. Every tree is known by its fruits.
God is not evolving. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) He is the God of judgment, who declares: “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal. 3:5) He is also the God of mercy, who declares: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal. 3:7)
Men like to say when they’ve done something out of character for them. “I don’t know what I was doing. That’s not who I am.” God is never out of character. He is who He is.
Depending on where we are on the scale of change, God’s unchanging nature should bring us fear or comfort. The stiff-necked and hard-hearted should fear the God of judgment. The broken and repentant should be grateful for the God of mercy.
If you have gone from Him in even the slightest degree, return. Listen once again. He will return to you, and change you for the better. Even if you have denied Him, He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself.