Demolition Day

Seeing the Holy Spirit as the ultimate HGTV expert

I have always enjoyed watching the shows on HGTV where they find a house in desperate need of TLC and restore and repair it – transform it so it is barely recognizable. (Shoutout to Chip and Joanna Gaines). The process is so interesting and takes such time, skill, dedication, and preparation.

It hit me that the Holy Spirit is like the ultimate renovation expert. Master builder, craftsman, and interior designer.

Sometimes I think we expect salvation and sanctification to feel more like a light switch than a renovation.

We come to Christ and assume everything old should instantly disappear overnight — every bad habit, every insecurity, every wound, every selfish tendency, every fear. But Scripture paints a different picture. Not of instant perfection, but of continual renewal.

The Holy Spirit is less like a magician and more like this ultimate builder and interior designer.

Anyone who watches renovation shows knows one thing: before the beautiful transformation comes demolition. DEMO DAYYYYY!!! (I personally am more of a fan of seeing the designs in 3D come to life, the final transformation).

Demo day is loud. Dusty. Uncomfortable. Walls come down. Rot is exposed. Pipes hidden for years suddenly become visible. Things that looked “fine” on the outside are revealed to be unstable underneath. I mean, nine times out of ten, they discover some giant issue that they did NOT foresee. (Like termites have eaten the entire foundation and they need to spend a million dollars on a new one, etc.)

And somehow, that’s grace too.

Because God loves us too much to decorate over destruction. To slap a picture on a dilapidated wall and call it “finished.”

Ephesians 4 tells us to “put off your old self” and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). That language is intentional. Putting off. Putting on. Removing. Renewing. Rebuilding. It is active, ongoing transformation.

The Holy Spirit begins gently uncovering the places in us that cannot remain if we are going to become more like Christ. Sometimes He tears down pride. Sometimes bitterness. Sometimes old identities we built apart from God. Sometimes coping mechanisms we once used to survive.

And if we are honest, demolition rarely feels pleasant while it is happening. (Okay, it never does…most of the time we feel that “hammer”).

But no good builder skips the foundation.

Before new flooring can be laid, weak structures must be removed. Before light can flood a room, walls may have to come down. Before a house becomes beautiful and functional, it must first become honest.

That is what the Spirit does in us.

Not condemnation.
Not destruction for destruction’s sake.
Transformation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). New creation does not mean God ignores what is broken. It means He commits to restoring it completely.

Sometimes we want God to simply redecorate our lives while leaving the old structure untouched. But the Lord is after more than cosmetic Christianity. He wants renewal from the inside out.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, “He removes the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh.” Romans 12:2 speaks of the “renewing of our minds.” Titus 3:5 reminds us that this renewal happens through the Holy Spirit Himself.

And maybe the most comforting part is this: Scripture says we are being renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Daily.

Not instantly.
Not flawlessly.
Daily.

Some days the renovation feels exciting. Other days it feels exhausting. There are seasons where God seems to be rebuilding entire rooms of your heart you did not even realize needed work.

But every bit of demolition has purpose.

The Holy Spirit sees the finished work before we do.

He knows what walls need removing.
What foundations need strengthening.
What spaces need light again.

And He knows the perfect way to design and decorate the most beautiful home.

And unlike earthly renovations, He never abandons the project halfway through.

We have to allow the work. We can’t skip to the reveal, the big transformation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. We must submit fully to the demolition, the rebuilding, the designing, and trust that, ultimately, we will be renewed and made more like Christ with each torn down wall.

bytaylormcgee