Accept change as good
When you give your life to God there is a transition happening.
From your ways of doing things to God’s way of doing things!
From Chaos to transition to destiny!
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The earth was "without form and void".
• Unshaped & unformed • Barren & empty • Depressing & needy
• Undeveloped & unfinished • Unfruitful & unproductive
• Uninhabited & deserted • Joyless & without hope
It was in this ruin, that the Spirit of God “moved” & began to create a transition.
Often the greatest challenge in transition is not in learning something new…but in unlearning something old.
And all things go from chaos to destiny by transition.
Transition-def; A process of change.
Everything in life changes.
If you don’t learn the art of transition, you may not be flexible to bend through the curves of life.
When change comes we often worry that things won’t be the same.
We fear that change will bring yet another opportunity for failure.
We are creatures of habit, & we don’t want our boat rocked by change.
Many people do not see change as positive, primarily because it is unfamiliar.
The truth about change is this:
Life moves on whether you like it or not. Change is to be expected
You can influence change.
You can have a significant role in designing a future that is vastly improved over your past.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Choose to develop a master strategy for managing change so that it is good.
There are at least four things you need to consider as you make change work in your favor.
#1 DON’T LIMIT THE STREAMS OF INPUT IN YOUR LIFE
Don’t limit the streams of good information & godly wisdom in your life.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding;
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
#2 DETERMINE WHAT YOU DON’T WANT TO REPEAT
As you strategize about changes in your life, you must become very analytical about what you have lost.
That is the key to not repeating past mistakes.
Ask; What don’t I want to do again?
It’s not what happens to you in life that determines your future.
It is how you respond to what happens that determines your future.
There is two ways of taking inventory of what is in your mind & heart.
One way is through your eyes;
Lamentations 3:40 Let us search out and examine our ways…
1Corithians 11:28 But let a man examine himself…
And the other way is through God’s eyes.
Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, & prove me; Try my mind & my heart.
Be brutally honest with yourself about what didn’t work for you in the past, or what isn’t working for you now.
Don’t repeat those behaviors!
Don’t make those same unproductive, unrewarding, unsatisfying choices.
There’s always room for more change, more development, & more improvement.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
What am I allowing to control my thoughts and my mind?
Your thoughts create your reality & what you look at longest becomes your strongest in your life.
Constantly take note of where your thoughts, plans, & goals are.
Aim your thoughts in the vision and destiny God has planned for your life.
Remember, the life He has designed for you is bigger & better than the one you are living now!
Never quit or give up on your God given goals.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season (time), if you don’t give up.
#3 TARGET AREAS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
Don’t attempt to change everything at once.
Target specific areas where change might create a situation that is more productive & satisfying.
God did not change the earth form, and void; and darkness overnight!
First day; God created light.
Second day; God created the sky (arch) in order to separate the water.
Third day; God gather the waters & the dry land appeared & created the grass, herbs that yield seed, the trees.
Fourth day; God created the moon & the stars & put them in space.
Fifth Day: God created every living thing that moves in the waters & every bird
Sixth Day; God created every animal of the earth according to its kind and God created man in His own image; male and female He created them.
Ask what areas do I need to change?
These areas that are unsatisfying & unproductive are where positive change can be maximized.
How much worse are you willing to let things get?
If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll likely keep getting the results you’ve always had.
If a habit or routine in the past isn’t working for you, if a method isn’t producing good results, shift it into the “to be change” category of your life.
One of the definitions of insanity is doing what you’ve always done & expecting different results.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
#4 AT ALL TIMES: REMAIN POSITIVE ABOUT CHANGE
One of the reasons that people don’t change is because they don’t believe change is possible.
Illustration; when a baby elephant is being train, it is staked to great logs.
It may struggle greatly, pulling against the rope or chain that ties it to the log, but after repeated failures, it eventually gives up.
The young elephant concludes that when a rope or chain is around its foot, it cannot be free. Even a small stake can hold the elephant in its place.
How many people are in exactly that same situation emotionally or spiritually?
They believe they are forever bound to a bad situation or to a bad outcome.
They have been conditioned by past experiences to conclude that nothing good can or will happen.
They don’t take any risks in testing the boundaries of what might be, because they’ve already convinced themselves about what will be.
Are you a prisoner to your past?
Are you chained to something mentally, when in fact you are free to make new choices and new decisions.
Believe that you can change.
Believe that change can benefit you.
Activate your faith.
Believe that God desires positive change for you & that He will help you make good changes.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
When you change beliefs form you can’t to I can, you change behavior.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Behavior always reveals what a person really believes.
If you look at the fruit in the person’s life, you will be able to identify the roots.
Choose to believe what you believe to be God’s very best, & then pursue the best.
In the end, you will change your life not only for the better, but for the best.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, “Declares the Lord”, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
