How to Let God Change You
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
Intro: Do you know that in you right now is everything you need to be great in the sight of God, to be a successful Christian, to be the person God wants you to be?
You are equipped, blessed, talented, empowered, focused, bold and confident. But it is up to you to bring it out. How do you do this? The bible says God transforms you into a new person by changing the way you think. When you let go of small thinking, when you stop limiting God, then you will open up your life to your dreams and fullness of God’s blessings.
But first you have to shut off the comments others have said about you and replace them with what God says about you, the transformed and changed you is going to be released and an amazing new person will take its place. You will see the blessed you, the prosperous you, the confident you, the talented you, the healthy you, the spiritual you, the happy you. On the inside of us is a person who is created in the image of God. So today we are going to talk about “How to Let God Change You.”
I. Focus on what God says We Can Do.
“those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” Romans 8:5
Christians…, we are not to be limited by negative thoughts. We are not to be restricted by narrow thinking about things I can’t do. But Instead be led by what God wants to accomplish in you. It is human nature to gravitate toward the negative. Even an optimist has to work at seeing the glass ¼ full. Instead of ¾ empty.
Negative thinking leads to negative talking. Negative talking leads to conflict, frustrations, and anger.
Just go home and start talking about how awful things were at work. Throw down your keys on the counter, plop down on the couch and see if you spouse runs over and wants to snuggle. More likely you are going end up sleeping on the couch alone before the night is over.
God can change us. God helps us go through a transformation. It is not all up to God but part of it is up to us. Get your thinking in line with God. Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” There is a great father inside you. There is a great mother, a great person inside you.
When you think things are never going to change, when you think things are never get better, then that kind of thinking determines your course of action. Focus on what God says He can do.
II. Change your thoughts…
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
Today is a fresh start. Tomorrow is new day, a better.
When I first got divorced I was very depressed. I was scared. I was afraid of what people would say about me. I was frightened about what people would think. I was nervous about trying to find a new person to date. I was miserable. But then I got to thinking, “I’m not going to live the rest of my life in the pain of the past. I’m not meant to live in uncertainty or fear of the future. I had to relearn how to live one day at a time. I had to change my thoughts from breakup and let down to start thinking about what God can do in my life. That is not just positive thinking, that is being transformed by my faith in God.
Think about how do you please God? We are called to the beautiful business and joyful work, the wonderful duty and faithful obedience.
This is what I had to do. I had to grow out of poverty as a child. I had no example of higher education to go by. Later in life I had to grow out of brokenness of a divorce. But there was always a "still small voice" in me that was calling me to be great. Bruce you were made for more. Bruce God wants to use you do to great things. Bruce God wants you to lead His people. God called me to be an obedient servant. So there rose a new standard of expectation of what God can do in my life. Not what you can’t do. Not what you can’t become. Many times God has changed me from “barely get by” to “realize I am blessed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.”
Illustration: Seagulls are marvelous birds. One day there was a sea gull who got tired of just flying low and just circling around the surface of the water. So he said to his fellow sea gulls. “Do you see these wings? Our wings are twice as large as the wings of other birds our size. We should be flying higher, flying farther, swooping down faster than any of the other birds. But all the sea gulls just ignored him.
They were content to fly the way they had always flown. To skim along the surface of the water. To aimlessly glide along in whatever direction the updraft of the wind would carry them. But this one sea gull dreamed of flying on a higher plane of existence. He kept insisting that the seagull should do more than just fly in circles and be carried about by the aimless direction of the wind.
So he went before the counsel of seagulls. He stretched forth his wings and flopped them rapidly. He said, “see these wings. We should be flying higher, flying farther, swooping down faster than any of the other birds.” But all the counsel of sea gulls just laughed at him. In fact they banned him from ever speaking about this again.
Rejected and alone, the seagull first thought about giving in, giving up. He thought about abandoning his passion. He thought about just drifting along, going with the flow of the wind like all the other seagulls. But still in his heart he had a dream.
The most difficult and danger time for flight is always the “taking off and the landing.” Especially for the seagull because the size of their wings in proportion to their bodies. So one day he began to flap his wings as he ran along. He flapped his wings faster and ran harder. Just as he was about to take off a gust of wind blew him off balance and he crashed flat on his face into the sand. Of course all the other seagulls really got a kick out of this. They said, see we told you so.
But again, now more determined than ever before this seagull flapped his wings faster, ran harder than ever before, and sure enough he flew higher, and farther, and swooped down faster than any seagull had ever flown before. He was amazing, majestic, superb, and fantastic.
From that day forward, all the other seagulls began to flap their wings faster, run harder, and fly higher than all the other birds their size.
God has the same desire for you in your life. He has created us to rise above everything and everyone else. To success where others have failed. To excel where others had not done well. To stand out and surpass what others have left undone. To outlive the "you can’t and you will never amount to anything." To outlast the negative comments the gossip, the judgment of others and hurtful criticism. To out fly the doubts, to surpass those who are content with where they are. To dream bigger, to rise above, to outshine the critiques, the scoffers, the people who would make fun of us. The path of the righteousness gets brighter and brighter.
You are not who people say you are but you are who God says you are.
III. Get rid of the wrong programming that has been put in you
“And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13 ESV
Let me tell you who you really are. You are blessed. You are talented. You are valuable. You are bold. You are hand-made by the Almighty Creator. Think about who God says you are, victorious and successful.
But Gideon said, I am so nervous. I feel so abandoned by God. Where is the Lord of our ancestors? Why has God forsaken us and given up on me?
You see the enemy (Satan) wants to keep you thinking negative thoughts. He wants to program us for defeat. He says this problem is never going to end. He says this temptation is too big for you to overcome. He doesn’t want you to break out. He wants to keep you sliding backward. To not grow, not mature.
When I first started out in ministry over 26 years ago, I was young and very insecure. Someone could say one negative thing and I would get so discouraged. I would try to change to make sure everybody liked me. But now my faith has grown. I don’t need the approval of people; all I desire is approval from God.
I want you to worship with me. But I’m going to worship every Sunday even if I am the only one who gets a blessing. I know that I am doing my best to serve God. I will not take the credit or the praise when things are going good. Because I give all the glory and honor to God. But neither will I go home defeated just because nobody else shouts! You should not go home disappoint even if you are the only one singing!
Gideon was called to lead against an opposing army. The Angel speaks to him and says “you are a mighty man of fearless courage.” I am convinced that Gideon looked around and asked “are you talkin' about me?
Gideon was afraid. Gideon was intimidated. But God didn’t call him for what he was. God called him for what he could become. Get rid of the wrong programming in your life.
IV. See your potential what you are capable of…
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20
You might feel weak but God calls you to be strong. You might feel intimated but God calls you to be confident. You might think you can’t do it… but calls says you are able.
If the Angel of the Lord appeared to you today what would he say? He would say you are a “Mighty person of fearless courage.” Get in agreement with God’s purpose and plan for your life. Start believing in what God says about you.
V. Get rid of the Excuses
Judges 6:15“But I am the least one in my fathers house…”
Gideon says, I am the least person in my father’s house. Gideon said, God I am the last person you would want use. But listen, that person who God wants to use is already on the inside of you right now. But you have to do your part to bring it out. Release Holy Spirit that is trapped on the inside. Our own thoughts are that we don’t measure up. We see flaws and faults and weakness, but God sees your incredible value.
You have to do your part by getting rid of the excuses. Believe you are redeemed. Know the by faith you are restored, talented valuable. Even if you have made mistakes God can get you to where He wants you to be.
Jacob…, was not a person with a lot of character at first. He was really dishonest. He cheated his brother out of his inheritance and birthright. Jacob started out with many flaws and many excuses. He must have felt like he was second best to his brother Esau. He probably thought God would not use him, that God would look to use someone more perfect. But God doesn’t judge the way we judge. God sees what is on the inside. God doesn’t write us off like the world does. But it is also up to us to do our part. Believe you are forgiven.
Believe that there is mercy for every mistake. That you are who God says you are.
You may be living in disappointment. You may think life is unfair. You may be focused on missed opportunities. But there is still God in you. There is royal blood in your veins. You are a child of the most high God. You have to start claiming that!!!!
God spoke to Jacob and said, it is time for you to stop making excusing. It is time to let me make a change in you. Jacob’s name means: deceit, trickery, cheater, fraud. God said Jacob it is time to change your name to Israel. Israel means: Prince with God. God changed Jacob to Israel. Cheater to King. Calling out fruits of greatness. Prophesying who he really was. Not a trickster but a person with a new lease on life, new assignment, new calling.
The only thing holding you back right now is your thoughts. Some people think they can never change. Some people think they don’t need to change. Which one are you?
God has a transformation ready for you. God has a new calling for you. God has a new boldness for you to step into, a new role God is calling you into.
Closing: You are not created to beat and pull against the stoned and rocks of life; you are created to move the stones and rocks. To say to this mountain in front of you, Matthew 17:20 “Mountain be moved.” You are not created to be tossed around aimlessly whichever way the wind blows. No God has a path set before you. Renew your mind. Live in the full strength of God. God wants to transform you. God want to change you. God wants you to soar, to run harder, fly higher and swoop down faster than ever before.
