NIV Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
God desires for us to live an abundant life. However, He has given us the way that we must follow in order to enjoy the life that He wanted to give us. The path that He wants us to take is the PATH OF CHANGE into becoming like His son Jesus.
The Truths about Change
• The Change that God offers begins with Removing our Sinful nature, our rotten past then giving us a NEW PERSON or a NEW HEART from within us. He changes our hearts not just our behavior. This change secures our Eternal life and provides material and spiritual blessings for us. Once He enters into our lives the process of change begins.
• The change that God has ordained for us can be painful because most of the times He breaks us in order to mold us into a person that He wants us to be. This change can hurt us because it removes us from our comfort zones.
• This change is necessary because it is the only way for us to enjoy God’s abundance for us. The productive life that God offers can include material blessing but the abundant life He gives can ever be supplied and surpassed by material prosperity .
Embracing Change Even When it Hurts happens when we choose...
A. Humility to admit our weaknesses & accept the need to change.
(Psalms 51; James 4:8-10)
B. Trust in God’s wisdom & love to allow Him of using anything in bringing change in us. (Romans 8:28; Heb. 12:11)
C. Dependence in God’s grace& power through the Holy Spirit to make the change possible. (Titus 2:11-12; Galatians 5:22)
D. Openness for connecting ourselves to God’s people for support, motivation & accountability for change. (Hebrews 10:25; James 5:16)
E. Eternal mindset to persevere for change even under tough situations.(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
