The Bible’s story is one of Change from Genesis, the book of “Beginnings,” to Revelation, where God Himself says: “…Behold, I make all things New…” Therefore, whatever your situation is today, Change Is Possible Through Him!
“It doesn’t matter where you are; you are nowhere compared to where you can go.” (Bob Proctor).
However often you’ve repented, confessed and tried changing, God Can Change What You Can’t – And Make the Change Last! The Scripture is Still True: “Now Unto HIM That Is ABLE…” (Jude 24). The word “Able” means “Having the Power, Skill, or Means To Do Something; or to be Skillful and Competent”. Its Latin Origin “Habilis” literally means “Handy”. Therefore, Regardless to How Long You’ve Been Like This, or “Its” Been Like This, Your God Is Able to Change You and “It” For the Better, For Good! How? Because He Has the Power To Do It, He Has the Skill To Do It, He Has the Means To Do It, And He Is Competent Enough To Do It! So, Put It In His Hands, Because He Is ‘Handy’ Enough to Handle It! It’s Time For You to Change, No More Excuses! I love Bikram Choudhury’s point of view on Change, he said: “Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again” So I Reiterate, No More Excuse! It’s Time For You to Change!
However, Change Requires Understanding Certain Principles. Let’s see what they are:
1. YOU DON’T NEED TO CHANGE OTHERS IN ORDER TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE: “I’d be happier if only he’d stop…”; “Things won’t improve for me until she starts…” Such beliefs make you focus on the Problem and Not the Solution, Ignore Realistic Options and Feed Depression! Therefore, follow the admonition of the Word of God: “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best YOU CAN WITH YOUR OWN LIFE” (Galatians 6:4-5 MSG). Instead of trying to change others, which only produces Resistance and Resentment, Let God Show YOU What YOU Need To Do Differently To Improve YOUR Handling Of The Problem! You See, When You Stop Doing What Doesn’t Work and Change Your Reactions to the Problem, Others Often Change Spontaneously! “In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks” (Warren Buffett). You’re Getting Nowhere Trying to Patch Up the Leaks In Other People’s Lives/Boats! Instead Reserve That Energy and Be More Productive By Changing Your Own Boat and Saving Your Own Life! Sometimes, you have to step back even from those whom you love and let them handle their own life, as you get a handle on yours. Galatians says to carefully explore who you are and the work you have been given and sink yourself into that, not into them! Work on becoming the person God has intended you to be and the works that He has entrusted to your hands to fulfill. That alone will keep you busy for a lifetime! Instead of concentrating on them, concentrate on you and make improvements on your own building. Does your attitude need adjusting, your faith need increasing, your hope need refreshing, your trust need deepening? Does your habits and addictions need to be addressed? Does your marriage or family or children have issues that you’ve unsubscribed from because you keep renewing the issues from everyone else lives and crisis? Can you become a better believer, leader, spouse, coworker or boss? Does your prayer life need improving and your consecration need more consistency? Do you need to add more time to your Word study? Are you flowing or stagnant in your anointing? Are your gifts stirred up and set on fire and just dashed in ashes? In other words, we are all a work in progress, but you’ll get stuck in your progress if you keep comparing yours to theirs, or trying to fix theirs instead of your own. You’ve been given this one life, make it the best it can be, which will never happen if you’re constantly working overtime to change them and theirs, but taking vacation, sick, personal and comp days when it’s time to change you and yours! REMEMBER: YOU DON’T NEED TO CHANGE OTHERS IN ORDER TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
2. TRUE CHANGE BEGINS BY ADDRESSING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD: Bitterness and Frustration over problems just result in distancing from God, leaving you to handle the issue in your own strength. Surrendering to Him Changes You Fundamentally, Challenging Pride, Envy, Resentment, Fear, Dishonesty, and the like…Which Are All Characteristics of Poor Life Management! “Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God…” (Lamentations 3:40 MSG). With “…our lives under God…,” we’re more Honest, Self-Aware, Able to Perceive Realistically; We’re Respectful, and Prepared to Become A Better Person! But This Requires You To Tighten Your Relationship With The Lord! You Need Him Near For The Change To Take Place But You Have To Keep In Mind: “Come Near To God, And God Will Come Near To You…” (James 4:8 NCV). Did you recognize the order of Nearness? The Responsibility Falls On YOUR Shoulders FIRST! “Come Near To God…” and AFTER you do “…God Will Come Near To You…” You See, The Only Thing Holding Up Your Process of Change, Is Your Procrastination to Come Near To God FIRST! If you want Him to Come Near and Change You, You’ve FIRST got to Come Near Him In Communion! So, Renew Your Relationship With Him, FIRST, and He Will Do The Rest! So many have made their relationship with God out to be a 911 distress call only! That’s the basis of their communication. They get in a jam, and cry out to God. Is that wrong? Of course not. But it is if it’s the only time in which you do! Imagine being married, but the only time you speak to your spouse is when you’re in a jam! The only time you spend time with your spouse is so they can get you out of the trouble you got yourself into. What if the only intimacy you have with your spouse is when there’s a crisis? Exactly how long do you think this marriage is going to survive such a one-sided damaged relationship? Well, God is the very same way! He values relationship. After all, He gave us the life, death and life again of His only begotten Son for no other reason than so He could develop a relationship with us as His children also. Therefore, don’t you think that a relationship with Him is going to require more than a ‘help me God’ conversation? A relationship with God is talking to Him; listening to Him; complimenting, praising and worshiping Him. It’s trusting Him, and having faith in Him. It’s leaning on Him when you know there’s no other way for you to remain on your feet. It’s loving on Him, consistently. It’s faithfulness and unconditional love. It’s lovingly mentioning His name, and letting everyone know that you belong to Him alone. When is the last time you romanced God that way? If you had to stop and think about it, your relationship with God needs some immediate repair work done! God doesn’t want to change you from a distance, He desires an up close and personal relationship, so, how near (or far) have you allowed yourself to become? Selah...REMEMBER: TRUE CHANGE BEGINS BY ADDRESSING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
3. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO CHANGE UNCONDITIONALLY: In the early stage of therapy, counselors bump into the “Change-If” syndrome. The client sees change as a strategy of give-to-get: “I’ll change if they are willing to do…If not, I won’t” With God, your reward for changing is intrinsic. You get the joy of His approval, plus all the benefits that follow from being a Changed Person! This includes God’s Gift of “…salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (Revelation 3:18 NIV). The ability to see things clearly will enable you to understand the problem and deal with it effectively, Regardless of What Someone Else Does, or Doesn’t Do! You Have to Want Change For Yourself, And Not Based On Anyone Else’s Actions, or Lack Thereof! So, Just In Case They Don’t Get Any Better Keep in mind: “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together” (Marilyn Monroe). Whether the Friendship or Relationship Stays Intact Or Not, You Need to Make the Decision to Change Yourself, For Yourself, Unconditionally! Think about it, what if they decide they are very comfortable with their dysfunction and see no need nor reason to change, does that mean you’re supposed to stay the same too? Absolutely Not! If your friendSHIP or relationSHIP or leaderSHIP has been damaged, and water is leaking everywhere and it’s about to sink, do you stay in the boat with them because you’ve both been in this same boat with each for such a long time? Or, do you make the executive decision that something needs to change, and quickly?! When a lifeboat comes alongside you and they say, ‘you can go ahead if you want to, I’ll stay right here, nice and comfortable where I’ve always been’, do you sit back down and remain in a dysfunctional dingy or do you leave them to their craziness and get out into that available lifeboat, even if it means the saving of your own life and the loss of theirs, at their own hands? It may sound harsh, but you can’t live your life boxed into the decisions of how others have decided to live theirs. Love you unconditionally enough to change you, even if they remain the same. REMEMBER: YOU MUST BE WILLING TO CHANGE UNCONDITIONALLY!
4. YOU MUST ACCEPT THE TRUTH THAT CHANGE MEANS LETTING GO OF THE PAST: Whatever You Cling To Ultimately Controls You! If the offense resulted from your actions, or the loss from your poor judgment, Confess It To God, Receive Forgiveness and Leave It At the Cross! If it was the other person’s fault, but you’ve held onto it because you think you’re the innocent party and “deserve your pound of flesh,” Remember: the Freedom and the Options You Miss Are Too High a Price For the False Comfort of Being Right! “Be kind and compassionate to one another, Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God Forgave You” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV) Or better yet, another translation says it like this: “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive One Another As Quickly And Thoroughly As God In Christ Forgave You” (MSG). This will Release You From the Chains of Resentment and Give You Back Your Future! If You’re Bound by Chains of Regret Over “coulda, shoulda, woulda,” God Stands Ready to Make Your Future Better Than Your Past Could Ever Have Been (Joel 2:25, “I’ll Make Up For The Years…” MSG). Dr. Maya Angelou clearly agreed because she said: “Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you, raped before you…YET, Someone Survived…You Can Do Anything You Choose To Do” And you can choose to ask God to help you change so He can make up for the years! Please, Choose to Change Your Cold, Unforgiving Heart, and Enjoy a Better Life! Keeping in mind: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward” (C.S. Lewis). Far too many waste years of their lives pointing fingers, laying blame, making excuses and justifications, giving reasons, but never changing. Today is the day where you break this bad habit! Whether it happened 30 seconds, minutes, weeks, months, or years ago, let it go! The forgiveness is for you not for them! It’s so you can finally be free from your emotional prison that’s causing you to go mentally insane! Do your part of asking for forgiveness, and extending forgiveness, then leave the rest in God’s hands as you change what He’s strengthened your hands to handle! REMEMBER: YOU MUST ACCEPT THE TRUTH THAT CHANGE MEANS LETTING GO OF THE PAST
5. CHANGE MEANS ACCEPTING RISK: Your anxiety will kick in and say, “What if I don’t get the job? What if the economy fails? What if I make the effort to change but they don’t?” We like ironclad guarantees. The predictable always feels less threatening than sticking our necks out! But the Price of Our Security Often Means Remaining Stuck With the Status Quo! Sometimes Your Greatest Risk Is Taking No Risk At All! God Often Requires You to Leave the Path That Feels and Looks Safe, For the One That Feels and Looks Risky! Why? Because: “NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses” (Hebrews 11:1 AMP). Your Faith Is Full-Proof Assurance, God’s Confirmation, the Title Deed Guaranteeing That the Change You Want Will Take Place If You Act On It! “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action” (Walter Anderson). “Change” in its simplest definition means “To Make Or Become Different” That’s all God is looking for you to do! Take a Risk and Do Something Different! After all, all that you have been doing up til now hasn’t worked, so What Have You Got To Lose? Ask yourself, “If I Dare to Change, What Could I Finally Gain?” Because: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” (Tony Robbins) Break out of that neat little box with the bow that you’ve trapped yourself in all these years. For once, don’t follow the crowd! Don’t do what everyone is telling you, you ought to do. Seek God, hear what He has to tell you, then follow His lead! Let 2019 be the year you take a risk on YOU! You’ve spent enough of your years taking risks on everybody else and their lives, families, businesses, education, ministries, churches, vision, goals, and dreams. This time is your time to take a risk on you! REMEMBER: CHANGE MEANS ACCEPTING RISK!
6. CHANGE WILL HAPPEN IF FAILURE IS NOT ALLOWED TO STOP YOU: Fear of Failing Often Stops Us From Trying, Yet Many of God’s Best People Experienced Failure On Their Way to Success! Consider Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, etc…All of Them Succeeded Only AFTER Dealing With Personal Failure! Indeed, the Richest, Most Profound Change Often Happens AFTER We’ve Tasted Failure! Until then we tend to be cocky and of not much use to God! Peter failed the Lord miserably, and at the most crucial moment (Matthew 26:50, 72, “…some men came forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him…Again Peter denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” GWT). But even after that, Peter grew, becoming Christ’s Choice to Lead His Newly Empowered Church On the Day of Pentecost, Winning Three Thousand Souls (See Acts 2)! So Don’t Let Failure Stop You! You Can Change! Even the Apostle Paul went from beating Christians to becoming one and leading many! “Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, IT ISN’T!” (Richard Bach) Yes, Even After All Your Failures, You Too Can Still Change! You’re not too old; it’s not too late; and you haven’t messed up too bad! God can bring recovery out of your ruins if only you’d trust Him! REMEMBER: CHANGE WILL HAPPEN IF FAILURE IS NOT ALLOWED TO STOP YOU!
In a Nutshell: You’ve been this way long enough! Therefore, no more excuses, reasons or justifications! Today simply determine to Change Your Life For the Better! REMEMBER: IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, CHANGE IT!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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