When you allow change to take its course in your life, you will eventually come to accomplish that which you have always wanted, or at least be heading in the right direction. Those who do not take advantage of change will probably find a strange sort of comfort and security in the changelessness, but will always wonder, “what if.”
There are two truths or principles for today:
1. If you do not allow change to work itself out in your life, things will always remain the same.
2. If you allow change to work itself out in your life, you have a greater chance of accomplishing what you’ve always desired.
How can we stop change’s progress in our lives?
1. By just flat out refusing to take any chances.
2. By allowing only those changes we decide are “safe.”
3. By allowing only those changes we decide are “known.”
4. By refusing to try something until it’s proven in our lives, even though we won’t try them to see if they are true.
5. By being afraid of failure.
6. By expecting to fail at everything that is new.
7. By just being afraid of change, even if that is not what we tell ourselves.
Some people find a strange sort of comfort in the lack of change.
1. Sameness does not force you to try new things.
2. Change requires new thoughts, new ways, new ideas, new responses, new attitudes, and new perspectives.
3. Change requires new responsibilities, and they may be very scary to some people.
4. Sameness means that you know already what to expect out of life, you may not be happy with what is there, but you at least are familiar with it.
5. Sameness means that no one will start expecting anything better out of you.
6. Sameness means that you won’t stand out and be noticed and have all the responsibility fall on your shoulders.
Sameness or lack of change come from one thing alone; fear.
In the Bible fear can be interpreted in two ways:
1. Being afraid of something.
2. Having much reverence or respect for something or someone.
Fear is as powerful as faith.
* Fear can force you to do something, or keep you from doing anything at all.
* Fear will steal you resolve to try something different, and force you to keep on doing the same old thing.
* Fear will cause you to lie to yourself about why you really do not make changes; you prefer the lie because it does not require anything new out of you.
People who are afraid of change; find some strange comfort in their sameness, but deep inside they always wonder what their lives would have been like if things had been different.
Paul said in Philippians 3:13 (NLT), “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
People who do not welcome change in their lives, live life by looking back at the things they are familiar with, the things they already have lived, the things that are still the same.
1. Some people live their lives looking back at past failures and fearing the future because they don’t want to fail again.
2. Some people live their lives looking back at past abuses fearing the future because they don’t want to be hurt again.
3. Some people live their lives looking back, and wondering why their present seems so dreary. They don’t even want to look at their future.
4. Some people live their lives looking back so much they could not even begin to have plans for the future.
Sameness produces one of the saddest emotions in a human: regret.
1. Many persons wish their lives away, but won’t take the chances necessary to try and accomplish the things they wish for.
What can change do for you?
1. Change can free you from the fear of the unknown.
2. Change can produce new more positive attitudes in you.
3. Change can allow new possibilities to work themselves out in your life.
4. Change can possibly bring about that happiness you’ve always wanted.
5. Change can result in success and prosperity.
There is a saying, “Necessity is the mother of all inventions.”
Necessity comes from trying the same old things and realizing that they won’t continue to work, and forcing yourself to think different start considering what must change to produce a new better way of doing the old thing.
It is this different thinking, this new thinking, this fresh thinking, that is allows change to take its course in your life.
That is one reason why the Bible, for example, calls on us to sing “a new song,” to the Lord. Because it will require us to think about what we are doing and purposely concentrate on our relationship with Him to produce this new song.
Change can change your way of thinking.
Notice: Mark 2:22 (NLT), “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine needs new wineskins.”
You cannot have new ideas running around in the head of an old thinking person, because that will cause them problems.
They will not be able to deal with the new stuff, because it does not fit in their old way of thinking.
The result will be that they will just disregard the new idea, and remain plagued by the same old ways.
New ideas need new people.
Jesus once, while speaking with Nicodemus said, in John 3:6 (NLT), “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.”
The word “new” is used in the Bible (NLT) 600 times. God is about newness and change.
One of the purposes for Jesus’ life was to bring about change; a new life; something different than what was already here.
Do not be afraid of change.
Look forward to the possibilities the future can bring.
Allow change to take its course.
Embrace the new ideas and ways that will be required to live the new life.
