Recognize the Change

Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness.

Isaiah 43:19 (NET)

I can't tell you how many times in my life that I thought that I was so comfortable that I didn't want to change anything, my house, my job, my church, you know that if something changed, life wouldn't be as good as it is right now. You probably don't think this now, but that kind of thinking will get you stale and burned out. God will continue to make changes in your life so that you will grow and grow and grow to be more like Him and what He wants you to be. The key is recognizing when God is trying to make a change. For example, I had a band in North Dakota called Atone, and we were doing pretty good. Then suddenly I lost passion for my band. Now I could've done one of two things, continued on with my band...without passion...and it would have become a curse rather than the blessing that it had been. Or I could've recognized that God was getting me ready to make a change. I had enough experience with Him at that point in my life to know that He was getting me ready for a change, so instead of fighting Him, I chose to go with His flow. Five months later my house was up for sale and I was moving to Atlanta. We never know when God is going to start getting us ready to make a change in our lives, but we must always be ready and willing to go with His flow. To tell Him "no, I like it this way" will keep you in the same place...forever...with out any growth, and eventually what you are doing will become stale and a curse instead of a blessing.


Take Away...
Don't be so comfortable in life that you won't recognize when God is getting ready to make a change in your life. Be ready AND willing to make that change when you see it happening.

Worship Song of the Week...

Touch the Sky by Hillsong

People Can Change

But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem

Acts 9:13 (NET)

The Apostle Paul, before he was Apostle Paul, was Saul who had a loathing for people that followed Jesus. However on the road to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with Jesus that changed his life forever. In fact after this encounter, he was called Paul and went on to write nearly two thirds of the New Testament. Why am I writing this? Look at what Ananias said to God. Ananias heard about Saul's reputation, but fortunately for Ananias, Ananias believed God could change people. Ananias believed people can change. I hear a lot of people commenting about others that "oh, they'll never change" or "people don't change." Well, if I believed that, then I wouldn't believe in what Jesus could and did do in my own life. Jesus changed me, and if you are reading this, Jesus has changed you as well. So if Jesus can change me and if He can change you, don't you think He can change others? Jesus is STILL changing me, He is renewing my mind, and He is changing my behavior. I am not the same person I was 20 years ago, 10 years ago, even 1 year ago because the changing continues. The same goes for others. Just because someone acted a certain way 10 years ago, 5 years ago, even yesterday, doesn't mean they can't change. Now you can't change that person, no more than I or anyone else can change a person, but God can! Give people the benefit of change and give them a second, third, forth chance. God has given you and I many chances, we need to extend that grace to others.

Take Away: just because someone acted a certain way years ago, believe the God can change them, and then give them another chance!

Worship Song of the Week...

Take a Moment - Will Reagan