STOP TRYING TO CHANGE ME!

What were you thinking when you said that prayer? Did you think God was going to just snap His enormous fingers and *POOF* everything would change? What? You mean you weren't expecting God to to make you uncomfortable, stir up your nest, your little comfort zone?



Oh.....I know! You were expecting it to be like the "old days" when God would just soothe you and answer your prayers just like you wanted them.....tied up with a pretty bow with your name and everything on it. Guess what? It's time to stop pitching that fit, having that pity party that NO ONE wants to come to and spit out your pacifier! He's trying to wean you.....off the "milk of the Word" and give you some MEAT!



Heb 5:12-1412 You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.NLT



Most of the time we seem to be sitting with arms folded and a big frown on our faces because we do not like the situation we are in. We really like blaming God and fussing about why He is making us wait so long on something we need so badly. Have you ever thought that perhaps God is waiting on you? You prayed....then: He pressed, He prodded, He rubbed, He scraped and cleaned your clay and you didn't like it....so you crossed your arms and said, "ENOUGH!", and then blamed the devil. You hardened your heart, your clay, if you will. You didn't recognize it was God trying to get you ready for what you prayed for. REMEMBER! IT'S ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER AND NOT YOUR COMFORT!



When you pray, you should expect an answer. I promise.....GOD WANTS YOU TO HEAR HIS VOICE EVEN MORE THAN YOU WANT TO HEAR IT. He will go out of His way to tailor a response just for you. The problem comes when you do not connect what you prayed to what happened next. Trust Him....sit with your arms opened and a smile on your face because He is ready to give you a BIG GIFT. But, remember, sometimes presents are surprises and it might not look like what you were expecting it to look like. Just trust Him, pray, expect an answer and respond with thanksgiving.....YOUR GIFT IS ON IT'S WAY!

SMALL CHANGE

God says: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matt 6:27 So, if worrying can't change something, WHY DO WE KEEP TRYING TO CHANGE OTHER PEOPLE? Do we seriously think you have that much power? We seem to expend lots of time and energy, not to mention words (talk, talk, talk) trying to get people to change to our way of thinking, our way of doing things, well, just "OUR WAY". We spend the precious time that God has given us here on this Earth worrying about why Sister Do Dad and Brother So and So don't change their ways.



Spending time trying to change people is a trap of the enemy. It is manipulation. I believe that God would like us to focus some of the time, energy and talk changing ourselves. When we ask God to change us, and we cooperate and let Him change us, we will find that those things that were bugging us about Sister Do Dad and Brother So and So.....well, their "stuff" suddenly seems quite small and unimportant. What happened? Did God change them while he was changing us? Probably not. No....he probably changed us. He changed our perspective by filling us with His love and that somehow changes just about everything in our lives.



Am I saying that God will never use you to help someone to make a needed change in their life? NO! CERTAINLY NOT! However, until we are changed into His image, bear His scars, and can bring His love with a neutral heart, He cannot use us to reveal Himself to those we have judged as needing "change".

KEEP THE CHANGE

CHANGE.....why is it no one likes to change? Why do we want to stay in our little comfortable nest? What? You mean that you really DON'T want to stay in your nest....you really have these dreams and aspirations? REALLY? Then why are you staying in your same situation doing the same things you have been doing?



You can't expect to have change in your life if you are not willing to give up something. You cannot hang on to the old and grab the new with both hands. I can see it now.....we hang on to the old "fence post" while we grab the new "fence post" with the other hand. Now what? Do you want to stay there....hanging between the old and the new, never really possessing either one? Decisions, decisions....what to do? Do I grab back to the past and stay safe where I am comfortable and know everyone and everything that's going on there? Or.......do I grab forward to the future where I don't know everyone and everything that's going on there? Unless you are willing to grab it with all you've got, you cannot possess it.



Unfortunately, the human condition LOVES COMFORT. And yet, built into us is an innate sense that drives us to want more. Often the truth of the matter is: UNTIL IT BECOMES EASIER TO CHANGE THAN TO STAY THE SAME.......we remain as we are.



Here's what we do: we pray and ask God for something. He says, "O.K.......you say you want to go to the next level, let's see if you're ready!" BOOM! A crisis happens.....a test, if you will. But you don't recognize that this is a test! So, you don't cooperate with God, you don't relate what you prayed to what is happening to you right now. You blame the devil, you blame sister Do Dad and brother So and So, you say you don't have enough money, strength, knowlege, etc......on and on we go with the excuses.



Try this instead: when you pray, you should EXPECT God to answer. But don't expect His answer to look like what you asked for initially. The answer may very well start with a test that looks like nothing but a mud pit to you and you want nothing to do with it. But....guess what! GOD IS IN THAT PIT! Jump in and see what happens. I promise you, that thing you prayed, if it was God's will for you and His Kingdom.....you'll find it in that pit. There are the finest of jewels in pits of mud, deep caves and deep water. JUMP IN!