We humans are custom-built for change.
Inanimate objects like clothes, houses, and buildings don’t have the ability to truly change. They grow out of style and become unusable. But at any point in time, at any age, any one of us is able to change.
To change doesn’t always mean to do the opposite. In fact, most of the time, it means to add on or slightly adjust.
When we are called upon by the Lord to change, we will continue to reach toward the same goal, but perhaps in a slightly different way. When we refuse to cooperate with the change that God is requiring of us, we make chains that constrain and restrict us.
There are three things that we know about the future:
- It is not going to be like the past.
- It is not going to be exactly the way we think it’s going to be.
- The rate of change will take place faster than we imagine.
The Bible indicates that in the end times in which we are now living, changes will come about much quicker than ever before in history.
In 1803 the British created a civil service position in which a man was required to stand on the cliffs of Dover with a spy glass. His job was to be on the lookout for invasion. He was to ring a bell if he saw the army of Napoleon Bonaparte approaching.
Now that was all well and good for the time, but that job was not eliminated until 1945!
How many spy glasses on the cliffs of Dover are we still holding onto in our lives? We should choose not to allow “the way we’ve always done it” to cause us to miss opportunities God is providing for us today.
Even the most precious of all gems needs to be chiseled and faceted to achieve its best luster. There is nothing that remains so constant as change. Don’t end up like concrete, all mixed up and permanently set.
In Isaiah 42:9, the Lord declares: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. The Bible is a book that tells us how to respond to change ahead of time. You see, I believe that we can decide in advance how we will respond to most situations.
Preparing Ahead Of Time
When I was coaching basketball many years ago, I used to tell my players that most situations in a game can be prepared for ahead of time. We used to practice different game situations so that when the players got into an actual game situation they would know how to respond.
One of the main reasons the Bible was written was to prepare us ahead of time, to teach us how to respond in advance to many of the situations that we will encounter in life.
Choose to flow with God’s plan. Be sensitive to the new things He is doing. Stay flexible to the Holy Spirit and know that ours is a God who directs, adjusts, moves, and corrects us. He is always working to bring us into perfection.
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing Group
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.