Life-Changing Concepts
One of the greatest challenges for all of us is change. For some it is a matter of making some minor adjustments. For others it means abandoning almost everything they have known for most of their life to embrace an entirely new way of living. This is especially true for those in prison.
Whether we want to admit it or not, to follow Jesus Christ and fulfill the plans He has for our lives requires a complete transformation from an old way of thinking to a new way of thinking. An important key I’ve learned in ministry is that I cannot change or fix anyone, in fact, it isn’t even my job. True change… true transformation, has to come from within and ultimately is a matter between them and God.
In John chapter 3, Jesus says, “You must be born again” For me to get the greatest benefit from this new spiritual birth, I’ve learned that it requires living a life fully surrendered to Jesus Christ. Some don’t embrace this as a new way of living. Unfortunately, I was in that category for several years. In some cases, it has to do with rebellion and in others it’s simply ignorance.
“Nothing needs to change. I can still do what I want when I want.”
At best, this is embracing Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. If this is how a person understands this new life in Christ, they will continue to experience a life of fear, stress, anxiety, frustration, disappointment, and confusion. I have learned over time that if I apply a few key concepts on a regular basis none of these need to dominate my life.
Does this mean I never experience these emotions? No, they still creep up on me from time to time, but they do not remain. When I sense any of these feelings beginning to take hold, I know exactly what to do. I don’t have to think about it, or wonder how to stop them, or even who to call to get the answers and help I need. I go directly to the One Whom I surrendered my life to. Although what I’m going to share is very simple, for some reason it seems to be a challenge to follow through with.
Just before Jesus left this earth, He promised to send us a comforter, a teacher, an advisor, and a leader. He is referred to in the Bible as The Holy Spirit. He resides in us. He dwells in us. We can go to Him anytime for any reason. We don’t even have to speak. We can simply think to Him and He will help us.
I envision this as something similar to a Walkie-Talkie. Some of you reading this may not even know what that is. Back in the day before cell phones there were these 2-way radios. A couple of people could be out in the forest somewhere and stay in constant communication with each other without needing to be able to see where the other person was. There were, however, limitations based on distance. It was very important to stay close enough to keep the communication clear (very similar to our relationship with God). Sometimes these two people would often keep talking back and forth, not necessarily saying anything important, just making sure they were staying within range. I call this, “praying without ceasing.”
As I began to implement this as a lifestyle, (talking to God about everything), I started to discover something… I was learning how to discern His voice. It wasn’t a speaking voice but a thinking voice. Since we all get thousands of thoughts every day, and since all of our decisions are based upon things we think, it is extremely helpful if we can discern if a particular thought is from God or not.
A very important concept to assist in this discernment is reading the Bible. By making this a regular practice, there are certain verses that catch my attention. Most of them are promises or instruction. Here is an example.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
When I sense fear, stress or anxiety creeping into my thoughts, I simply say something like, “Lord, You know what I’m dealing with, I need some help.”
Then my thoughts often go to something I’ve read in the Bible. I recognize that this is the Holy Spirit leading and reminding me. He is reminding me of something I’ve read before and so I immediately put into action whatever the instruction is.
As I have been consistent in reading the Bible over the years, I’ve been able to discern other non-scripture thoughts. The key to this has been obedience. It could be something basic like,
“Call your wife and tell her how much you love her.” In the early days I might respond to the Lord by saying, “Why? I told her I loved her this morning already.” At which the Lord would say, “Just do what I’m telling you.”
Or He might say, “Send a letter and apologize to him.” Then I would say, “Him? Him who?”
And the Lord would then say, “You know who.” And He was right. I did know who. Once I stopped playing games with the Lord, it all became much easier… simply listening and obeying.
Another great concept is to spend time with other people who read the Bible and talk to God. Just by being around others and hearing how God is working in their lives helps me grow in discerning His voice.
In closing, here are the Life-Changing Concepts:
Read the Bible
Pray about everything
Listen and obey
Spend time with others who read the Bible, pray, listen, and obey.
For those who have read this short explanation there will most likely be three categories of response. The first group consists of those who would say something like, “Wow, this is great. I can do this.” The second consists of those who would say something like, “I already know this, surely you could have written something with a little more depth.” The third group is smiling.