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- Apr 25, 2006
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Dealing With Change (1)
'...Enlarge my territory...' 1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
Think how foolish it is to pray for success, and resist the changes needed to bring it about. However, we do that, don’t we? Let’s face it; it’s easier to settle for the status quo than to face the ‘what ifs’ that accompany progress. Some of us even think it’s selfish and unspiritual to pray for success. Not Jabez!
Listen to his prayer: ‘…Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ (1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV) So God granted him what he requested.
Consider this list of ‘changes’ you may be resisting: leaving an unfulfilling job, starting a business, or letting go of an unprofitable one, learning to use a computer, abandoning a toxic relationship, letting go of an unaffordable home, car or lifestyle, establishing a responsible spending plan. All these changes are normal; they’re part of daily life.
However, panic sets in when the change is unexpected. That’s when we discover the difference between what we say and what we truly believe. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8:28 NKJV)
The key words in this Scripture are ‘all things’ and ‘good’ and ‘purpose’. Since you are ‘in Christ’, nothing can get to you without first coming through Him. In ‘all things’, including things you don’t like, God has a ‘purpose’, and He’s working for your ‘good’. You’ll look back and say, ‘If I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't be experiencing the blessing of God I enjoy today.’
written by Bob Gass
'...Enlarge my territory...' 1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
Think how foolish it is to pray for success, and resist the changes needed to bring it about. However, we do that, don’t we? Let’s face it; it’s easier to settle for the status quo than to face the ‘what ifs’ that accompany progress. Some of us even think it’s selfish and unspiritual to pray for success. Not Jabez!
Listen to his prayer: ‘…Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ (1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV) So God granted him what he requested.
Consider this list of ‘changes’ you may be resisting: leaving an unfulfilling job, starting a business, or letting go of an unprofitable one, learning to use a computer, abandoning a toxic relationship, letting go of an unaffordable home, car or lifestyle, establishing a responsible spending plan. All these changes are normal; they’re part of daily life.
However, panic sets in when the change is unexpected. That’s when we discover the difference between what we say and what we truly believe. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8:28 NKJV)
The key words in this Scripture are ‘all things’ and ‘good’ and ‘purpose’. Since you are ‘in Christ’, nothing can get to you without first coming through Him. In ‘all things’, including things you don’t like, God has a ‘purpose’, and He’s working for your ‘good’. You’ll look back and say, ‘If I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't be experiencing the blessing of God I enjoy today.’
written by Bob Gass
