A few weeks ago after a conversation with someone, I was listening to the song “Yes” by Shekinah Glory. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYurqlr1E7g&ob=av2e) And God really started speaking and sharing things with me.
Often times, people get fed up with the situations they are in or have been in - the negativity, the hurt, the loneliness, the fear. This happens for both believers in Christ who have hit rock bottom and those that are still seeking to establish a relationship with the heavenly Father. A person finally gets to their wits end and cries out “God help me, God please change me, I need you….” And our loving Father is always willing to come to His children’s cries. When the bottom falls out, it is the most simple and easy step; to reach out and call out to Him.
But the question that comes along with that is:
Asking for change from Him, what are YOU willing, yourself, to change?
Like the minister sings in the song I mentioned at the beginning, “there is more that I require of thee…”. Another key part that I hear her say at the beginning of the song during the intro is: “I’ll forsake MY way for YOUR way God…the very thing I don’t want to do, I’ll do.”
We have to start recognizing that with the core catalyst for change in our lives being GOD, we ALSO have responsibility. We can’t just ask God for change and expect to “POOF”, see results with no work.
**Example**
A young person feels dark. Feels alone. Does nothing but goes out constantly. Clubs. Parties. Drinks to solve problems and not deal with emotions. Drugs. Destructive behavior. Seeks for answers and solutions in others. Spends countless nights crying. Drives self insane with thinking and being in depression. Asks for prayers and seeks council. --- next day, following week, following month, following year --- repeats behavior over and over again. Fast forward some time: that young person finally has enough and hits rock bottom and cries out to the Father - next, he or she gets up; & REPEATS the SAME behavior still again; but this time, all the while constantly crying out to God. Something within that HAS to give.
What I’m trying to say is, we can’t keep doing the same thing that keeps resulting in the same null, void, and empty response & crying out “FATHER GOD! CHANGE ME, FIX ME I NEED YOU!”, in the same breath. I have been in a boat very similar to the example I gave. I give all thanks and praise to God for instilling certain things in me at an early age that I had the knowledge to know that once I hit my bottom; I had to forget everything that I THOUGHT I knew & DO the “very thing I didn’t want to do but needed to do”; in order for Him to help me and pull me through to where I needed to be.
Changes are NOT easy. That is something even the youngest of the young can feel; if not understand. In “Yes” she sings, “Yes might cost you everything.” From experience, I can say it has costs me a good number of personal things. But I know that if I had not said yes, if I had not taken my responsibility in my cry for change years ago; I’d still be stuck - wondering, questioning, depressed, and hurt. Making the decision not only to truly reconnect my entire being to Christ for TOTAL CHANGE but to also WILLINGLY get rid of the things hindering me was the BEST decision I’d ever made. Of course things and people come along to try to sway my decision; & when they can’t- slander, attitudes and hurtful things fly my way. But I am FIRM in what I believe in and stand for. And with God, I know that I am covered under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91).
All that said: if you know someone in a boat similar to what I‘ve explained --the person is coming to you for prayer about being alone, feeling sad, and wanting God to change them - or if this is YOU…..just remember; God is always, ALWAYS there waiting to take a hold of your hand. Just remember, with your other hand; you also have work to do also. *smile*
Here are some scriptures that I stood on and read in my tough times & that I believe parallel my post :)
*Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
*Matthew 5:33-37 (NLT)
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”
*Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) --one of my FAVORITE ones!
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
*John 8:12 (KJV)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
*Matthew 16:24-27 (NIV)
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
And here is something I found online:
Luke 14:25-35 (NIV)
The Cost of Discipleship or Being A Disciple
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
(http://www.jollynotes.com/)
Blessings & Love in Christ,
Nicole :)
