The Great Reset (Be the Change) pt.3
All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation
We are in part three of a four-part series titled, “The Great Reset.”
We are looking at how we can apply Biblical principles to our lives when it comes to making a change… Starting over… A fresh start… Resetting an area of our life…
Last week we looked at the struggles we all have when it comes to our thought process… The battles that take place in our minds… Where our intellect resides…
Today, we are going to look at how we can break some of the habits that keep us from following through with a change… With a reset…
How can we overcome the part of us that resists change and “Be the Change” that we’re looking to implement in our life?
Why is it that we have a hard time in certain areas when it comes to breaking habits… Changing up routines… Working on weaknesses…?
Why are these areas tough to face, and what does God say it takes to be the change?
Change is not always comfortable, but it is an instrument God will use to help us grow!
Sometimes the tough areas about ourselves are hard to change because they’re like old friends…
They are habits, patterns, coping mechanisms we’ve dealt with for so many years that we’ve become comfortable with what has now become self-defeating patterns.
Also, they’re hard to change because we identify with them … I’m not good in public settings… I’m too passive or aggressive… I don’t like change… I’m shy… It’s always my fault… I’ll always be depressed… I always ruin friendships…
We’ve spoken these characteristics on ourselves enough times over the years that we’ve come to believe it’s who we are, and we can’t change it.
This ties into last week’s sermon as well… It all starts in our minds… Our thoughts…
The common theme throughout this series is a common theme in the New Testament…
Ephesians 4:23-24: “ … Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.”
Colossians 3:10: “Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”
Sometimes I think we exchange our new nature with our old self like we would put on a new suit, and after a while we change it out for the old familiar suit…
It takes hard work and determination to allow the Holy Spirit in the process of renewing our thoughts and attitudes, so we are imitating God’s ways in all we do…
And it’s the only way to become the person we were created in Christ to be…
The only way to be the change we are wanting to be is to face the truth about ourselves… Learn what the truth is (And it might hurt) and face it!
Proverbs 23:23: “Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.”
Get the truth… Learn the truth… And never sell it, never reject it… Never give it away for a lie… And get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment…
All this can be found in a small group… Life groups bring like-minded people into our lives.
The secret to being the change we want to be is learning, and facing the truth about ourselves…
John 8:31-32: “Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In the context of this verse Jesus is having a serious showdown with the religious leaders, then He says this to those who believe in Him…
Jesus is talking about the truth of who He is… But it’s the truth nonetheless… And no matter how hard it is to face, eventually the truth brings freedom… Because anything outside of the truth is binding!
All throughout the Scriptures we can find passages about truth… God’s truth, Biblical truth… And anything outside the truth is… A lie!
Behind every self-defeating thought we have is a lie we are believing about ourselves…
This is why the first requirement for a reset in life is to learn the truth and have the strength to face the truth in all areas… Especially ourselves…
And the undisputed truth can only be found in Scripture…
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
One of the things this passage tells us, is the Bible is the manual for a reset…
All Scripture… This entire book, is useful to teach us what is true… And to make us realize what is wrong in our lives… What needs corrected, or re-directed…
And it doesn’t just teach the truth and point out what is wrong… It corrects us on what is wrong and teaches us to do what is right…
In other words when we are off the path meant for us, it teaches us how to get back on track with God’s plans… How to get back on the path…
Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
And God uses His Word to prepare and equip us to do the plans He has for us…
Every good work!
Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”
The words in this book are alive and these words reveal who we really are to ourselves when we read it… It is a mirror that reflects who we really are…
It shows us what is wrong and how to correct it… It teaches us the truth and what to do with that truth…
And it prepares us for everything God planned for us long before we were born…
It is the very thing we need to look to when we want to “be the change” we want to be… It helps us fight the resistance to change we find ourselves facing!
Here’s a saying worth writing down, “You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.”
Remember, it all starts with our thoughts, and we will never be in a position to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our thoughts and attitudes if we are not reading the Bible on a regular basis and allowing it to challenge us with who we really are!
Ephesians 4:25: “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.”
When doing a commentary study on this verse you will see that the Apostle Paul made honesty a common theme in most of his letters…
Because at the time, being honest was hard to come by among non-believers…
So, Paul was trying to set a standard with the new believers in Jesus…
As the body of Christ… As a church family… We are family, we are neighbors… And there is to be no deceit between us…
When looking for a reset… When fighting the self-defeating thoughts of resistance, we need to be honest with those who are trying to help us “be the change.”
You see, the moment we let someone in on our struggles we will find relief…
Because what has been concealed is now revealed and the family of believers, we belong to will help us be the change we’re looking to be!
Galatians 6:2: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
The “One another” verses… Love one another, serve one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, listen to one another, share one another’s burdens…
The only way we grow as a believer in Christ is through community… Life groups…
When we try to “be the change” on our own we will only get so far… We need kingdom minded people in our lives to coach us and cheer us on… Praying for us!
Joshua had Moses… Elisha had Elijah… Solomon had David… David had Samuel… The 12 disciples had Jesus… And Timothy had Paul…
Imagine being in a life group or having spiritual mentors in your life and this was part of the common theme of your relationship…
Colossians 1:9-10: “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”
When I equate this passage to those who speak into my life, it gives me hope!!
Hope to be the person I was created to be… Hope for a reset in life when needed!
In Closing…
Being the change, we’re seeking to be, requires us to face some truths about ourselves…
It requires us to think in new ways on how to move forward with a reset…
And it requires Kingdom focused community…
Community that brings people into our lives that will challenge, coach, and mentor us through the tough changes…
And finally, lasting change requires the Holy Spirit…
As followers of Jesus we need the power of the Holy Spirit so we can be the people we were created to be.
Romans 8:11: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
It is this life we receive from the Holy Spirit that gives us the drive the “be the change” we want to be…
And it is the Holy Spirit who will help orchestrate the change, by way of other people, coaches, mentors, resources… And personal conviction…
Because we need the cheering on of others to keep us motivated when setting goals to make a change!
A New Way to Love
The Ego said:
‘I don’t like this one. I don’t like that one. This one hurt me. This one betrayed me. This one took from and never gave back. But I don’t want to hate them, as hatred starts to suffocate me after a while. What do I do?’
The Soul replied:
‘Then find a new way to love them. Love them from afar. Love them by wishing them well. Love them by understanding it is the weakness of their soul. Love them by understanding it is their pain and fear. Love them where they are. And love them by asking God’s love, strength and wisdom to reach their soul.’
Richa Rana