Winning Adjustments

Winning adjustments. Late last year, the Department of Transportation decided to change a four way stop sign to a roundabout at Jodeco Road and Blackhaul Road. Over the years, more people had moved into the surrounding communities. More people. More cars were traveling the roads. More school buses and trucks. More frustrated drivers. Traffic jams were crazy at the four way stop signs. DOT conducted a traffic study for years prior that revealed that traffic would flow better if they changed the four way stop signs to a roundabout. In the past, four way stop signs were perfect. They worked for back then. Catch this. What worked in the past no longer worked. What was good back then is not good right now. In order to reduce traffic congestion, improve traffic flow, and alleviate frustrated drivers, DOT decided to make some adjustments. They changed the four way stop signs to a roundabout. This adjustment defeated congestion. It restored traffic flowing. Adjustments had to be made for things to get better. You can’t wish things get better. You can’t wait for things to get better. You can’t expect others to make things better. You have to make adjustments for things to get better. An adjustment is a movement, an alteration, a change that’s made to achieve a desired outcome. One more time. An adjustment is a movement, an alteration, a change that’s made to achieve a desired outcome.

Life is a lot like traffic patterns. In the past, you might have flowed freely, loved freely, laughed freely, served freely, worked freely or lived freely. Then life put stop signs along the way to control the flow of traffic. Stop signs. People hurt you. Stop signs. People disappointed you. Stop signs. Fear and doubt detoured you. Stop signs. Sin corrupted you. Stop signs. Bad grades. Failed tests. Broken deals. Demonic relationships. Stop signs. Before you can pick up speed, you had to stop. Before you could gain momentum, you had to stop. You learned to drive with both feet. One foot on the gas and one foot on the brake. Your life feels congested; stopped up; blocked; paused; delayed. God has been conducting a spiritual traffic study on your life. He’s noticed that there are more stop signs in your life than He designed. Wait a minute. He’s saying He never put, nor ordered anyone to put those stop signs in your life. You put those stop signs in your life. You stopped trying because you failed. You stopped loving because you got hurt. You stop going because they didn’t call your name. You stopped giving because you didn’t manage your money. You stopped. I believe God is about to change your stop signs into roundabouts. God has a desired outcome for your life and He’s about to make some adjustments. He’s going to change your character. He’s going to heal your body. He’s going to adjust your abilities. He’s going to improve your habits. He’s going to harmonize your home. He’s going to reconcile your relationships. He’s going to fix up your faith. He’s going to refocus your heart on Him. He’s going to fill your spirit with His spirit. He’s going to restore your flow!

Paul had some blockage in his life. This wasn’t physical blockage that could be relieved with Elax. This wasn’t energy blockage that could be relieved with meditation. This wasn’t a clogged artery or blocked drain. This was spiritual blockage. God saved him on the Damascas Road. He was on his way to persecute the church. A light shone from heaven, knocked him off his horse and blinded him. God knocked him off his horse to adjust him. God had a different plan for Paul’s life. In order to get him on the right path, God had to adjust his feet. His feet were going in the wrong direction. God turned his feet from persecuting the church to promoting the church. God adjusted his eyes and his heart so he could see the potential in the church. Fast forward to verse 26 before us. God sent Paul to Jerusalem. When he got there, he attempted to join the disciples. They weren’t having it. The last they heard about Paul, he was tearing up the church; locking people up. They were afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was a disciple. Verse 27. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told the disciples that Paul had seen the Lord. He had spoken to the Lord. Since that time, he had been preaching boldly in the name of Jesus. The disciples didn’t accept him. They rejected him. Barnabas accepted him. Did you see the blockage? The disciples didn’t accept him. Blockage. God used Barnabas to accept him. Adjustment. As a result of God’s adjustment, verse 28, Paul went in and out among the Apostles preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. He wanted to work for God; serve God, but the people in the church blocked him. Here’s the shout. Every time somebody tries to block you from serving God, He will adjust you. They can’t block your path. They can’t block your walk. Tell them to throw stumbling blocks your way. God will adjust your feet to use them as stepping stones. Tell them to throw blocks your way. God will adjust your vision to use them as bridges over troubled waters. Adjust me God!

Your winning adjustment is going to be unbelievable. When God adjusts your life, the people who knew you aren’t going to believe it. Paul was so sinister, sinful and salacious that people couldn’t believe he was saved. He was so bad that people didn’t think he could be better. Hold up. These weren’t just any people. These were disciples of Christ. If anybody knew that God could change people it would have been them. They saw God save, heal, set free and deliver people. But Paul was so bad, they couldn’t believe he would change. Paul was like the rotten banana on my counter this week. It had turned all black and was soft, mushy and smelly. What if I told you that God restored the rotten banana? What if I told you He reversed the rotting process? It would be unbelievable, wouldn’t it? That’s what God did in Paul’s life. He reversed the rotting process and restored him. What an adjustment? God made the worse part of him better and the rest of him followed. I feel like God’s going to make the worse parts of your better. He’s going to adjust your bad attitude. He’s going to adjust your bad finances. He’s going to adjust your bad relationships. He’s going to adjust your abandonment issues. Please be patient with me. God is not threw with adjusting me yet. He’s adjusting the worse parts of us to showcase his handiwork. When people see what God has done with our lives they won’t believe it. God adjusted Jonah’s life. He went from a fearful little boy to a mighty warrior. God adjusted David’s life. He went from a looked over shepherd boy to the greatest king in Israel’s history. God adjusted Jonah’s life. He stopped running from God and started running for God. God adjusted Mary’s life. He trusted her to carry the Savior of the world. God adjusted Paul’s life. He went from a persecutor of the church to a protector and promoter of the church.

I got a suit for Christmas. It was too big and a bit boxy when I put it on. I took it to Carl, my tailor. I put it on in front of him. He grabbed a box of pins and a chalk stick. He pulled and pinned. He tucked and marked. I took the suit off. Left it with him. He made the temporary adjustments permanent. A few weeks later, I went and picked the suit up. I put it on again. This time, it fit like a glove. I couldn’t believe it was the same suit. God’s going to adjust your how you think; how you see the world; how you love; how you live; how you serve; how you work. You’re amazing!

God is making amazing adjustments in your life. Don’t react to their rejection. You’re going to talk different. You’re going to light up the room. You’re idea of fun is going to change. I don’t want to lie any more to get my way. I don’t want to cheat to get ahead. I don’t want to go to that type of club any more. I don’t want to make it rain any more. I don’t want to bring shame to God’s name any more. I don’t want to play church any more. Here’s the problem. You changed, but nobody told the people you hang with. They didn’t get the memo. They are going to reject you. They are going to stop inviting you around. They don’t want to hang anymore because your light; your shine hurts their eyes. Don’t react to their rejection. Why Pastor O? God has a Barnabas ready to receive you. But if you react to their rejection, Barnabas might miss the adjustment God made in your life. It was Barnabas who took Paul to the apostles. It was Barnabas who proved to the apostles that God had adjusted Paul. It was Barnabas who Paul access to the right people at the right time. The right people gave him permission to preach. He went in and out from among them preaching boldly in the name of Jesus. Don’t react negatively when you get rejected. Trust God’s adjustments. If Paul had reacted to their rejection, Barnabas would not have received him. Had Barnabas not received him, the apostles would not have given him permission to preach. All the people who heard him preach might have missed their invitation to Christ and eternal life. God’s adjustment is all the approval you need! How you react to trouble will determine if the adjustment took! The next time trouble shows up in your life, and it will, give God praise! Let praise be your weapon!

Your winning adjustment is going to be unbelievable. Don’t respond to rejection. Your actions will get the attention of the Barnabas in your life. Your winning adjustment is going to lead to your increase.

When God adjusted you, it was to increase, not decrease, you. Had Paul been accepted by the disciples and not the apostles, it would have stifled his growth. He would have wasted time trying to prove to them that he was changed. But it’s hard to change a made up mind. God wanted Paul reaching the Gentiles. After a little trouble with the Hellenists, the brothers took Paul down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Don’t miss the increase! God adjusted Paul. Paul adjusted the churches in Judea, Galilee and Samaria. They experienced peace. When God gives you increase, it adds no sorrow. When God gives you increase, you can sleep well at night. When God gives you increase, you don’t have to worry about losing it or anybody stealing it.

When God gives you the increase this time, walk with Him. Read His word more. Study His word more. Spend more time with Him. Let Him get you right!

God loves you. He’s going to multiply your efforts. He’s making adjustments so when He multiplies you, He multiplies the best parts of you! Shout increase!