CHANGE

Nothing Changes Until Our Mind Changes

Scripture Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 NLT

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Jeremiah 13:23 (NLT)

23 Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?

Can a leopard take away its spots?

Neither can you start doing good,

for you have always done evil.

2. God ask a question of the people of Israel.He asked, “Can A leopard change his spots?” It wasn’t a riddle, it was a question meant to spur their thinking about change

You can change your location instead of your old mind

You can change your your house instead of your old mind.

Nothing changes until your mind changes.

3. Here’s a question many people wrestle with: Can a person change? I’m talking Genuine, honest-to-goodness change from the inside out. From insecure to secure. From lazy to industrious. From dishonest to honest. From perpetually angry to consistently peaceful. . From pessimistic to optimistic. From selfish is to generous. Can a person really changed? Well can a leopard change it’s spots?

God’s answer Israel was, “ neither can you do good who are a custom to do an evil.” Does God not believe that people can change? Sure he does. But the leopard can’t change his spots by himself.

sure he does. But the leopard can’t change his spots by himself.

Change can happen, but radical change doesn’t happen by sheer strength of will. Most people are so trapped in their habits and behaviors that they begin each day chain to yesterday, doomed to repeat the same mistakes again and again. It doesn’t have to be this way, but it is because change does not come easily. It takes three things to experience lasting change, and most people aren’t willing to invest in these three areas.

1.Change takes time.

2. Change takes effort.

3. Change takes strategy.

Change takes time, but we would rather be changed instantly. Most of us want to be different in some area of our lives, but we want to be different now, not later. Most of us who are flabby want to be physically fit, but we don’t want to wait the six months it takes to get in shape. Most people who are in debt want to be out of debt today. And most of us who are impatient want to be patient, and we want it Right Now!

Change take effort, but too often we would rather that change be imposed on us. We don’t want to have to make the tough choices required for change; we would rather have those choices made for us.

Most of us don’t do what we need to do unless we are forced to do it. Change takes effort. It requires making decisions that we don’t want to make. It requires saying “no” when we want to say “yes”… and saying “ yes “ when we would rather say “no”. People don’t change because change takes effort.

Let me ask you a question? If there were a Christian “pill” that had the ability to change you into a kind of generous and thoughtful and loving and courageous Christian, would you take it? Most of us would, because most of us really want to be good. The reason we are not as good as we should be, or as good as we could be, is because change isn’t as easy as taking pill it takes effort.

Change takes strategy, planning is the highest expression of faith, if God tells you to do something and you do not document a plan to do it, you don’t believe it. Planning is the act of capturing God‘s will for your life. Planning gives definition to faith, it puts the promise of God on paper. Planning documents vision. Without vision, the people perish. Without a vision there is no self-control; without a plan there’s no goal control.

proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to Yahweh, and your plans will be established.”

Proverbs 16:3 NLT

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

Stand

Changing our minds isn’t easy, because thinking isn’t nearly as easy as it looks. Henry Ford said, “Thanking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.”

most of us will allow our thoughts to be carried along by the whim of our emotions. Or we let our circumstances dictate the way we think. However, if you want to experience lasting change, you’ve got to take control of your thoughts. Instead of confronting your thoughts to the world around you, I understand the word of God. When you attempted to think materialistically, thanks spiritually instead. When you’re tempted to think negatively, make the effort to think positive. When you’re tempted to give into the thoughts of despair, take a boat step and think thoughts of hope. When you’re tempted to think only about this life on earth, learn to think with an eternal perspective.

James Allen said, “ You are today were your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” If you want to experience change, you’ve got to change the way you think. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind you have the strategy. If you will take the time to make the effort you can experience transformation.