1 Simple Shift to Effectively Change

April 6, 2016 Nick Meeder No comments exist

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Have you ever wanted to change, but every time you tried, it didn’t stick? Have you ever been frustrated because it seems that no matter how hard you’ve tried, you haven’t reached the goal you wanted to? Does it make you question if you have what it takes to change? Do you wonder if you’ve simply been born with less smarts or something?

Here is the truth: you begin to change by deciding to change. Few people know this, though, because few people know how to change or even what holds them back from changing.

I used to wait for change to happen to me. I used to wait for motivation to happen to me. I wondered why life didn’t change and I never did the things I wanted to do in life.

I changed when I decided to change and stopped trying to prove myself to the world or find validation in my relationships and career.

You can change by deciding to change. When you begin to change, you’ll hit resistance. Most likely your own internal voice will tell you that you can’t change, that you’re stupid, incompetent, or “average,” maybe even “below average.” It will say things like, “If you were changing, then this would be different.” “If you were changing, then this person wouldn’t have said that.” “If you were changing,…fill in the blank.” These voices are lies.

There are two ways of thinking. One says that if I have a bad day, or upset my boss, or have a fender-bender, then it only confirms my fear that I am not really smart or capable. The problem with this type of thinking is that this person needs their external world to define who they are internally because they don’t know who they are. Their identity and source of validation is in other people or their circumstances.

The other type of thinking says that whatever happens, I am God’s child, and I can learn and change (Romans 8). This person’s identity and worth are derived from being God’s child and so he doesn’t need to be someone for anything or anyone else. That person knows that he is worth far more than sparrows to God (Matt 10:31). He further understands that he was not worth dying for, since he deserved death for his sins (Romans 3:23). Yet, Jesus has given him new worth by imputing His righteousness to him, not because he was worth it, but because of the Father’s great love and his own name and glory. He cannot boast in himself or his works, but in Christ. He is a new creation through Christ (2 Cor 5:17). This type of person doesn’t need external forces to validate who he is because Jesus Christ has made him a new creation and continues to do so (Phil 1:6).

Where is your identity and worth? What do you look to to validate who you are?

When your source of validation and identity are found in Jesus Christ’s work of redemption in grace and your Heavenly Father, then you are free to make great decisions. You’re not a captive of other people’s opinions. You’re not a captive of your present career, family, or financial situation. You choose to do the things that bring you great joy because they are the things that God has gifted you to do. You choose to do the things that God delights in and reflect His glory.

Question: What do you believe holds you back? What do you want to achieve in life? Please leave a comment in the comments section below.

 

 

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