Enough is Enough

What makes a person feel like there is time for a change?  When we are going in a particular direction, what makes us say we want to take a different path?  Well, there are a few things.  One of them is when we can not move any further in the direction we were going in.  Also, people change when something doesn’t make sense anymore or when they can’t manage a situation or issue on their own.  Have you ever gotten to that point in your life?  Last week I talked about being set free from our habits, hangups or addictions.  When these things overtake us, and it’s obvious we have no control, we get fed up and desire something different. 

So what stops us in our tracks, causing us to feel like things don’t make sense anymore or become so overwhelming that we are at our wits end?  Well, there are a lot of things, but there are three that  I want to cover.

1. One thing that pushes us to pursue a different path is when we want change for ourselves.  Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and is disgusted by what you see?  Maybe you are tired of how you allow people to dictate your joy. Perhaps you are tired of people taking advantage of you.  You could be tired of wanting people’s approval, love and acceptance so bad that you become destructive.  You could be looking at your behavior and hating the results it always yields.

2. You may change because those that love you are complaining and concerned about you.  Sometimes when we wake up one day and realize that we can’t call on anyone for help any longer, becomes a harsh wake-up call.  No one wants to do life alone, and there are times we live life alone because we don’t want to admit we are the problem.

3. Lastly, maybe God is showing up on the scene, causing us to feel like something needs to change.  God presence may expose our most uncomfortable thoughts about Him.  He will show us that we make individual decisions because we think that he was unfair in how he dealt with us.  Or maybe we felt that the one who needs to change is God.  His ways and plans were right for other people, but we may feel we’re a different case.  

Our Journey to Change

What are some things that come in between our wants to change and our move to do it?  Let’s pretend that change is a journey.  It isn’t a place that we arrive at overnight.  We have to pack up the things we need for this journey, but before even going on this trip we must do some things. Well one of them is very practical.  Sometimes our body needs healing.  We cannot go on such a rigorous journey if our body can’t handle it.  For us to change our thinking, change our habits and stop the cycle we keep finding ourselves in our body and mind must be healthy. 

For example, if you are a woman that is going through menopause, much of your thinking is challenged by changes in your body and mind.  This could be the same thing if your menstrual cycle causes a chemical imbalance.   When a woman’s body is going through such a change, she may struggle with moodiness, emotional stability, and sleep issues. 

Other examples are when someone struggles with insomnia or fatigue, your mind is exhausted, and there is a challenge in thinking through situations rationally.  You may be too tired to think straight.  Also if you are struggling with things like anxiety disorder or panic disorder than you may make some decisions that no one understands, even you.  I know you may not have heard this before, but our body needs to be relatively healthy to go on this spiritual journey of change.

Addiction of any kind can cause the journey of change to be harder than it has to be.  See when we bring the chains of addiction on the trip it stays silent for a little while but when we finally reach our destination it will infect that place as well and before we know it, we are right back where we were before.  We have to identify, honestly, what those addictions could be and then make sure that you and I decide to leave them behind.  It won’t be easy, but again, something significant has to happen for us to realize that we need to move in a new direction to get what we want.

We also have to take responsibility for our thoughts about life.  Phil 4:8.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

God put the job of watching what we think and what we focus on, up to us.  The only way we can truly embrace a new path is to stay focused on what is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worth praise.  All of that seems easy to do right?  Well, it can be a challenge when the people we hang out with are not honorable, or excellent.  It can challenge our dedication when the relationship we are having with the opposite sex is not pure, and there is nothing lovely about it. Changing this area of life can also be hard when the television shows, movies, and music we love, is anything but excellent, and worthy to be praised.  It’s easy to want to change, and it’s another thing to do what we must to achieve it.

It’s Time to Face the Truth

There is one thing that keeps people from arriving at this place of transformation.  It is the most critical ingredient to being set free and to walking this path successfully.  We cannot be transformed without coming face to face with the truth.  The beginning of verse Phil 4:8 says that whatever is “true” is the very first thing that we need to put our thoughts on.  Sadly, this can be the very thing that discourages us from making the journey.  

What are some truths that we need to face? Maybe we need to face the fact that we are in this horrible place because we won’t confront the things that happened to us in the past.  I know there are some that feel like the past is the past and we shouldn’t let that affect us but if that were the case then why did Jesus have to die on the cross?  He died for something that happened in the past.  He had to face the past so we could have a future and in some cases, we have to do the same thing.  

Another thing we may have to face is that our un-forgiveness has pushed us to make some destructive choices.  If you haven’t forgiven the person that betrayed, rejected, molested, abandoned, abused you, it will keep us in the same useless, destructive cycle.  We did a series on the power of forgiveness.   Click to read how un-forgiveness against yourself or un-forgiveness against God can also turn your world upside down.  We this series we learned to let ourselves and God off the hook.  

Weekly Challenge:

So where do we start the change?  To confront what needs to confronted, forgive who needs forgiving we must change our conversation with God, change our communion and change union with him.  Can you think of ways in which you talk with God that needs to be different?  What are some ways you can have a better communion with God?  Join us next week so that we can get a better view of what that will look like. For this week there are a few verses that you could meditate on to help you put your mind where it needs to be.

Psalms 40:1-2

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock

Psalms 31:1-3

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
² Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Psalms 9:9-10

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

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