Navigating Change

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. SEE, I AM DOING
A NEW THING! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am
making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
The Big Question: “How’s this going to affect me?”
The Reality of Change: If we don’t change, we don’t grow!
3 Kinds of Christians:

1. Christians who don’t change (Produce one-generation churches)
2. Christians who change with the world (Produce carnal churches)
3. Christians who change the world
   Luke 5:36-39 NIV
   He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new
   garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new
   garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no
   one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will
   burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
   No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after
   drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘THE OLD IS
   BETTER.’”
   Tools to Help Navigate Change:

1. Attitude is everything.
   “We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose
   how much life those years will have.”
   Proverbs 23:7 NKJV
   For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…
   “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
   Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than
   the past, education, money, circumstances, failures, successes, than
   what other people think, say or do. It is more important than
   appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a
   church, or a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice
   every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We
   cannot change our past nor can we change the fact that people will
   act a certain way. The only thing we can do is play on the one string
   we have, and that is our ATTITUDE. I’m convinced that life is 10
   percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so
   it is with you. WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR ATTITUDE.” —
   CHUCK SWINDOLL
   “A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity.”
   “A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty.”
   Philippians 4:4-9 NIV
   Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your
   gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious
   about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
   thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
   which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
   in Christ Jesus. 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. Whatever you have learned or
   received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And
   the God of peace will be with you.
2. Keep your heart pliable with God.
   The key to pliability is meekness.
   Meekness: a combination of humility and teachability
   Matthew 5:5 NKJV
   “Blessed are the MEEK, for they shall inherit the earth.”
   The METHOD is always changing.
   The MESSAGE never changes.
3. Be willing to give up what you want for the sake of what God
   wants.
   John 12:24-25 CEV
   “I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will
   never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will
   produce lots of wheat. If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give
   it up in this world, you will be given eternal life.”