Deuteronomy 2:1-5, “Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. [2] And the LORD spake unto me, saying, [3] Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. [4] And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: [5] Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.”
Their journey was initiated by God and He had led them through the wilderness for about 40 years. But they appeared stranded moving around a particular mountain without making real progress. Then God came with the solution. [2] And the LORD spake unto me, saying, [3] Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. Change, change direction, change strategy, change something if you want a different result!
Change is necessary for reaching your goals.
One woman met me one day after Service as I was walking to the car with my wife. She was backing a child. I saw the worried look on her face and stopped to ask her what was wrong. She told us she was stranded. She lost her husband not too long ago and became destitute. She had to find her way from the South to Kano where her parents live and had to hitch a ride to Abuja. She no longer had a home in the South and could not get to a place of succor. She was stranded.
Life has left many people stranded. I have met several people who got halfway in their journey but could not continue. They ran out of supply. They ran out of energy. They ran out of ideas. Some simply ran out of the will to continue. They can’t move backward they can’t move forward.
Some are stranded financially. Some are stranded spiritually. Others are stranded socially.
You lost your job and you are left stranded. The man that was supposed to marry you walked out and left you stranded. Witches and wizards have battled you to a stand still. But this year God will move you forward!
God spoke to Moses in Deuteronomy 2: 3, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”
“It’s time to move forward.” Move forward spiritually, move forward financially.
That also means you have to make changes.
Why Is Change Necessary?
Change is inevitable. They will happen with or without your consent. However, there are still some changes that you can take control of. So, it’s better to embrace the course of change and make it your own along the way.
We have internal change and external change. Internal changes are the ones you can control, external changes are those changes you have little or no control over. For instance government policies.
God Has To First Change You
Saul had to be transformed first before he could wear the crown. 1Samuel 10:6, “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”
God will not change your circumstances until He first changes you. He cannot make you a king over your domain until He changes you first. The problem is, we have people who want God to change their circumstance, without being changed themselves. They want a better life, cars, houses, jobs, etc. but they resist being changed! They resist becoming better themselves. If there’s anything you should be crying for this year, it should be saying to God, ‘change me’.
When you change your desires will change, your interest will change, your focus will change, your attitude will change, your commitment will change!
Two Things You Shouldn’t Change
1. Don’t change a winning formula except you are improving on it.
2. Don’t change your goal. Don’t change the instructions of God unless He directs it. Their goal was the promised land, so, God warned them to stay away from the land He has not given them, Seir the land of Esau. When Brook Cherith dried up God told Elijah to go Zarephath. The goal was not to preserve the brook, the goal was to preserve the prophet. So, God changed the strategy but not the goal.
Benefits Of Change
Serious changes have to be made if you want to see your vision achieved. The renowned scientist Albert Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
So, what are the benefits of change?
1. Internal change helps you focus. Whether in the way you use your time, spend money, relate with people, in your attitude or character, internal change is necessary for our personal development which is necessary for progress.
2. External change shapes you. External circumstances beyond your control will teach you something new. External change makes you more flexible, more understanding and prepares you for the future. We became creative when Covid-19 hit. Church Services and conferences became virtual because of the lockdown. Those who could not adapt collapsed.
3. Change makes life exciting. Change brings about personal development, excitement, adventure and growth.
4. Change Leads to opportunity and experiences.
5. Positive change terminates bad situations.
6. Change helps you to move on. Many people get stuck to an unpleasant past, but change will help you overcome it and move on.
7. Positive change means progress. Your goal should always be to progress and enacting changes such as training and learning is the best way to do it.
8. Change documents your journey. Your career will be counted and measured by the changes you’ve been through, not by the awards you have won or the money you have earned. You will never forget the opportunities you embraced, the chances you took or the times you failed and picked yourself up again. Those milestones are all part of your journey, each significant in their own way to your own personal story and contributing individually to your CV.
3 REQUIREMENTS FOR CHANGE
Continued next week.
Bishop Dr Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.
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